Now here's a thought!
;-)
Posted: 03.03.05 @ 1 a.m.
Blacks Build New Legacy Of Giving
By Danielle Lewis | SPECIAL TO THE OBSERVER
African Americans across the country are part of a new force that is changing the way Americans give to charity. Known as giving circles, small groups of friends and acquaintances are coming together to pool their money and prove that the very wealthy are not the only ones that can make a real difference in their communities.
A new report by New Ventures in Philanthropy, an initiative of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, reveals that giving circles are a growing national phenomenon.
The report’s sample of 77 giving circles – a mall fraction of circles nationwide – has raised $44 million, largely since 2000. Giving circles involve thousands of Americans nationwide who are donating millions of dollars to worthy causes.
In communities from Raleigh, N.C. to Birmingham, Ala. to Baltimore, Md., African American giving circles are making a difference by giving back to organizations that meet vital community needs.
The number of giving circles led by African Americans has the potential to grow exponentially over the coming years.
“There’s a long tradition in the African American community of being deeply committed to giving back,” said Jessica Bearman, deputy director of New Ventures in Philanthropy.
“At the same time, African Americans have found conventional philanthropy difficult to access. Giving circles involve new donors – especially women and people of color – who are changing the face of American philanthropy,” Bearman added.
Darryl Lester and Athan Lindsey of Raleigh, N.C., decided to form a giving circle after experiencing frustration that African Americans are being left out of traditional philanthropy.
They wondered “why African Americans aren’t being talked to about donor-advised funds or other contributions,” said Lester.
In response, the tow founded The Next Generation of African American Philanthropists Fund. The group meets monthly, and members make a minimum contribution of $150 each year.
Recently, the NGAAP Fund made its first grants totaling $11,500 to three organizations in the Raleigh area working on juvenile offender, job training, and literacy issues.
“Giving circles work because there are no hurdles to being involved,” said Lester. “We want to create an on-ramp for the time, talent and treasure it takes to be critically engaged in the community. It’s about empowerment.”
Giving circles can range form informal gatherings of just a few friends over dinner to national networks, independently functioning as their own non-profit organizations.
Despite the diversity of giving circles, they all share a common focus on power of giving together.
Together, members form a common bond, have fun, and learn about their communities, all in addition to making a real difference in the lives of others.
The Change Fund in Baltimore, Md., was designed to encourage the involvement of young African American professionals in philanthropy.
The 15 members of the fund each donate a minimum of $250 each year. In 2003, the group awarded its first round of grants – totaling $3,000 – to organizations that work with African American youth in Baltimore.
Co-founder Erik Johnson says the fund supports “the sort of organizations without which many of us wouldn’t be where we are today.”
Anyone with a little time and energy, and the desire to do more with their money while giving back to the community, can start a giving circle.
“Starting something big is easy,” Bearman said. “Giving circles are all about the members. You can turn just about any social group into a giving circle – church groups, book clubs, play dates and poker games can all become giving circles by collectively giving to charities in the area.”
People interested in starting a giving circle can begin by talking with their friends, members of their church, or anyone else in their network or acquaintances.
When Lester began talking to people about his idea for a giving circle, he found that many of his friends had a passion to do something but didn’t know where to start.
giving circle founders often find their friends are eager to make a difference.
By forming giving circles, African Americans are doing more with their money and making a real impact in their communities. At the same time, they are fostering a new generation of Black philanthropy.
For more information on starting a giving circle is available at the new Giving Circle Knowledge Center. Log on to
www.givingforum.org/givingcircles to access a giving circle starter kit, profiles of existing giving circles and contact information for local resources across the country.
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