Women contribute more than 50% of the money in America. Women outlive men. Women ultimately control the disposition of the majority of charitable gifts in America. Women give to more charitable organizations than do men. Women are more "charitably inclined" than men.

Is your organization paying enough attention to women as donors and potential donors?

Do not be surprised or embarrassed if the answer is no. You are not alone. Regardless of the demographics of the community they serve or their current donors, most organizations still design their fundraising strategies geared to an outdated stereotype of the "ideal" donor—the white middle-aged male. It is time to broaden your organization's perspective, using the model of the "donor next door" in which everyone in your community is a potential donor. And at least fifty percent of "everyone" includes women!

Once you resolve to retool and customize your fundraising effort to women donors, you will see what a difference a few minor modifications can make.

The simplest and most obvious modification is to begin to include women in every aspect of your fundraising. From board members to development committee members to donors, women like to see themselves represented in your organization. Women want to see that you are "walking the talk."

For each man that you invite to a Point of Entry^® or consider involving in your organization, ask: "What woman in this man's life might we be overlooking?" Be it the wife, the mother, the daughter or sister, women remember when they have been included respectfully and sincerely in the process, and, conversely, they will remember when they have been excluded.

Recognize the potential ally you have in each woman. Many organizations, even those with well-honed development departments, often consider the woman to be an afterthought, an "appendage" to the man, and an added bother. As a woman involved in fund development, I initially found myself guilty of this. It took only a few experiences to teach me of the power of having the woman in the family get excited about the program I was representing. Women have their own complex spheres of influence (or Treasure Map^®) and a natural ease in "networking." They can quickly manifest an army of support. And they can quickly add that vote of confidence or nod to enable the man to more quickly say yes.

Yet the demographics are telling us much more than this. It is time to consider each woman as a donor in her own right. A participant in one of our Benevon workshops, the Director of Development at a major national arts organization, told me this story: she was busy cultivating Mr. CEO, because his wife was a known arts lover. Each call to the CEO was screened by his assistant, a mere "secretary." It took a few months of personal interaction with the secretary for this savvy development director to pick up on the hints. This secretary was herself an heir to a large fortune and her passion in life was art. Thanks to careful listening, this woman became a lifelong major donor, and she, in turn, helped to cultivate her "boss" and his wife as major donors as well.

Women want to be more involved. Expect women to ask more questions, notice gaps in your services and ask, either directly or indirectly, how they can help to fill these gaps. The roles they have in mind may be outside the traditional volunteer job descriptions your organization has established. They may want to write their own job description, perhaps something more akin to a project, something that allows them to express their creativity and bring to bear the breadth of resources they so readily and naturally access.

We often tell the story in our workshops of the "ballet lady" who offered to bring the local ballet companies program for inner city schools to our school. While the school, at that time, was not prepared to take advantage of this offer, rather than turning her away, we told her about some of the other, more basic needs that would have to be met before the school would be ready to offer the ballet program. We needed books, school supplies and new shoes for the children. As soon as she heard that, she systematically tapped into her wealth of contacts and fulfilled each need. About two years later she brought us the ballet program. By then, she was deeply involved with the school, as was her entire circle of friends!

Women want to know how their money made a difference. They want to know the specific impact of their gift on the program or group it was intended to benefit. A letter from the student who received the scholarship, addressed "Dear Ms. Davies," can go a long ways to keeping each woman donor connected and wanting to give more each year. Be sure to include the facts. Statistics and results, even if they were not all that you had originally hoped or promised, should be reported honestly. Women understand that change takes time. Even incremental results will matter.

Ultimately, as with any other demographic segment of the "donors next door," being successful in cultivating women as lifelong donors requires a commitment to listening closely to their needs and then making a sincere effort to customize your program to meet these needs. Women will remember and appreciate this.