Women hold prominent leadership roles across major philanthropic organisations and collective giving groups, but their influence is not always reflected in how philanthropy is measured or recognised.
Women are playing a significant role in Australian philanthropy, from leading foundations to shaping the growth of collective giving.
An analysis by She Gives of the AFR Philanthropy 50 found women held about 60 per cent of CEO positions and almost half of chair positions among the foundations on the list where leadership data was publicly available.
That compares with a reported 10 per cent female CEO representation across the ASX 300.
The analysis also found about 10 of the 50 philanthropic entities had female-majority executive teams. In some cases, women made up most of the executive team even when a man held the public-facing CEO or chair role.
The findings point to a gap between who is involved in making philanthropic decisions and how that leadership is represented publicly.
Leadership is not always visible
One reason may be how philanthropic organisations are named and presented.
Few of the entities in the Philanthropy 50 are clearly named after women. In other cases, a woman’s contribution may be less visible in an organisation’s public identity, even when she helped establish or lead it alongside a male founder or family member.
For She Gives founder Melissa Smith, visibility matters because it can influence who sees themselves as a potential philanthropist.
“What we see shapes what we believe is possible,” Smith said.
She said greater visibility of women as donors, leaders and decision-makers could encourage more women to participate in philanthropy.
That visibility also matters beyond individual organisations. The people who are publicly recognised as philanthropists help shape broader ideas about who gives, who leads and what philanthropy looks like.
Women are driving collective giving
Women’s influence is particularly evident in collective giving, where groups of people pool their resources and make decisions together about which causes to support.
Australia has more than 100 collective giving groups, and women make up 81 per cent of participants, according to research by Philanthropy Australia.
She Gives’ analysis found that almost all leaders and founders across these groups are women.
Collective giving can also broaden participation in philanthropy by allowing people to contribute at different levels while learning about issues, organisations and grant-making alongside others.
The strong participation of women in these groups suggests their influence extends beyond traditional foundations and large-scale individual giving.
Read also: Women are the future of Australia’s philanthropy
Recognition shapes perceptions of giving
Public recognition is another part of the picture.
She Gives’ analysis points to changes in the representation of women in the Order of Australia honours system, particularly at its highest levels. The organisation argues that the way philanthropic and community contributions are recognised can affect how visible women’s giving becomes.
Recognition is not simply about individual accolades. It can help establish examples for others to follow and make different forms of giving and leadership more familiar.
For NFPs, this has practical implications. Organisations can play a role by recognising the women who support their work, creating opportunities for women to participate in decision-making and making the diversity of their donor and volunteer communities more visible.
A changing wealth landscape
The issue is becoming more significant as Australia undergoes a major transfer of wealth between generations.
Women are expected to inherit a substantial share of the estimated $5.4 trillion in intergenerational wealth expected to change hands over the coming decades.
That wealth transfer could influence who makes philanthropic decisions, which causes receive support and how giving is structured.
It also presents an opportunity for NFPs to think more carefully about how they engage potential donors and supporters.
Smith said the sector needs a more inclusive picture of women’s giving that recognises the different ways women contribute.
“Women are already leading many of Australia’s largest philanthropic organisations, they’re driving the growth of collective giving across the country, and they’re becoming increasingly visible in public conversations about philanthropy,” she said.
“But there remains a gap between who is leading and who is publicly recognised.”
For NFPs, making that leadership more visible is not only a matter of recognition. It can help broaden the picture of who gives, who leads and who can shape social change.
As women’s role in philanthropic decision-making continues to grow, the sector has an opportunity to ensure its measures, stories and recognition reflect the people already helping to shape it.
Ritchelle is Content Team Manager at Akolade, producing stories for Australia's not-for-profit sector at Third Sector.
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