A new study called “Women Give 2010: New Research about Women and Giving” says women are more generous charitable givers than men.
Evidence clearly shows that married couples give more and are more likely to give than singles, in large part because married people tend to be more connected socially, which is linked to philanthropic giving. But it’s hard to separate out a wife’s giving from a husband’s. So for this study, Debra J. Mesch, Ph.D., Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, looked at only male and female households which included never marrieds, divorced/separated, and widows/widowers.
What she found was very interesting: In each of the five different income groups analyzed, female-headed households are more likely to give to charity than male-headed households. In every income group except for one, women give more than men.
We now have the proof that all women, even those at the lower end of the pay scale, are actively supporting nonprofit causes and giving more money than their male counterparts.
So what does that mean for your marketing and fundraising?
Make sure that your communications are appealing to women! Sure, you may have specific campaigns that are directed to men, but if you are reaching out to a more general list and need to make stylistic decisions, I’d lean toward stories, images, colors, and metaphors that are more appealing to women.
