According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the role
of women in philanthropy is powerful. A recent study revealed that single
women are significantly more likely than single men to make a philanthropic
gift, and married men and married women are both more likely to give –
and to make larger gifts – than single men.
Women in Philanthropy is a program of Catawba Medical Foundation, which
gathers contributions to help CVMC underwrite vital new programs, acquire
state-of-the-art medical technology, and maintain its self-supporting,
not-for-profit status – all without one penny of tax dollars.
“Women do indeed play a large role,” says Loehr, “but
fundamentally, they give for far different reasons than do men. I have
seen this not only in women from the community, but also from our own
hospital family.”
Loehr has discovered that women give philanthropically for the following reasons:
- Women give because of interest in and support for a cause.
- Women give to donate back to a cause, and to forge a better future.
- Women give to respond to a perceived need.
- Women give because it is the “right thing to do.”
Women in Philanthropy meets twice a year to review requests and grant funds
to support CVMC and its various programs and services. It is based on
similar groups nationwide, known as “Giving Circles,” in which
women elect to come together and combine their philanthropic gifts to
benefit a particular need or cause. For more information about the Catawba
Medical Foundation or Women in Philanthropy, visit
http://www.cmfoundation.org or call Bill Loehr at 828/326-3210.
Catawba Valley Medical Center is a not-for-profit, public healthcare system
providing and promoting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual
well-being of the public in addition to serving as a center for health
education, wellness services, preventative medicine and acute care. CVMC,
twice recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center as a Magnet
facility, was recently named as a “Distinguished Hospital for An
Outstanding InPatient Experience” by J.D. Power and Associates as
well as a Hospital of Choice by the American Alliance of Healthcare Providers.