Giving Compass' Take:

• Thomas Bognanno breaks down the gender differences in giving and offers reasons why these discrepancies might be important. 

• How can funders use this information to inform fundraising and giving campaigns? 

• Read more about gender and giving. 

Do men or women give more to charity? Depending on who you ask, you might get different answers, and the research isn’t always straightforward.

According to studies conducted in 2012 and 2014, men donated more frequently and at higher amounts than women. A gendered generational study, though, found that boomer and older women gave 89% more than men of the same age, while the recent 2018 Global Trends in Giving Report suggests the donor community is 65% female.

So, which is right? I believe the answer is both.

The key variance lies in the environment of the ask. In order to better understand, look at the focus of the studies: Men donate more in workplace giving campaigns (2012) and political campaigns (2014), while women are the primary donors when it comes to giving to charities of choice (2010). The 2018 survey was purely promoted and completed online, potentially skewing the findings since Pew Research Center reports that 73% of female adults in the U.S. use social media, compared to 65% of adult males.

Why does this matter?

There is a pragmatic evolution occurring in philanthropy that's separate from the ever-changing face of fundraising-focused technology that could be costing your organization more than just dollars.

According to The Economist, private wealth held by women is projected to increase by 111%, from $34 trillion in 2010 to $72 trillion by 2020. What's more, Forbes’ list of the world’s 100 richest individuals went from including four women in 2000 to 11 in 2019.

Read the full article about gender and generosity by Thomas Bognanno at Forbes.