Jacqueline Ackerman is the assistant director for research and partnerships at the Women’s Philanthropy Institute. In this post, she details new research about gender and #GivingTuesday, and why fundraisers should focus on women donors.
A new study by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI), Gender Differences in #GivingTuesday Participation, found that women make up the majority of donors on #GivingTuesday.
#GivingTuesday is a movement to focus on charitable giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Since it was begun in 2012, it’s experienced incredible growth: between 2016 and 2017 alone, online donations on this designated day of giving increased 55 percent to an estimated $274 million. Our new study explored how women’s and men’s giving patterns on #GivingTuesday differ. We found that:
- Women are more likely than men to give on #GivingTuesday
- Giving goes up sharply on #GivingTuesday for both men and women
- Women and men give approximately equal amounts on #GivingTuesday; women’s greater participation means greater total donations from women
- Women and men give to similar types of organizations on #GivingTuesday
While #GivingTuesday 2017 has come and gone, this study is important because now is the time for organizations to evaluate their #GivingTuesday performance this year and consider adjustments to their 2018 strategy. How did your organization fare on #GivingTuesday?
If your nonprofit didn’t see a sharp increase in giving on #GivingTuesday, why not? Consider whether your fundraising strategy—on #GivingTuesday and overall—appeals to both men and women. Our new report suggests that women and men use technology differently to give to the causes that matter to them. Nonprofits should consider these gender differences as they craft their fundraising strategies.
#GivingTuesday has experienced tremendous growth over the last five years, and we expect it will continue to grow in the future. Given women’s higher participation levels in #GivingTuesday, nonprofits must understand gender differences in giving habits and how to maximize giving by both men and women.
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Read the full study and learn about the data and methods we used
The research was completed with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings and conclusions in the research, and the views expressed in this blog post, are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect official positions or policies of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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