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Giving Circles are a form of philanthropy consisting of groups of individuals who pool their funds and other resources to donate to their communities and seek to increase their awareness and engagement in the process of giving. Through this process, they seek to impact their own communities or larger areas - including to have global impacts. The circles can serve as a form of shared, or collective, giving in the context of community economic development or other social ventures.
Members of giving circles donate their own money or time to a pooled fund, decide together where to give these away, and often have some sort of social or educational interaction associated with the giving. Many circles, in addition to donating their money, also contribute their time and skills to supporting local causes. Donations may range from spare change to thousands of dollars each year.
Giving circles as they currently manifest themselves are a new trend, but they are built on old traditions dating back hundreds of years to mutual aid societies and other forms of giving for the community. Several years ago, giving circles were predominantely composed of women.
Women continue to make up the majority of today's giving circles - but today the make up of circles are more diverse in race, age and gender. The structure of the circles can be informal or formal. On the informal side, circles may vote and choose an organization to support and each member writes an individual check. Formal circles may have their money housed at a local community foundation and have staff that support the work of the circle.
Giving circles can range in size from a handful of members to several hundred. Individual donors who join or form a giving circle typically seek to build community within their circle through social events, in addition to the economic impacts of the groups.
In a 2007 study, the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers' New Ventures in Philanthropy initiative identified approximately 400 Giving Circles in the U.S., more than double the number from two years earlier. A survey of 160 circles found that they leveraged $13 million in 2006 alone, and nearly $100 million to date. Nearly 12,000 people participated in the 160 giving circles surveyed; nearly half of circles now have male participants, and the popularity of giving circles is also growing among racial, ethnic and tribal communities as well as in the gay and lesbian community. (Wikipedia article; 2008)
At the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, we hold two giving circles. Women in Philanthropy and PEARLS of Hampton County
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