Creative Events for Effective Community Building: How to Engage Giving Circle Members using Relationship-Building and Fundraising Activities

Giving Circle members often seek more opportunities to connect and engage with their group. This article addresses this need by offering a variety of creative event ideas tailored for Giving Circle members, helping to foster community engagement and build stronger connections. Whether you have identified leaders or not, these activities will enhance your group's social interactions and philanthropic efforts.

When you're ready to organize an event for your Giving Circle, we’ve made it super easy for you. Fill out this form and we’ll handle posting the event to your group’s page, so your members can be alerted!

Pick a coffee shop that you love and let members know when you’ll be there! This takes virtually no planning and is an inspiring and uplifting way to start your day. Our Albuquerque Women in Business for Good group has started hosting these routinely.

What better way to come together as a group than over some delicious food and drink? Find a spot you love or have always wanted to try and book a table. You can find restaurants in your local area and easily make a reservation using websites like OpenTable and Resy.

Giving Circles are powerful ways to expand your personal network, especially if you’re new to an area! Find a local patio and host a Mix & Mingle event for members to connect. Two simple things you can do to make these events seamless is:
1) Bring name tags for people to wear
2) Have a welcome sign in your group’s area.

Giving Circles allow you to be introduced to infinitely more nonprofits doing incredible work. While not all the nonprofits that get nominated will get your group’s grant, through the collective giving process, nonprofits are able to reach new audiences. If you nominated a nonprofit, regardless of whether it received your group’s grant — why not consider organizing a volunteer opportunity that members can join? In Giving Circles we talk about the five T’s: time, talent, testimony, ties, and treasure. Giving your time and talent is an invaluable resource for nonprofits.

Not sure where to start? Look at your members who recently nominated a nonprofits and connect with them to see if they have relationships with that organization and would be interested in helping to organize a group volunteering outing or site visit!

A quick look at the “Members” tab of your Giving Circle is an easy way to see all the incredible talent and expertise contained in your group. What better way to showcase some of the knowledge and expertise of your members than by hosting a talk or panel discussion? Think about topics that are top of mind for your members and areas of enrichment they might be looking for.

Our Birmingham Women for Good group has created a private Facebook page for members interested specifically in networking, promoting their business and various social events. This is a great way to further highlight this content for your members. Using social media is also a good way for members to organize a virtual event for their Giving Circle.

Sip & Shop events are a great way to create a networking opportunity for members while supporting a local business. Often the business will offer a discount to those in attendance as well as donate some of the proceeds to the Giving Circle's next grant.

Discover the incredible work of local social enterprises and members at a purpose-driven market. Shoppers can find unique gifts or can learn more about the transformative efforts of local non-profits.

Ready to organize an event for your Giving Circle? We’ve made it super easy for you. Fill out this form and we’ll handle posting the event to your group’s page, so your members can be alerted!