Non-profit organizations in the "blind spot" of attention

When deciding which thematic area we want to engage in, many factors play a role. These are topics that move us personally. They are organizations that have been recommended to us, that we became aware of through the media, or that approached us directly to ask for a donation. We seek advice from people with experience. Ise Bosch's book “Besser Spenden” is one of the standard works in this field - and her book “Geben mit Vertrauen” (in collaboration with Claudia Bollwinkel and Justus Eisfeld) documents the impact of transformative philanthropy, which she has long practiced as a pioneer, and offers practical insights into this approach to anyone interested. 

For those who cannot or do not want to delve so deeply into the subject, they often choose recommendations from people they trust or appealingly communicated causes. But what does that mean for organizations and topics that

• have not yet reached the general public? 

• fundamentally question the status quo and are therefore probably also quite uncomfortable?

• do important work, but do not have the funds available for “appealing” communication?

• do not have wealthy individuals with a well-disposed, approachable circle of friends on their voluntary board?

A striking example of an urgent social concern that is not actually that new in terms of content, but which still receives insufficient (financial) attention and support, is gender equality in Germany. 

Gender Equality as a Thematic Field: Great Impact Potential and Great Needs

The data and facts speak for themselves: In Germany, gender equality has practically not yet been achieved in any area of action. Whether equal pay; participation in leadership positions in business, science, politics, media or culture; exposure to gender-specific violence; the granting of sexual self-determination; access to financing for start-up projects, ... the list goes on. Women who are exposed to multiple forms of discrimination are particularly disadvantaged, e.g., women with a history of migration, women of color, disabled women, lesbians, trans women, … 

On the other hand, public attention to these injustices is quite low. As a result, the topic is not prioritized in budgetary decisions either. Neither is it the case with the strategies of grant-making foundations. The Association of German Foundations no longer even records which foundations support gender equality.¹

These topics do not yet play a recognizable role in private donations either. This is particularly curious against the background that women increasingly have access to financial resources and are thus becoming more and more important as donors: they inherit or earn a fortune, and even women who are not highly wealthy often use their money for charitable purposes.

On bcause, around 75% of active users are female. In contrast, so far only a fraction of the funds donated on bcause goes to organizations that work for gender equality. This means that women do not donate to these causes, and experience shows that feminist causes are even less frequently considered by male donors. Thus, the underfunding of organizations working for gender equality currently persists in Germany, even in the context of “new giving”. 

Not a “Women's Issue", but a High Impact Approach for All Topics 

But this is not a niche or “women's issue”. Rather, gender equality is a goal from whose achievement the whole of society will benefit, as it has an impact on practically all areas of life. Gender equality is important as an integral part of different subject areas – whether in climate protection, in the economy, on the topic of flight and migration, in the development of innovations or in future-oriented fields such as Artificial Intelligence. In very different fields, an approach with a conscious look at the gender dimension (i.e., with a “gender lens”) leads to more realistic and effective solutions². This is also recognized in the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

There is still a lot to do - how can we start?

Anyone looking for an engagement today that offers a high level of impact is in the right place here. There is also an increasing awareness of this in Germany. In May 2024, a group of people from the funding and NGO sector met for an exchange, in which it became clear:

Supporting organizations that work for gender equality is the right path for everyone who wants to use their giving to 

• actively contribute to the realization of our fundamental and human rights,

• protect and strengthen democracy,

• strive for the measures they support to unfold the highest possible impact,

• strengthen the national economy in the long term, and

• strive for innovation.

Click here for further information and impulses for first steps for all those who want to contribute effectively in this field.

🔎 5 good reasons to promote gender equality

Let's imagine what can be moved if the organizations working on these topics have the funds available in the future to work well-equipped and to plan for the longer term. Because social change is a marathon, not a sprint. 

A Collaborative Approach to Donating and Funding 

How high the needs are is shown by a first look at the still quite rudimentary data situation on the promotion of civil society organizations working for gender equality. In the few calls for proposals from foundations dedicated to this thematic field, the needs exceed the available funding by far. Hundreds of grant applications worthy of funding have to be rejected because there is not enough financing available.

Even if women are increasingly becoming active as donors: the fact that in Germany “female philanthropy” is not synonym of “feminist philanthropy” also becomes clear in Giving Circles, an innovative and growing form of collective giving, which bcause also supports digitally. 

