March is Women’s History Month, and International Women’s Day earlier this month focused inclusion. In this spirit, take time to explore CASE’s best resources for how to engage women as leaders, donors, and volunteers. Learn and grow with the following knowledge and expertise, from CASE Library materials and best practices to Currents articles from women leaders themselves to conference sessions that dive deep on women’s experiences in advancement and more.
Find tips on engaging women as philanthropists.
From the CASE Library, check out the Subject Guide on Women’s Giving to better understand how to build relationships with women donors and how gender influences philanthropy. Included in this guide are toolkits, books, articles, and podcasts, with recommendations for best practices as well as data on giving trends and motivations.
To explore more about women as a diverse philanthropic constituency, consider this Sample Collection from the Library on successful initiatives and networks for engaging women as a diverse constituency.
Delve into systemic challenges and strategies for the future.
At the upcoming DRIVE 2024 conference, an elective session, “Women in Advancement Services,” will examine the gender disparity that persists in representation in senior advancement leadership roles. A panel of five women leaders will discuss the challenges that women face in the industry, including pay gaps, harassment, and systemic barriers, and share strategies to level the playing field for future women leaders. The session will take place at the conference in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, March 27, from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m.
Many CASE programs feature sessions on women or diverse philanthropic constituencies. Explore all CASE’s upcoming programs here.
Explore the power of female donors.
At the CASE Annual Summit for Leaders in Advancement 2023, the session “Women’s Philanthropy Principles in Practice” recognized women donors as “dynamic partners who bring a unique blend of passion, strategic vision, and influence.” This CASE blog post, “Time, Talent, Treasure: The Power of Female Donors in 2024,” details insights from this session, which explored successful research-based principles for increasing women’s philanthropy. Learn about the nuances of women donors’ perspectives and motivations, fundraisers’ blind spots when traditionally engaging with women, and a success story from James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S., on how to earn women donor’s time, talent, and treasure.
Learn about women’s leadership in Currents magazine.
Discover Circle of Excellence Award-winning projects and initiatives that uplifted, highlighted, and celebrated women in “Stories Of, For, and By Women” from the January/February 2024 issue. In the piece, read about Virginia Military Institute’s documentary that marks the 25th anniversary of women cadets arriving on post at the U.S. university and more initiatives that center women.
From July/August 2023, author Karen Chance Mercurius, Vice President of Alumni and Constituent Engagement, University of Rochester in New York, U.S., shares her doctoral research on the personal and professional experiences of Black women working in advancement at elite, predominately white institutions. Through quotes taken from interviews with 16 Black women advancement professionals, Mercurius explores the key themes and takeaways from these conversations in “Pushing Against the Concrete Ceiling.”
Kathleen E. Loehr, author of Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy, tackles women donors’ potential and the four elements that have led to success at institutions that have responded to women donor’s preferences. Read “Changing the Conversation” to learn how to engage leadership champions, create a learning village, engage women stakeholders for input, and more.