Getting Started
Here are some tips for starting a giving circle, and ideas for making your meetings a success.
Starting a Circle
- Form a group or pick a cause—You can organize a circle in one of two ways. If you have a group of friends in mind who you’d like to create a giving circle with, consider coming together and deciding as a group the cause (or causes) you’d like to rally around. Or, if there’s a particular cause you want to focus on, spread the word and see who’s interested in joining your campaign.
Need help deciding which issues and causes to support? Or, want more ideas for how your circle can take action? Visit smartlink.org, a service of The Community Giving Resource. - Organize your group—Decide how large you want your group to be (will you have to recruit members or set a cap?) and make a schedule for meetings, including where the meetings will take place. Then, decide on responsibilities. Appointing roles such as secretary and group leader can help keep your circle focused and on track.
- Set goals—Setting goals with your circle will give all of you something to work toward. Goals can take many forms, and can be set around anything from money to members to awareness-raising. Sample goals could include “Have all members research charities by next meeting, and come prepared with two suggestions” or “Add three new members to circle by Thanksgiving”.
Running Successful Meetings
After your circle has formed, make sure your meetings are a success:
- Spread the word—Email the group a week or so before each meeting, as a reminder and so everyone has ample time to make arrangements.
- Be prepared—Have an agenda for each meeting, and include it in the reminder email that goes out before the meeting. Then, everyone will be prepared to discuss the topics at hand.
- Keep tabs on the time—If you plan to meet for an hour, stick to it! Having an agenda for meetings will help keep the conversation on track.
- Make newcomers feel welcome—Be sure to take down email addresses and phone numbers of newcomers and then follow up after the meeting to keep the dialogue going.
- Food and drinks—It’s hard to think on an empty stomach! If your group meets at someone’s home, have members volunteer to bring treats. Or, think about having the meeting at a restaurant or coffeeshop.
Between meetings, it’s important to keep the momentum going. Consider using the Web to stay connected:
- Use a social networking site (like Facebook). Create a “Giving Circle” community and share pictures of your events, post updates, recruit members and more.
- Set up a blog or simple website that all members can use. The group can use the blog or site to post meeting minutes, give links to news articles related to the issue, give donation updates and more.
More Tips
For more tips on how to start and run a successful giving circle, check out the Giving Circles Knowledge Center, developed by The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers.