While solid data on private donations for this thematic field is still lacking, it is quite clear in the German foundation landscape that gender equality as a funding topic has not played a major role so far. In other countries, it already has a different status. International foundation networks like GenderFundersCo_lab and the “Women's Funds” movement (which includes filia die Frauenstiftung in Germany) show how exchange and cooperation can multiply the impact of the participating actors. The data regularly collected scientifically in the US makes it possible to study changes over a period of time, both regarding the donation behavior of women and overall funding for women's and girls' organizations. For Germany, we still lack this data to understand why women here apparently rarely and to a small extent donate to women's and girls' organizations.

Effective Funding Without Handbrakes on - Not only the “Whether”, but also the “How” is Important

Experience shows that public funding in particular is often associated with such strict specifications and restrictions that the organizations dependent on this type of financing effectively have to drive or work with the “handbrake on”. This is true for many organizations working for gender equality. 

Any more flexible funding, e.g., from private donors or foundations, creates a multiplied added value for the organization. And every investment in gender equality is an investment in a more just, peaceful, democratic, and innovative world. 

Anyone who wants to fund innovatively and effectively should therefore also keep in mind whether his or her way of giving:

• enables feminist organizations to have a longer-term planning horizon: keyword “marathon instead of sprint”! 

• provides funds in an amount that is appropriate in terms of finance and time for the tasks.

• offers funding that is so flexible in terms of content that it enables the organization to achieve the greatest possible impact with its actions, even under changing circumstances. 

• does not only support the organizations selectively, but also strengthens them sustainably.

• avoids time-consuming administrative hurdles (e.g., with regard to application and reporting procedures).

• does not only pay attention to the large, already well-known organizations (whose call for donations are easier to find), but also smaller, often marginalized initiatives that have done important work so far with very few resources. 

• supports organizations that represent the diversity of women and their expertise in their staff and board structures.

• also supports work that questions social structures and seeks changes in gender relations at a systemic level. 

• also enables scientific support and research: without this, it is difficult to develop and implement evidence-based effective measures.

Conclusion

Our society, in Germany and worldwide, faces existential challenges. To find solutions, we are all called upon. Many smart solutions have not yet been considered or implemented because they come from women whose work is slowed down by structural disadvantages – and often combined with a lack of access to finance.

• The need for action and financing around the topic of gender equality is great.

• Investment in gender equality has a special added value through the great leverage effect on all other fields concerned with positive social, ecological, and economic change. Looking through a “gender lens” is therefore important as an approach in all fields if the full impact is to be unfolded.

• In practice, this means: it is best to invest directly in feminist organizations and initiatives or support their work with donations (and also make sure that other organizations to which you donate work with a “gender lens”).

• The “how” is important: The type of financing must enable organizations to reach their full potential without unnecessary hurdles.

• Organizations that do highly effective work may not be as easy to find because they do not have well-equipped communication and fundraising departments. Finding them may require a bit more effort, but it's worth it: any new funding or investment in this field can achieve a particularly high impact. 

Some organizations can already be found on bcause.com (e.g., bundled in the Gender Equality Collection), there are many more, and we want to expand this.

• Together and networked, we can amplify giving for gender equality, build synergies, and learn from and with each other.

Our steadily growing network of people from funding and NGO practice can support you with questions, wishes to exchange experiences, and when researching suitable organizations and initiatives. Here you will find impulses for a future-oriented funding practice and for first concrete steps that the network has developed, as well as contact details of the contact persons.

👉🏼 Impulses for a future-oriented funding practice

We cordially invite you and look forward to the exchange!

You can find more material on the topic here:

Five good reasons to promote gender equality Facts and figures on the promotion of gender equality in Germany Collection of practical tips and tools (e.g., guidelines, handouts, data) on “gender lens grantmaking”, feminist philanthropy, etc. (German and international)

This blog article is written by Karin Heisecke and Loubna Messaoudi.

¹ See “Stiftungsfokus Nr. 21 Stand 04/2024: Entwicklung des Stiftungssektors 2000 - 2022” S.16 https://www.stiftungen.org/fileadmin/stiftungen_org/Verband/Was_wir_tun/Publikationen/stiftungsfokus21-sektorentwicklung.pdf

² Interested parties can find further information, data, guidelines, handouts, etc. here: https://tinyurl.com/mr3p4nmj

About the author: Karin is a senior consultant for strategies in philanthropy and advocacy for social change, focusing on gender equality. Her many years of expertise in the development and implementation of advocacy and funding strategies spans the international, national and local levels, with institutions such as the United Nations, the Council of Europe, international NGOs and foundations. She initiated, advised and managed the implementation of numerous projects and start-ups. After starting with an international focus, she has been increasingly active in Germany since 2010.