Get Involved

Why a Giving Circle?

 Giving Circles are the embodiment of collective giving. Giving Circles provide an opportunity for people to join together, pool their financial resources and decide together how to distribute them in the form of grants to small, local nonprofit organizations, often overlooked by larger funding sources. Giving Circles connect like-minded people, create greater impact for the causes that members care about, and build an even stronger community in the process.

How do I Join this Giving Circle?

You join by making a financial contribution to our Giving Circle.  Just click on the Donate button and follow the instructions. You may donate any amount you wish but, if you donate $200 or more, you are then a voting donor. A "voting donor" can vote for the nonprofit or nonprofits you feel are the most worthy of our funding in May.

As part of our Giving Circle, you can do as much or as little as you wish. If interested, listed below are some ways to be involved.

 The Grants Committee

The best way to be involved is by joining the Grants Committee. The Grants Committee meets from January through May. It requires commitment to a number of meetings needed to fulfill the review cycle and award our grants in May. Giving Circle donors interested in the Grants Committee should email their interest to the gc.grants.phl@womenconnecting.org before the end of December in order to participate on the following year’s committee.

The responsibility of the Grants Committee is to take our mission, improving the lives of women and children in Philadelphia in underserved communities, and turn it into concrete actions and results. The Grants Committee is the heart of the Giving Circle and conducts the hard work of sifting through the applications to determine the most-worthy recipients to bring before the Annual Voting Meeting. And, its work is done while incorporating the tenants of trust-based philanthropy into every stage of the process. 

How the Grants Committee works

As we mentioned above, the Grants Committee is the heartbeat of the organization and the best way to learn about all the nonprofits that are doing amazing work in Philadelphia. Your work ,along with your fellow committee members, is to ascertain which nonprofits will be in the final group that present at the annual Voting Meeting in May.

 The process is outlined to the right. 

• Sign Up
• The Grants Committee Chair offers some on-line training and you meet your fellow committee members
• Applications are received and assigned to teams
• The first review is conducted
• Site visits are held
• The second review is conducted
• Finalists to present at the Voting Meeting are selected
• the Voting Meeting is held in May
• The grants are awarded

To learn about the process from an applicants perspective, click on button entitled "Grant Applicants."

Other Committees

We have other committees as well which may suit your fancy!

Donor Engagement Committee – ensures a robust, growing group of women and growing our giving dollars. Various activities focus on increasing the number of new donors, retaining existing contributors, and encouraging higher levels of giving. Donor Engagement activities focus on ensuring all donors have a rewarding Giving Circle experience, by creating opportunities for them to interact, learn and engage with each other and our grantees. 

Trust Based Philanthropy Committee - our TBP committee meets through the summer and fall to work on defining a focus area based upon the survey of all our Giving Circle members.

Communications Committee – designs and implements communications that build awareness of the Giving Circle’s mission, activities and achievements; drives attendance and engagement; and educates our community on the needs of Philadelphia’s women and children. The Communication Committee is always looking for people with PR backgrounds who can help get the word out to a broader audience about our educational programs.

Programming Committee – designs and implements educational programs around chosen focus areas and other initiatives – to increase our understanding of and support for the challenges facing children in Philadelphia. 

Events Committee – designs and implements in-person events to foster community engagement and provide opportunities to mix and mingle with fellow Giving Circle donors.

Volunteer - Giving Circle members are also welcome to volunteer at any of the 21 nonprofits we have funded. There are many ways to give back and volunteering at a local nonprofit is one of them.   

As Winston Churchill said, "we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Philanos Affiliation

Our Giving Circle is pleased to be a member of PHILANOS, a national network dedicated to supporting collective giving organizations. Our Philanos membership provides us with useful information on Giving Circle activities, trends, issues, and best practices. To learn more about Philanos, click here . All are welcome to join!

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