A woman's guide to giving: how to find your cause and make an impact with your money

Donor activist Barbara Dobkin, of New York City, explains this deepening engagement very simply: "When you look at the world today and you have money to spend, how can you not take part in philanthropy?" In 2006, Dobkin, whose investment-banker husband, Eric, created the family fortune, contributed about $6 million in stock and outright grants, including her usual annual support for the White House Project (thewhitehouseproject.org). In the mid-'80s, Lurie, a registered nurse, and her husband, Robert, the business partner of real-estate investment baron Sam Zell, began thinking about philanthropy in a structured way. In a pinch, says Marguerite Griffin, national director of philanthropic services at Northern Trust (ntrs.com), you may be able to get D&O coverage as a rider to your homeowner's insurance policy.