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Fundraising from couples: New research on how households make giving decisions
Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing,
8
(1),
6-17
(2023)
Abstract
This paper explores the question: ‘who decides?’ to provide a deeper look at how households make charitable giving decisions. The Women's Philanthropy Institute fielded a survey of the general US population to ask about charitable decision making. Couples are most likely to use joint decision making, but when one partner makes giving decisions for the household, it is more likely to be a woman. Going beyond previous research, this paper further unpacks the decision-making process. It also situates charitable giving within the context of other household financial decisions, finding that for many households, charitable giving may function similarly to a household bill. The study results have implications for a broad audience, including development professionals who want to better engage donor couples and households and encourage them to increase their giving and approach it in a more strategic way.
Keywords: donor cultivation; donor engagement; household dynamics; giving decisions
The full article is available to subscribers to the journal.
Author's Biography
Jacqueline Ackerman is Associate Director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute (WPI), housed at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She manages all aspects of WPI's research agenda and efforts. Jacqueline joined the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2012 after earning a master's in public administration from the Indiana University — Bloomington O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs. She was raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and resides in Bethesda, MD.
Jeannie Infante Sager Jeannie Sager is Director of the Women's Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. WPI believes that gender matters in philanthropy, and that solving the world's complex problems requires perspective, leadership and generosity from women and men. WPI focuses on conducting, curating and disseminating rigorous research that grows women's philanthropy. Jeannie is a seasoned non-profit executive with over 25 years of experience in health care, higher education and independent school leadership.
