Passion Drives Women to Give
from Perspective
 
By Cheryl Altinkemer
Senior director of development
Purdue University

Throughout the past year or so, small groups of women have been meeting in homes or at other sites for some special discussions.

These are remarkable women—committed, passionate and driven to make a difference.

They have gathered for lunch or tea—and for conversations and discussions about money. Specifically, they have discussed the meaning of philanthropy.

We call them Women of Purdue.

The Women of Purdue are proud to have the ability and the resources to give to causes they believe in. They have come to understand the power of philanthropy and are willing and eager to talk to others about it.

Women of Purdue ... Advancing the Spirit of Giving is a program developed as a subgroup of The Campaign for Purdue steering committee.

The leadership includes Susan Butler, 1965 School of Management graduate and chair of the President's Council; Tamara Morse, president of Purdue Alumni Association and holder of Purdue master's degrees in education and management; Lorene Steinmetz, 1956 home economics graduate; Carol Ecker, 1964 veterinary medicine graduate and former Purdue trustee; and Janet Denlinger, holder of a 1967 master's degree in biology.

These women are proud of Purdue, they want to be involved, and they are learning from each other about the ways in which they can help others with their financial resources.

Throughout history, women have shown a philanthropic spirit in giving of their time and talent to sheltering the homeless, setting up food pantries, founding schools and hospitals, among others.

However, we most often through the years have seen major financial gifts to causes and institutions coming from men, or sometimes from married couples or families. It's only recently that many women have begun to find their voice in the world of financial giving, and they are just beginning to realize their ability to use financial resources to effect change.

An organization based at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, the Women's Philanthropy Institute, is dedicated to inspiring, educating and encouraging women to be agents of change.

According to information gathered by the institute, women increasingly have the means to give.

Consider these facts:

Women hold and/or control more than 50 percent of the wealth in the United States.

At least $41 trillion will pass from one generation to the next by 2044. It is estimated that up to 90 percent of those left in charge of this money will be women—partially because women outlive their husbands by an average of seven years.

Women currently own 50 percent of the investment wealth in the United States.

Women alumni and friends have been Purdue supporters for years, of course. They have given of their time and their talents. Many have given financially.

Many, though, never considered that they might be thought of as philanthropists—those who are active in their efforts to promote human well-being.

Most never considered the impact of financial giving over a lifetime or of planning for future gifts.

The "Women of Purdue" program has helped women in these small groups consider what their effect can be.

The first gathering was in Rawls Hall in fall 2003. Other groups have met in the homes of alumni in Zionsville, Ind., Naples, Fla., New York City and the Chicago area.

The groups meet formally only once. The women in attendance, invited because of their association with the University, consider the meaning of philanthropy, hear from other women who have championed specific causes, and they discuss money—something that quite possibly has been socially off limits in their lives.

They are inspired by each other, moved to action by stories of giving and of the impact of their gifts. They stay in touch with each other because they want to, because they have found kindred spirits in their passion to help others and in their love of Purdue.

Viveca Fairbanks-Henderson, president of the Purdue Black Alumni Organization and a 1990 engineering graduate, attended the gathering held at Rawls Hall.

"That event was really eye-opening for me," she says. "Hearing other women share their stories and their commitment to give back to Purdue was powerful and compelling."

Fairbanks-Henderson says the gathering energized her and heightened her passion for what she could do.

At the annual meeting of PBAO during Homecoming just a few weeks later, she made an appeal.

"With gifts and corporate matching gifts, we raised $17,000 in less than an hour," she says. "We exceeded our goal to raise the remaining money for a completely endowed need-based scholarship."

Passion and leadership, says Fairbanks-Henderson, can make a difference.

Many women are finding causes, programs and areas that spark a passion. They are increasingly involved in charitable giving. They are increasingly interested in looking ahead and helping provide for the future.

Purdue will move ahead toward its goal of preeminence thanks to many, many dedicated alumni and friends. And many of those friends will be Women of Purdue.