Where Most Needed

Despite their overwhelming impact as charities, federated (or chapter-based) charity organizations haven't had much in the way of systematic study. 

One report available on the Internet provides some general observations.  Governance of National Federated Organizations, by the late Candace Widmer and Susan Houchin, reported on a survey of some 55 federated organizations back in 1999. 

There's a lot of information in this report, but for Father's Day I'm just going to note one of the more striking findings.  In most respects there was little in the way of generalizations that emerged from the study.  But there was this: 

All five of the organizations that were founded to serve women or girls—Girl Scouts, Girls Incorporated, Camp Fire Boys and Girls (which was originally Camp Fire Girls), Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the YWCA—have dual governance structures with significant powers vested in the membership. The four organizations that were founded to serve men and boys—Big Brothers/Big Sisters (which resulted from a merger with the Big Brothers organization predominating), Boy Scouts of America, Boys and Girls Clubs of America (formerly Boys Clubs of America) and the YMCA—fall into the categories of board-controlled or limited membership powers. ... Thus, although our sample is limited, the relationship between the sex of the clients served and type of governance structure is striking.  Organizations serving women and girls may be influenced by feminist norms of participation, while male staff and volunteers may find hierarchical structures more familiar and thus more comfortable.