Give so much that 'your hand shakes as you write the cheque,' panel told

08 July 2011

OTTAWA — Abigail Disney is an awardwinning filmmaker who happens to be the heiress granddaughter of Roy Disney, and grandniece to Walt Disney. Based in New York, she sits on the boards of numerous charitable agencies and donates millions, often with no strings attached, to organizations working to promote women's rights and social justice.

While she knows not everyone has the bank balance she does, Disney is a firm believer in giving as much as you can. Better yet, give more than you think you can, so that - as Disney urged an audience of well-heeled women last year - "your hand shakes a little as you write the cheque."

Disney spoke in Ottawa on Thursday as part of a panel discussion of women and philanthropy.

On the final day of Women's Worlds 2011, the four-day global feminist conference at the University of Ottawa, Disney told her audience of more than 100 that there are more women of means around the world right now than ever before, and they need to make the most of their economic power by generously supporting big ideas and grassroots efforts to improve equality and opportunity for women around the globe.

"Women with assets should be stepping up because it's the right thing to do," Disney said in an interview.

She urged women not to wrap their gifts in complicated strings or obsess over where every nickel and dime ends up.

"There has to be a leap of faith. We need to say 'Basta!' to the little thinking."

Founded 30 years ago, Women's Worlds gathers academics, activists, policy-makers and service providers from around the world every three years to talk about women's issues.

Organizers of the Ottawa event said 1,600 delegates made the trip from as far away as Thailand, Uganda and Korea. The program offered a dizzying variety of panel discussions, presentations and performances on everything from building networks to entrepreneurship to health care to sexual violence.

Disney produced the award-winning documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, about women in Liberia, and has just finished work on a series on women in war, to air on American public television this fall.

As a board member of a holding company that invests $1.5 billion in assets, Disney is well-connected in the business, media and philanthropic world and jokingly refers to herself as a "hairy-armpit feminist" who believes in equality for women first and foremost because it's what women deserve, not because - as many international aid campaigns now emphasize - improving women's lives will improve the lives of their children and communities.

"Unlike men, women don't need to be sweet-talked into supporting women's rights, they get it," said Disney. "Women in politics and media are starting to use their clout, but women with money haven't done that yet, and that needs to change.

"This is a moment in history. If we don't turn this into a genuine paradigm shift, we have wasted a huge opportunity."

Disney is a founding member of Women Moving Millions, a global fund that solicits gifts of $1 million dollars or more "to organizations and initiatives that advance and empower women and girls."

Among the Canadian donors to Women Moving Millions is Margo Franssen, founder of the Body Shop in Canada, and Ottawa's Shirley Greenberg, long a generous supporter of local causes, including the women's mental health program at the Royal Ottawa Hospital.

Thursday's philanthropy panel, one of dozens offered on the final day, was moderated by Valerie Hussey, a Toronto-based philanthropist and former publisher. Other speakers included Beverley Wybrow, CEO of the Canadian Women's Foundation, a national foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women, and Alberta-based Mary Tidlund, founder of the Mary A. Tidlund Charitable Foundation, a public charity the former oil and gas executive established to support medical and educational programs in Canada and overseas.

"People are scared of giving," Tidlund told the audience. "It takes a lot of courage to change people's attitudes about the wealth they have, but I have learned that the more you give, the more you receive."

For more information about Women's Worlds 2011, visit www.womensworlds.ca

Souce: Ottawa Citizen