Women and human services giving

The first decades of the new century are expected to witness a dramatic increase in charitable giving. And women will be more influential than ever before in determining the beneficiaries of this giving. The purpose of the research reported in this article is to provide useful information for social workers involved in program fundraising by examining various factors that may influence women's future charitable giving to human services. Data for this study were taken from a representative national sample of 2,719 U.S. adults. The Gallup Organization conducted in-home face-to-face interviews in 1996 for the Independent Sector. The results of this secondary analysis indicate that people who give to human services, in contrast to those who do not, were more likely to be white women, have a higher income, and volunteer in human services. In addition, the analysis provides evidence that women are more committed to the role of charitable organizations in society and believe that they have the power to improve the welfare of others.