Studies show that women, when provided with a decent wage, invest 90% of their earnings in their families while men invest around 30-40% percent. Accordingly, both private sector and nonprofit organizations are adopting women-centered development strategies aimed at capitalizing upon the increased return on investment generated when women are placed at the forefront of the development agenda. Jacqueline Novogratz and Kavita Ramdas discuss of the advantages and challenges of microlending and grantmaking approaches to investment in women and girls.

Jacqueline Novogratz (panelist), Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Acumen Fund.
Kavita Ramdas (panelist), former President and Chief Executive Officer of Global Fund for Women
Margot Pritzker (moderator), President and Founder of WomenOnCall.org.

Jacqueline Novogratz is founder and CEO of Acumen Fund. Prior to Acumen Fund, Novogratz founded and directed the Philanthropy Workshop and the Next Generation Leadership program at the Rockefeller Foundation. She began her career with Chase Manhattan Bank and then founded Duterimbere, a microfinance institution in Rwanda. She is a frequent speaker at international conferences including the World Economic Forum, the Clinton Global Initiative, and TED. Her bestselling memoir, The Blue Sweater: Bridging the Gap Between Rich and Poor in an Interconnected World, was published in 2009. She earned her B.A. from the University of Virginia and her M.B.A. from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Kavita Ramdas served as president and CEO of the Global Fund for Women from 1996 to September 2010. She currently serves as senior advisor to the Global Fund for Women. As of September 20, 2010, Ramdas will be a visiting fellow and scholar at Stanford University’s Center for Philanthropy and Civil Society as well as the Center for Democracy, Development, and Rule of Law at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs. Prior to the Global Fund, Ramdas was a program officer in the community initiatives program at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. She is the recipient of numerous philanthropic and leadership awards and is a frequent commentator, writer, and speaker on issues related to human rights, development, gender equality and justice, and philanthropy. She is a member of the Global Development Advisory Panel of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Advisory Panel of the Asian University for Women, and the Board of Trustees of Princeton University. She earned her B.A. from Mount Holyoke College and her M.P.A. from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.