Business owners make charitable contributions through their businesses and many have programs to encourage their employees to volunteer. Women entrepreneurs are highly motivated philanthropists who are more likely than men entrepreneurs to participate in leadership roles when they volunteer for charitable organizations. The report, Leaders in Business and Community, is based on a national survey among 226 women and 235 men business owners. McLemore is President of Regent Capital, a private investment firm, and a member of C200.
Entrepreneurs are also active volunteers with charitable organizations.
In many ways, women and men business owners are similar in their philanthropy. Not only are they alike in their charitable giving, they volunteer a similar amount of time an average of about a dozen hours per month. However, women entrepreneurs are more likely to use that volunteer time in leadership positions. These women not only lead their businesses, they are leading charitable organizations by serving on boards, and chairing fundraisers and special events, noted McLemore. High net worth women business owners are even more philanthropic than their male counterparts, observed Doris Meister, Chairman and CEO, Merrill Lynch Trust Company.