Welcome to Women & Philanthropy


Our book, Women and Philanthropy: Boldly Shaping a Better World, launches this new website to help provide some of the latest in the growing library of information about the amazing and vital movement of women and philanthropy.

My coauthors, Martha Taylor and Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz and I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing hundreds of women and men who were involved in creating this new movement.  Their stories are incorporated in our book: personal stories ranging from creating schools in Africa to celebrating personal achievements by giving.  Through their words, we are able to share with our readers why, how and where women give.

  • Women Are Not Little Men
  • The Power of the Purse
  • From Bag Ladies to Bold Divas: The Media and Changing Stereotypes
  • Women’s Giving: The Six C’s Plus Three
  • Stages, Styles and Generations
  • Non-Profits’ Future: Gender-Sensitive Development
  • Bringing Women to the Table
  • Women’s Philanthropy Programs and Giving Circles
  • Taught of Caught: Donor Education
  • Bold Women Giving Boldly: New Frontiers of Women’s Philanthropy
  • The Age of Women’s Philanthropy

Only a few short years ago, some considered the words women and philanthropy an oxymoron.  But the last twenty years chronicled in our book show what has happened over that same period of time from the astounding growth of women’s funds, women’s giving circles, women leading major fundraising efforts, and women giving millions.

While writing our book, we kept in mind the importance of providing role models to inspire and motivate.  We knew that women have the means and are well on their way to becoming a bold and powerful worldwide philanthropic force. We wanted to help women express their passion, compassion, responsibility and emotion through their philanthropy.

It is our sincere hope that all our readers will learn from what we have written and share this knowledge with others as well.  When this happens, women’s philanthropy will grow to become and even more powerful force for good.

- Sondra Shaw-Hardy