Engaging Women Online

Recently, the Women's Campaign Forum Foundation (or WCF Foundation) published a report on the relationship between political philanthropy and political power as it related to women. The authors of the 21 page report, which can be viewed in full by following this link: http://wcf.3cdn.net/fa0ca3a210d66b6641_i0m6bprb4.pdf, summarize their findings this way –

 

1. Women have both the financial resources and drive for social change that are needed for them to have a significant impact on politics;
2. There is still room to grow women's political giving;
3. The Internet enhances key values that motivate women to give;
4. By providing information strategically, women online donors can be engaged in not only political giving, but also in involving others;
5. Women online donors depend significantly upon campaigns' online presence;
6. Repeat women donors present the best opportunity for growing donations; and
7. Web 2.0 technologies show strong promise for increasing women's political giving.

 

Clearly, as we've seen from this year's presidential contest, women are increasingly a political force to be reckoned with and giving to campaigns has helped increase this power. And, there are many signs that indicate this trend will only continue in the coming years. For example, the report notes that women control more than half of the wealth in the United States and are projected to hold two-thirds by 2030. In addition, as a group women have donated approximately $109 million to presidential campaigns in 2008 and women are using the Internet to research candidates before giving money. As the report points out, before making a political contribution, 55% of women consult online news sources, 54% consult campaign email updates and 49% consult campaign, PAC or political party websites. And, nearly 80% of women who visited such sites forwarded information to friends and family encourage their participation with the campaign in some way.

 

Women, philanthropy and the Internet are proving to be a powerful combination in growing the political power of women and ensuring that women's issues are addressed on the campaign trail. There is no reason why this pattern cannot be replicated at the local and state level, and organizations and political campaigns would benefit by incorporating outreach to female voters into their strategic plans. As the WCF Foundation reminds us, "women: Your path to changing the world is just a few mouse clicks away."