With ‘Giving Circles,’ Anyone Can Be a Philanthropist

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Here’s an indisputable fact about the act of giving: It makes us feel good. From lowering our blood pressure to boosting our self-esteem, research has confirmed that doing for others makes our own lives better.

Yet without the bottomless checkbook of a Melinda Gates or a Warren Buffet, just how much difference can one individual make in a world beset by need?

It turns out, quite a lot. It just takes teamwork.

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In North Central Florida and around the country, individuals are coming together in a rapidly growing trend called collective giving to pool their donations around a shared purpose. This “participatory philanthropy” is transforming the landscape of charitable giving – and packing a mighty punch.

According to a 2023 study commis-sioned by the Dorothy A. Johnson

Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University, Colmena-Consulting, and Philanthropy Together, there are currently 4,000 collective giving groups in the U.S. with more than 370,000 people engaged, donating $3.1 billion between 2017-2023. That’s up from 165 such groups in 2005.

Beyond the numbers, collective giving is remaking what it means to be a philanthropist, empowering citizens across the economic spectrum to tackle their communities’ challenges.

This rise is fostering happy benefits, according to the study’s report, “In Abundance: An Analysis of the Thriving Landscape of Collective Giving in the U.S.” Participants reported greater civic engagement, better “across the aisle” communication, a heightened sense of well-being, deeper connection to one another and their communities – all leading to a democratizing and diversifying of philanthropy.

The Community Foundation of North Central Florida joined this movement in 2006, when women on its board, looking for ways to improve the lives of women and girls here, tapped into their friends’ networks to found the Women’s Giving Circle of North Central Florida. Today, the group boasts 143 members.

The Circle’s premise is simple – each member donates $1,000 yearly ($500 for those under 40), and has a say in determining which local nonprofits receive grants.

The group annually awards several small grants and one impact grant. Part of the Circle’s appeal is its rigorous vetting process: the grants committee evaluates each application, membership then votes each May, and the awarded funds go to work almost immediately.

Since its founding, the Circle has invested more than $2.2 million in the community through more than 130 grants to more than 50 nonprofits.

Its impact is wide ranging; for instance, seed money for the pilot program for Santa Fe College’s Back to Work 50+ program, which has helped countless older job seekers return to the workforce; a building grant for Girls Place to allow it to serve more girls; a microloan program at Peaceful Paths, a sanctuary for those escaping domestic violence.

In 2024, the Circle presented its largest-ever impact grant – $100,000 – to the University of Florida Perinatal Mobile Outreach Clinic for prenatal care to lower-income women. Its focus remains on economic empowerment, job skills, education, mental health, domestic violence, and more.

Beyond that, the Circle has created a network of informed philanthropists through social gatherings, educational panels, lunch and dinner dialogues.

Success fosters success, and in 2022, the Gainesville-Alachua County Association of Realtors, inspired by and modeled after the work of the Women’s Giving Circle, launched its own giving circle through the Foundation. Its focus: programs that support housing-related charities, an obvious need in our area. So far, the group has attracted 58 members and granted $65,000, tapping into the generosity of housing professionals.

Joining either of the Foundation’s Circles is easy, and whichever you choose, you will surely experience the “giver’s high” that comes from knowing you are making a difference in your community. For more information and to join either circle, go to cfncf.org, www.cfncf.org/womens-giving-circle/ or www.gacar.com/givingcircle/

Editor’s note: This is the latest in a series of philanthropy columns sponsored by Community Foundation of North Central Florida.

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