Meg Gleason, an associate at Downtown law firm Jones Day, donates time out of the office to nonprofit organizations such as Sisters Place, a Clairton organization that helps homeless single parents; and the YMCA of Homewood-Brushton, where she is a member of the lay board of management.

As a professional at a prominent law firm, she's also accustomed to being asked to donate money or buy tickets for fundraisers and other charitable events.

But when an official at United Way of Allegheny County asked her to join the Women's Leadership Council, the 33-year-old professional saw an opportunity to give both time and money and get to know other female professionals in the region involved in charitable giving.

"We arranged to meet for coffee and talk about it," she said. "I am approached to donate my time quite often, but I don't think I have been approached for anything quite like this."

The Women's Leadership Council is a network of women who donate at least $1,000 annually to United Way -- or who donate less but commit to work toward the $1,000 threshold -- and who encourage other women to participate in local philanthropy.

Among its initiatives this year is to tap more young professionals like Ms. Gleason through direct outreach instead of waiting for them to emerge on their own.

"We're going individually and meeting one-on-one with women who have the capacity and are in a position to make a contribution at [the $1,000] level," said Linda Jones, vice president for workplace campaigns at United Way.

The campaign kicks off next Wednesday with an annual breakfast event, which is already sold out.

Though the council raised $3.1 million last year, the sluggish economy took a toll.

While last year's total jumped 7 percent from $2.9 million raised in 2008, that was down from the growth rates in previous years. The women's donations had grown by 29 percent in 2008, 22 percent in 2007 and 19 percent in 2006.

Membership last year grew only 1 percent compared with growth of 27 percent in 2008, 17 percent in 2007 and 14 percent in 2006.

Since its launch in 2002, the women's council has raised $14.1 million and attracted 1,230 members.

"We took a hit membership-wise because of the economy, but despite that flatness, our dollars still grew by 7 percent," said Ms. Jones. "Which says something as a whole about the women's leadership council: despite a flat campaign, 50 percent of the women increased their gift."

The council has set a goal of a 10 percent increase in contributions this year, said Diane Holder, campaign chair and president and chief executive of UPMC Health Plan.

"And we hope to do better than that," she said.

"With the economy pulling out slightly, people seem a little more optimistic than a year ago; so we hope that will translate into people feeling a little more comfortable and confident in their giving levels."

Ms. Holder considers women a growing force in philanthropy.

"As you see more women coming into their own more financially, we hope they take the same philanthropic attitude. Whether they were the main breadwinner or not, they were the backbone of volunteerism in this country. When they didn't earn the paycheck, they certainly contributed their time and energy.

"And now that they are earning the paycheck, I think they're turning those dollars into the direction they want to see happen in the community."

Susan Baker Shipley, co-chair of the women's campaign and executive vice president at The Royal Bank of Scotland/Citizens Bank, said women clients of her bank are focusing on philanthropy as they manage their financial portfolios.

"More and more women are becoming top earners, and they are looking to plan for their futures. Philanthropic giving is part of that whole plan. And if they can't contribute now, they're putting a structure in place to meet goals at a different point in their lives."

United Way overall raised $30.5 million in the region last year, down from $31.2 million in 2008.

Compared with women's giving nationally, the local women did better last year despite recessionary concerns. United Way Worldwide's Women's Leadership Council saw contributions increase by 2 percent compared with the 7 percent increase in the Pittsburgh region, said Carol MacPhail, senior partner with Deloitte Tax, Pittsburgh, and a member of the national council.

"Our campaign continues to grow and continues to be a bright spot for United Way globally," she said of all the women's leadership councils, which together raised about $119 million last year.

The largest women's group, based in Minneapolis, raised more than $10 million last year, she said.

Besides young professional women, the local council is trying to target more female entrepreneurs, small business owners and women who work at smaller corporations who "have not hit our radar in prior years as we continue to grow our membership," said Ms. Jones.

Jayme Butcher, 34, an associate at law firm Reed Smith, Downtown, is serving her first year as a company representative for the council. That role involves e-mailing colleagues about the council's events and helping drum up support for United Way throughout the law firm.

Among her volunteer activities is serving as an associate board member for Hearth, a Ross-based nonprofit that assists homeless mothers with housing and skills to live independently.

While the unsteady economy has impacted fundraising at Hearth, where Ms. Butcher has experienced "more difficulty in getting a company to donate or sponsor," she hasn't seen any slowdown in giving at her law firm -- particularly among the women.

"They are as generous as they've always been, especially with the organizations they are entrenched with."

At the women's leadership breakfast next Wednesday at the Westin Convention Center Hotel, a capacity crowd of 800 will hear keynote speaker Victoria Rowell, an actress and author who grew up in foster care and who founded a nonprofit agency that provides scholarships so foster children can participate in sports, the arts and educational programs.

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