Nonprofit Nation with Julia Campbell

How to Engage Women Donors With Jaqueline Ackerman

Julia Campbell Season 2 Episode 208

Why do women give — and what truly inspires them to give more? In this powerful episode of Nonprofit Nation, I’m joined by Jacqueline Ackerman, Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.and a leading voice in gender and philanthropy. With a background shaped by early experiences in Haiti and a career grounded in rigorous research, Jacqueline shares why understanding how women give is just as important as how much they give.

If you’re not segmenting, stewarding, and storytelling with women in mind, you’re not just missing out on donations — you’re missing the opportunity to build a more inclusive and sustainable culture of philanthropy.

💡 Key Topics:

  • Why women give and why it’s important to understand
  • The biggest myths and blind spots nonprofits have about women donors
  • How to use storytelling to build trust and deepen engagement
  • What it means to create a gender-inclusive fundraising strategy
  • How fundraisers can apply an intersectional lens to their work
  • Real examples of how WPI research has helped nonprofits grow giving

🔍 About Jacqueline Ackerman

Jacqueline Ackerman is Director of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. WPI believes that gender matters in philanthropy, and that solving the world’s complex problems requires perspective, leadership and generosity from women and men. Jacqueline’s work centers on moving the institute’s research into action, delivering insights to donors, fundraisers and sector leaders that grow women’s giving and deepen fundraisers’ engagements with female donors. Over the last decade, Jacqueline has led WPI’s research agenda, including serving as primary author on most of WPI’s research reports. Jacqueline joined the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2012 after earning a Master of Public Affairs from the Indiana University O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs in Bloomington. She was raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and resides in Bethesda, MD.

🧰 Resources & Links:

Take my free masterclass: 3 Must-Have Elements of Social Media Content that Converts