b'FEATURED ARTICLEThe role and influence of women in philanthropy Australian women are not philanthropistsat least thats what they say according to recent research. Australian women do not relate to the word philanthropist or see their giving and volunteering as philanthropy. They go about their giving in a quiet and humble way and dont necessarily like recognition. To them its just a natural thing to doGIVE BACK.As Fundraisers, do we have a responsibility to teachAs men were traditionally the breadwinners and seen as our donors and volunteers what it means to be athe decision makers it makes sense that charities focused philanthropist?Without question, we do. their attention on approaching men and that the men were the ones being hailed as the philanthropists. But as society Women who participated in the research overwhelminglychanges all Fundraising efforts need to change with it. expressed that to be a philanthropist you had to be ultra- Schools should be adjusting their cultivation strategies to wealthy. They didnt see the volunteer time, committeeinclude the female in all engagement activities. commitments and the donations they were making as philanthropy. They have a misguided notion that to be a philanthropist you must make big gifts. Maybe because theThe research conducted in 2020 and 2021, revealed big gifts are the only gifts that get publicity so thats all theythat Australian women are most concerned about hear about. Organisations should be celebrating everydayorganisational waste and the true impact of their philanthropy more and using the word philanthropy. donations. What does this mean for schools? It means that donors want to know the problem and what change and impact their donations will make.Gender matters in philanthropy. Its not a bad thing that there are gender differences between men and womens philanthropy. After all gender differences in men andChildren and Education are right up there on the priority women are prevalent in all parts of our lives, so why notlist for women when it comes to their giving of their time, philanthropy. Men and women have different motivationstalent and treasure.and patterns of giving and have different relationships with money. Women are leveraging their resources and family to make the changes they want to see in the community.NOVEMBER 2021 71'