Why women’s collective giving is a great growth opportunity in fundraising

This shift is not confined to inheritance alone. Women are also building wealth at accelerating rates:

• New millionaire status among women is growing at 5.7 per cent, compared to 3.6 per cent for men
• Women now own one-third of Australia’s small businesses
• 85 per cent of household charitable decisions are made or influenced by women
• The “oldest daughter effect” shows eldest daughters are 50 per cent more likely to manage family estates than eldest sons.

What is emerging is not simply a rise in women holding capital. It is an expansion of women shaping how that capital is deployed – and often, they deploy it differently from men.

Collective giving: the fast track of philanthropy

A United States report found that collective giving in the US mobilised approximately 370,000 donors who contributed US$3.1 billion between 2017 and 2023, representing 140 per cent growth over that period. In Australia, 82 per cent of collective giving participants are women. Globally, 60 per cent of collective giving groups are composed entirely of women, and the movement is projected to double in the next five years.

But collective giving is more than a growth statistic. It represents a fundamental shift from individual transactions to shared purpose. It pools resources, insights and social capital. It builds relationships. It democratises decision-making.

As one giving circle founder said, “When I started my Giving Circle [it gave me] an understanding of a power that I didn’t realise I had…the power I have when I walk with my people.”

That is not simply a funding mechanism. It is a participation model, one that reframes philanthropy as community agency rather than solitary generosity.

Collective giving is often described as the “fast track” of philanthropy because it builds donor confidence, increases financial contributions over time, deepens engagement and volunteering, and creates pathways from circle member to major donor and even to gifts in wills. For many women, philanthropy is relational before it is transactional. Collective structures recognise that reality and respond to it.

Why this matters for fundraisers

Traditional fundraising strategies often concentrate on major individual donors, corporate sponsorship and government grants. While these remain critical revenue streams, such a focus risks overlooking a rapidly growing segment: women who may initially sit within mid-level donor cohorts but who want to learn together, give together and influence together.

These donors are seeking impact within community. They are looking for belonging as much as outcomes.

Organisations that create collective entry points – giving circles, pooled funds, structured peer networks – are not merely adding another tactic. They are building long-term donor ecosystems that strengthen networks and expand lifetime value.

Not all women want a pink room

An important nuance has emerged from the work of organisations such as Equitable Philanthropy: while many women are drawn to collective giving, not all prefer exclusively female environments.

Some donors favour multi-generational engagement. Others prefer family-inclusive events, mixed networks or values-based communities rather than gender-defined groups. One funder told us how much she values giving alongside her husband and attending donor events with other couples.

The strategic lesson is straightforward: ask donors about their preferences. Conduct surveys, then design experiences people genuinely want to attend. Capital alone does not draw people in. Belonging does.

Local leadership in action

Across Australia, leaders are building the infrastructure that supports the shift towards collective giving. At the FIA conference, these leaders included Christine Darcas from the Australian Collective Giving Research Institute, Amy Waters from the Geelong Community Foundation, and Leonie Boxtel from the Melbourne Women's Foundation.

These women are not theorising about collective giving; they are operationalising it. Their work demonstrates that collective models increase intentionality, shift power away from traditional philanthropic hierarchies, engage communities previously marginalised, and make giving more accessible. They also build friendships, networks and joyful participation. This is philanthropy not as hierarchy, but as shared purpose.

One powerful example is the Ballarat Women's Fund, an initiative of the Ballarat Foundation, which demonstrates how localised collective structures can mobilise women’s leadership and capital to address community need.

The strategic questions for 2026

As Australia moves deeper into this unprecedented wealth transition, fundraisers must confront several strategic questions:

• How are we engaging women as wealth creators, not merely inheritors?
• How are we designing intergenerational pathways into philanthropy?
• Do we offer a collective giving entry point?
• Are we building donor communities, or simply managing portfolios of names?

Success will not come from waiting for wealth to transfer. It requires engagement now, while wealth holders are still living, and the deliberate creation of pathways that invite multiple generations into philanthropic participation.

Female collective giving is not an auxiliary tactic to be added to an existing fundraising plan. It reflects a structural shift in how power, capital and influence move through communities. For fundraisers prepared to rethink traditional models, it may represent the most significant strategic growth opportunity of the coming decade.

This is an adapted version of an article by Catherine Brooks first published on Substack. Her article formed the basis of her address to the 2026 Fundraising Institute Australia conference in Melbourne.