Straight from the heart:
The six reasons women give

In their book Reinventing Fundraising: Realizing the Potential of Women's Philanthropy (1995), Sondra C. Shaw-Hardy and Martha A. Taylor, co-founders of the Women's Philanthropy Institute, cite six recurring themes from interviews with women philanthropists. Called "the 6 C's,", they are:

CREATE: Women hope to create "new solutions to old problems and create new organizations, centers or new programs within existing organizations."

CHANGE: Evidence, anecdotal and otherwise, indicates that women give to bring about social change. The Women of Purdue interviewed spoke about making lives better and effecting a positive impact at Purdue and beyond.

CONNECT: Women want to build  relationships with people and the projects they fund.

COLLABORATE: Women prefer to work with others as part of a larger effort where duplication, competition, and waste are avoided.

COMMIT: Women like to volunteer for causes that they care about, and they give to the organizations for which they have volunteered or have been involved.

CELEBRATE: Women like to celebrate their accomplishments and have fun with philanthropy. The Women of Purdue enjoy being with other like-minded souls to discuss ways and means of making contributions to Purdue.