At The Discovery Group, we spend our days alongside social profit leaders at pivotal moments: preparing for a campaign, welcoming a new leader, rethinking strategy and governance. In that work, one reality comes up again and again. Women are leading philanthropy, and engaging women donors looks different. The organizations that haven’t adapted are already behind.
What We’re Seeing
More and more, the person at the centre of a major gift conversation is a woman. She may be leading her family’s giving, chairing a board or leading a campaign.
The numbers point the same way. TD Wealth’s report Trust and Transformation: Canadian Women and Philanthropy found that donations claimed by Canadian women nearly tripled between 2011 and 2021, from $1.5 billion to $4.3 billion. The report also projects that wives, spouses and daughters will inherit $1 trillion over the next decade (TD Wealth).
Generosity That Looks Different
What stands out to us is not only how many women give, but also how they give. TD found that women tend to research charities carefully before giving, and often volunteering or looking closely at an organization’s board (TD Wealth). Many want a deeper relationship with the causes they support, and many also prefer to give alongside others through giving circles and collective funds.
In health care philanthropy, we see women keen to learn from female medical leaders and researchers, especially on women’s health. A common pattern is a couple of friends hosting a small dinner, often for women only, with a female physician as the speaker and education at the centre.
Money Is Personal
A major gift conversation is a money conversation, and money is emotional. As RBC notes, many of us make financial decisions based on “what we learned in childhood.” Over time those lessons form “money scripts” that “affect how you view money and behave with it” (RBC). For fundraisers, this means making room for questions and learning rather than pressing for a quick decision when engaging women donors.
Family dynamics matter too. In our experience, there is often tension inside family foundations and family offices. Next-generation women are pushing for new approaches while the generation above still holds the decision-making power.
Where the Gaps Are
As TD Wealth notes, men “were often seen as top donors and financial decision-makers,” but “this approach no longer works as women are increasingly in control of their family’s finances” (TD Wealth). Yet donor records often still list one name per household. Boards and campaign cabinets don’t always reflect the donors that organizations hope to engage.
The gaps show up in what gets funded, too. As BC Women’s Health Foundation notes, “Women are 51% of the population but only 7% of national health research funding is directed to women’s health research.”
Questions to Bring to Your Leadership Team
Engaging women donors well isn’t only a fundraising task. It depends on how your organization is governed, how it approaches philanthropy, and who is leading the way. Here are the questions we encourage every leadership team and board to explore.
Governance: Is your board set up to understand and engage today’s donors?
1. Does our board reflect the donors and communities we want to engage? Donors see themselves in an organization when they see themselves in its leadership. Board composition and recruitment send a clear signal about who your organization is for.
2. Does our strategic plan reflect how our donor base is changing? As women drive more giving decisions, that shift should shape your organization’s direction, not just its fundraising tactics.
3. Are we making room for next-generation voices? Whether on a board or in a family foundation, next-generation leaders often bring new perspectives but hold less decision-making power. Good governance makes space for them.
Philanthropy: Is your fundraising built around how donors actually give?
1. Do we know who really makes the giving decisions? If your database lists one name per household, you may be building a relationship with only half the partnership. Campaign readiness work should include the voices of the women who are making those decisions.
2. Does our approach make room for learning? Many women donors want to understand the problem and see progress before they commit. Learning events, giving circles and a case for support that invites questions can deepen those relationships.
3. Is our stewardship built on connection, or on recognition? Preferences can vary by generation. Many donors care more about seeing progress than their name on a wall, while others value public recognition as a way to inspire others to give. In fact, “younger donors place a higher value on the visibility of their philanthropy, [and are] more likely to gauge success by public recognition (27% younger vs. 8% older)” (Bank of America).
Leadership: Do you have the leaders to build these relationships?
1. Who is leading our next campaign? Campaign cabinets and volunteer leadership show who the campaign is for, and they shape who gets asked.
2. Are we hiring leaders who build relationships well? Your next CEO or head of philanthropy will need to engage a donor base that looks and gives differently than it did a decade ago. Relationship-building should be central to how you define the role and assess candidates.
At The Discovery Group, these questions shape our work every day. We help boards with governance, organizations with campaigns, and teams with finding their next leader. If your team is exploring any of these questions, we’d welcome a conversation. Connect with us here.