Top 7 Ways to Engage Your Giving Circle in End-of-Year Giving

The final quarter of the year is one of the most powerful times for generosity. People are feeling reflective, grateful, and eager to give back before the year closes. For Giving Circles, it’s the perfect opportunity to spark momentum, bring in new members, and grow your collective impact.

Here are seven impactful ways you can rally your Giving Circle around end-of-year giving, deepen community, and amplify your shared generosity:

1. Host a Holiday Gather & Give Event

End the year with a celebration that brings your Giving Circle closer together while giving back! Plan something festive and fun, like a potluck, a hot cocoa and ice-skating outing, or a cozy virtual happy hour. Encourage members to bring a friend or plus-one so new people can experience the joy of your Giving Circle firsthand.

Take it one step further by turning your gathering into a giving opportunity. You could host a donation drive, collect wish-list items for a local nonprofit, or partner with a brand like Kendra Scott through a Kendra Gives Back event, where a portion of sales goes directly to your grant.

Along with celebrating, carve out a few moments to reflect on your impact this year and dream together about what’s next. A little holiday cheer, paired with generosity, can go a long way in energizing your community.

2. Organize a Volunteer Day

Plan a group volunteer activity that doubles as a way to give back and connect. Your Giving Circle could serve meals at a local food bank, wrap holiday gifts for families in need, or help a nonprofit with a seasonal drive like sorting winter coats or packing school supplies for the new year. You might even host your own mini service project such as assembling care kits during your holiday gathering. Volunteering side by side builds stronger bonds while deepening your Giving Circle’s connection to the causes you support.

3. Match & Multiply

End-of-year giving is the perfect time to spark momentum with a matching challenge. Reach out to local businesses, corporate partners, or community sponsors who may be willing to match every dollar your Giving Circle contributes by December 31. A matching campaign not only doubles the impact but also brings in new visibility and potential long-term partners for your Giving Circle. Plus, businesses often welcome opportunities to show their support during the holiday season.

4. Share a “Year in Impact” Story

Celebrate your Giving Circle’s achievements by gathering the highlights of the year, such as dollars granted, nonprofits supported, and lives touched. You can also use Grapevine’s customizable Year in Review posts to showcase your Giving Circle’s impact and share it directly with your community. These ready-to-use templates make it easy to highlight your accomplishments (keep an eye out for them each January).

Go one step further by inviting the nonprofits you funded, or even individuals who benefited, to share their own stories through a short testimonial, video, or image. Grapevine makes it easy for nonprofits that received grants to thank the supporting Giving Circle by leaving a message, and they can also include a video or image in their post. This helps amplify their work and makes it simple for them to share with their own audiences.

Share these stories through social media, an email update, or a simple one-pager that members can pass along to friends. Storytelling like this not only inspires generosity, it makes it easier for others to see the real impact of joining your Giving Circle.

5. Invite Guests to Experience the Magic

The holidays are all about sharing meaningful experiences, and your Giving Circle is the perfect place to do that. Encourage members to bring along a friend, colleague, or family member to your next gathering, whether it’s a meeting, a volunteer day, or a holiday celebration. Guests don’t have to join right away; simply giving them a glimpse of the joy and impact of collaborative giving can be inspiring. Grapevine makes it easy to extend the invitation with tools like shareable links and event invites you can pass along. A simple invite could spark someone’s own giving journey.

6. Center Gratitude

The end of year is the season of thanks. Encourage members to write notes of appreciation to the nonprofits you supported this year or to fellow Giving Circle members. Gratitude not only strengthens your relationships, it reminds everyone why this work matters.

7. Set a Bold Goal Together

Close out the year with a new year challenge: maybe it’s welcoming five new members, raising an extra $2,500, or committing to a certain number of volunteer hours. A shared goal creates energy and momentum, and it gives your Giving Circle something meaningful to celebrate when you achieve it together.

The Heart of End-of-Year Giving

At the end of the day, end-of-year giving isn’t just about raising more funds, it’s about deepening connections, sharing gratitude, and remembering why you chose to give together in the first place. Every event, story, and invitation is a chance to make your community stronger.

Your Giving Circle has already shown the power of generosity. As the year comes to a close, these ideas can help you celebrate that power, welcome new voices, and step boldly into the year ahead.