So you want to start a giving circle? Great! Every person I speak with who is part of a giving circle says that their giving circle is a fulfilling and rewarding experience. You can have that experience, too, and today, I’ll share with you the first step in launching a giving circle.
Can I get a drum roll? Ready for it?
Talk to people.
A giving circle by its nature involves other people, so you’ll want to assemble your founding members. Your founding members will be integral to launching your group, so you’re looking for people who
- you like, because what’s the point in spending a lot of time working on issues with people you don’t enjoy? You’ll just end up getting burnt out and want to quit.
- are personable. You’ll be growing your group, and it will help if your founding members will naturally share your activities with others.
- are enthusiastic, because they’ll spend more time on the giving circle.
- get things done, because things will need to get done.
Make a List
Who do I know off the top of my head who might also care about these issues?
Write down as many people as you can think of. Scroll through your address book and write down names. Think about places you regularly go and know people. For example, is there anyone at church who might be interested? softball team? work? family members? gym? kid’s events?
After you’ve brainstormed as many people as possible, call or email them. Talk from your heart about what you want to do and why you would like them to participate. Below is a sample I adapted from what I said when I was talking to people.
Sample:
I know you’re a very busy person. I also know that you’re the sort of person who wants the world to be a better place because you were here which is why I thought of you and want to share with you an idea I have.
I want to see a world where {talk about issues}
So, what I want to do is create a giving circle. It’s a group of people who agree to donate a set amount of money, then we get together to choose where we’re going to donate that money.
The idea is that a group of people doing something small but doing it consistently can add up to huge results. I would love to be able to donate (put large dollar amount here) through this group. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Plus, since we’re doing it together, we can benefit from each others’ experience, research, and insight, so we not only give bigger, but we give better, too.
Does (brief summary of issue) interest you?
Set a Goal
Talk with one person per day about your idea until you have two or three people or even five people who are interested in starting a giving circle with you.
I’ll share with you in future posts some ideas about how to proceed once you’ve got your founding members. In the meantime, the Giving Forum is great resource.