WCF Foundation recently issued "Vote With Your Purse: Harnessing the Power of Women's Political Giving for the 2008 Elections and Beyond." This groundbreaking report, which garnered national media attention ranging from The Washington Post to The New York Times.com, sheds new light on women's financial and giving power.

Key Findings

• Women's income has risen more than 60 percent in the last 30 years, but women represent only 27 percent of individual hard money contributions to candidates, party committees and PACs
• Increased giving by women would have a major impact on the 2008 elections. A 22 percent boost over women's 2006 election contributions would mean an additional $43 million from women-and would be directed largely toward women candidates
• Women drive charitable giving but don't associate political contributions with the social change of charitable contributions.
• Mobilizing more political giving from women will require an emphasis on the values that motivate women: impact, inspiration, information, inclusion and interaction

When women don't give, they don't get a voice. And without a voice, they can't effect change.

Next Steps

WCF Foundation is currently developing the next phase of its Vote With Your Purse research, a study of women as online donors-which will analyze:

• How and why women respond to online solicitations
• Regional differences in messaging and approaches for women donors
• How fundraisers for causes and candidates alike can more effectively tap into women as a resource

With every research initiative we launch, WCF Foundation's Vote With Your Purse program will strive to understand what women want-and how women give. It will serve as a blueprint for candidates, organizations and activists with a mission to drive women's political giving. And it will serve as a launch pad for women with a passion for social change-and the desire to build a powerful political force.

Download the full report

Download the Executive Summary [coming soon]

Vote With Your Purse is a program of the WCF Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization.