Giving Mechanism Showing Fast Growth

Daydreaming of what could be for you...

Very recently I learned about donors who create their own giving circles and how it's become one of the fastest growing methods to "give."

A giving circle is formed when individual donors put their money together to support nonprofits. These circles do the following:

1. They make a specific gift (within a wide gift range) that they decide upon on their own.
2. They select the organization who will be the beneficiary of their support.
3. They attend meetings and stump for who they believe is worthy of support.

You mean to say donors vote for the organization that will receive their support? Yes, that's exactly what I mean!

It occurs to me that nonprofits, perhaps even yours, could really take advantage of this giving model if they were to create "circles" of their own that would specifically support the programs that exist in their organization.

Take, for example, a nonprofit that exists to bring music education and programming to schools. These programs could include an artist in residency program, a performances in the schools' program, master classes for student musicians and even a program to train teachers on how to incorporate music into their curriculum.

This Music in the Schools program might start a giving circle by asking donors to make a $100 gift of support, then nominate a program from the list provided, and host an awards program where each program manager speaks to members of the giving circle about their work, impact, and benefits to the schools.

In my view, the benefits could be many, including:

• Be a great way for any nonprofit to attract new donors and expand giving from current donors to new initiatives.
• Hosting giving circle events could creatively allow for Music in the Schools (or any program) to learn about donor connections to their organization.
• Giving circle members would be able to learn about other programs in a social setting--again, great cultivation.
• Giving circle members engage in a fundraising method they have voted for. That's both democratic and donor-centered!

Think about the cultivation possibilities that exist here, especially for donors who aren't aware of all the programs that Music in the Schools offers. Once each of the members makes his case, the giving circle members convene and then select a recipient of their collective support. nomination and then