What type of Giving Circle leader are you? 3 great models for your Giving Circle

You’re ready to get your friends, family, neighbors and colleagues together to give back. And you’ve realized that a really great way to do it is through a Giving Circle where everyone pools their funds together and then collectively decides which nonprofits to support.

But what type of Giving Circle leader are you? Do you want things to be quick and efficient? Are you looking to spend time learning about nonprofits in your local area? Or do you want to create more networking opportunities within your community?

It can seem a little overwhelming to figure out the best style of Giving Circle for you and your community. That’s where Grapevine comes in. Read on for three of the most common types of Giving Circle models that you can use. Decide which one resonates with your leadership style and community then start your Giving Circle on Grapevine and make it your own.

1. Monthly Motivator: This is a really efficient way to bring your community together to give regularly. Every member of your group commits to donating $25 or more each month to address emerging issues in the world today. Each month they can submit nonprofits for your group to discuss and at the end of the month you vote on the nonprofit to collectively support. All of this can be done through your Giving Circle on Grapevine!
2. Quarterly Queen: This option provides great networking opportunities for your community. Each of your members commits to providing a $100 donation each quarter to allocate to a nonprofit right within your community. At your 1 hour meeting that happens each quarter (in person or on Zoom) your members can submit a local nonprofit for consideration, 3 nonprofits are picked at random and give a 5 minute pitch, and finally your group votes to direct all donations to one of the three nonprofits. At the end or beginning of the meeting, people can gather for some networking time.
3. Annual Activator: If your community is especially interested in doing a deep dive into local nonprofits, this is a great option. At the start of the year, your group members commit $1,000 or more to be given to a specific cause like climate change, women’s rights, racial justice, or healthcare. Throughout the year, the group reviews and narrows down nonprofits supporting the issues that have been recommended by experts or vetted by volunteer group members based on group recommendations. At the end of the year, your group votes on the 1–2 organizations they’ll support with their collective donations.

Ready to get started? Head to Grapevine.org to create your Giving Circle today. Use anyone of the models above, or create your own! Need a bit more info? Check out our demo video for getting started.

The best part? We just reached our 1 year anniversary of launching Giving Circles on Grapevine and $3M raised through Giving Circles to send to nonprofits. To celebrate, we’re giving $300 to the next 30 Giving Circles to launch on Grapevine! Start your Giving Circle, get your first 30 members, and we’ll drop $300 into your Giving Circle that your group can collectively decide how to donate to nonprofits together.