When you're thinking about who is making charitable decisions in the average household, who is it that comes to mind? Who starts the conversation and who writes the check? 

A IUPUI Women's Philanthropy Institute study reports six major findings that can help those of us in the advancement profession point our efforts in the right direction.  

1. In the majority of households, partners make giving decisions jointly, but when decisions are made independently, women are more likely than men to make a charitable donation.  

2. When giving decisions are made independently, most individuals consider charitable giving to be "short-term financial management." Compared with giving data from 2005, the number of households making giving decisions jointly is down about 12%.

3. The study found that the top three demographic determiners to charitable giving are age, religiosity, and relative education.  

4. This report found that the highest valued donations come from man-giving households, while the smaller value donations come from separately deciding households. 

5. People who give independently of their partners have different giving habits based on gender and joint decider status.  

6. About 75% of giving couples agree on how much they should give. Most often giving decisions are made jointly, and when they are, the donations made are often of the highest dollar value. 

This report reminds us, "charitable giving decisions are often made within households, between married or cohabiting partners. While research has been conducted about the giving decisions couples make, there is still much to learn about the process behind those choices."