Abundance
Let Your Abundant Energy For Change In The World Flow Through the Use of yourTime, Talent And Treasure
By Margaret May Damen CFP, CLU, ChFC, CDFA
Mar 4, 2008

We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours.” Dag Hammarskjold, 1905-1961

The dynamic role of gender and generational cohorts in shaping society’s future is a central theme of discussion, debate and study by economists, historians, psychologists and sociologists in our nation and around the world. It is refreshing to see volumes upon volumes of studies espousing the ever changing, socially constructed nature of gender. These studies have opened a healthy dialogue about opportunities, expectations and obstacles—apparent or not so readily apparent—and about the impact of the social meaning of gender on individuals and institutions, including those in the third sector. Equally impressive is the plethora of work analyzing generational archetypes, fueled in part by the social metamorphoses in values and virtues experienced by aging Baby Boomers who are impatient to lead society.

The confluence of academic discernment on gender and generation with the economic empowerment of women and their significant and recent rise to leadership positions in all three sectors of our society—government (public), business (private) and nonprofit (third)—affords the third sector a unique window of opportunity. In fact, the third sector, free of the constraints of bottom-line profit or voting booth plurality, may be the only sector in size, philosophy and structure able to provide an inclusive environment for women in their quest to make a meaningful difference for the greater good. An affluent and influential cohort of women searching for a venue in which to realign virtues and values appears in the mainstream concurrent with philanthropy’s manifesto to revitalize and diversify the sector and engage a new generation of donors. A significant number of women who have traditionally been recognized for “feminine” characteristics of nurturing and care giving are now striving for formal ways to forge partnerships with philanthropy in the hope of achieving renewed balance and harmony in our patriarchal society. The synergy of gender and generation will open up new pathways for women and new horizons for philanthropy.

Women will be both part of the problem and part of the solution as charitable institutions struggle to find the proper ways to assimilate new leaders with new money, new ideas, new energy, limited patience and everlasting passion for causes in which they believe. In the process of establishing a new paradigm for women’s giving, authors Katherine Fulton and Andrew Blau conclude that the world and its problems have changed to such an extent that, “current structures and mechanisms may seem unsuited to the tasks they are being asked to respond to.” A critical component in maximizing the integration of women’s abundant time, talent and treasure into the third sector is the ability and readiness of philanthropic executives to execute new structures—new programs that are gender and generation specific.

The existence, impact and even the viability of gender and generational diversity in the third sector remains an issue open for debate. One objective of this presentation is to provide a forum for dialogue and diversity of thought in the philanthropic community. As with any emerging trend or area of study, quantitative data is limited. That limitation may, in fact, better serve to stimulate creative dialogue and “out-of-the-box” thinking. There is no precedent; there is no norm; this is a new and exciting frontier where imagination can take flight and vision can abound. This is "The Season" for Women and Philanthropy.


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