Women’s Leadership Giving Study
Project Overview:
Public Media Women in Leadership (PMWL) invites your station to participate in a first-of-its-kind research study, the Women Leadership Giving study (W:LG). The project is intended to understand the motivations and barriers to women giving gifts of $1,200 or more to their local station (see Research Objectives, below for details).
Why W:LG?
A 2016 study conducted by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy found that among Millennial, Boomer, and older generations, women give more to charity than men and are more likely to give than their male counterparts.
Additionally, women are attending and graduating from college in larger numbers than men and attaining higher level leadership positions thus increasing their personal wealth (earning as much or more than their spouses in 45% of heterosexual marriages). Among married baby boomer households, women tend to be younger (up to six years) and live longer than their spouses. As the great transfer of wealth continues within the silent and boomer generation, by 2030 women are expected to control $30 trillion in financial assets, according to McKinsey.
Anecdotally we see the same thing in public media: women are overrepresented in station donor files. Despite these observations, public media has yet to investigate why this might be or look deeply into the overall motivations, potential for deeper engagement and barriers for women giving to their local station (especially larger gifts).
Research Objectives:
Objective 1
What inspires current women donors to give at higher levels to their local station?
Objective 2
What are the qualities women look for in the nonprofits they support, and how does public media measure up to these qualities?
Objective 3
What are the most important reasons women say they should give to their local station, and what are stations doing (or not doing) to address these needs?
Objective 4
What are the drivers of satisfaction of station membership among women who give $1200 or more, and what might encourage women who are giving less to increase their giving?
Objective 5
What images and metaphors do women use to describe public media’s promise and value, on a personal and community level?
Objective 6
What are the barriers women feel are in the way of giving to their local station?
Design:
The research component of W:LG is planned in two phases and will be managed by Giving Agency and Edison Research in collaboration with PMWL.
Phase 2 will be larger in scope and will be deployed by stations as an online survey. Your station will be provided with list segmentation recommendations and a link to send to donors.
Phase 1 will be in-depth interviews with 24 women currently giving $1,200 or more to their local station. These interviews will be conducted by Edison Research. We are seeking 6 stations for Phase 1.
Toolkits based on findings from both phases will be provided by Giving Agency. Stations who invest in W:LG receive custom reports and early access to toolkits prior to the findings being shared at Brave Talk.
Investment Opportunity:
PMWL is seeking an investment of $4,000/station to cover the hard costs of Phase 1 (24 in-depth interviews total).
An investment of $1,200/station will be required to participate in Phase 2, the online version of the survey (waived for stations that invest in Phase 1). Aspects of the research will be concluded in time to share findings at PMWL’s Brave Talk conference in association with the PMDMC in August in San Diego.
Project Timeline:
Phase 1 (in-depth interviews conducted by Edison):
Finalize screening criteria and share with participating stations.
May 30:
Participant recruitment by Edison in collaboration with participating stations.
June 1-12:
Conduct participant interviews.
July 15-26:
Share Phase 1 findings with participating stations.
By July 30:
Phase 2 (online survey sent by stations):
Outreach for station participation in Phase 2 begins.
May-June:
Phase 2 survey in field (2-week duration/station).
July 9-July 30:
Initial findings and recommendations shared at Brave Talk.
August:
Phase 2 findings shared with participating stations. Additional stations may register for Phase 2 beyond this date.
September-October:
Participation Fees:
Participation fees is $4,000/station. Stations that take part in Phase 1 are included in Phase 2, gratis. We are seeking 6 stations for Phase 1.
Payment for Phase 1 can be made online or by invoice. To register and pay online, click here or the button below. Be sure to select Phase 1, totaling $4,000. To register and receive an invoice, please email Mike Wallace (mike@givingagency.org).
Phase 1 (in-depth interviews):
Participation fees are $1,200/station. Giving Agency & PMWL will share registration details starting on May 1, 2024.
Phase 2 (online survey):
Questions?
E-mail our Founder, Deanna Mackey at dmackey[at]pmwl[dot]org.