How to join the circle

Want to join a giving circle?

Here are some local groups:

Women’s Giving Circle of Howard County: www. womensgivingcircle.org

Giving Circle of Hope: http://members.cox.net/strup/ gchopeindex.html

African-American Women’s Giving Circle: http://thewomens foundation.org

CapitalSeed: www.capital seed.org

Womenade: www. washingtonwomenade.org

Want to start a giving circle?

Consider the guidelines from New Ventures in Philanthropy, an initiative of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers, a nonprofit umbrella group for philanthropic organizations:

Set goals. Where will meetings be held? What will the focus be? How much should each member contribute? Expect to contribute time as well as money, and don’t limit the group to “pet” projects. Try to set a common goal that will have a greater impact.

Decide where to contribute money. Will you have a focus (such as the homeless or women or children or cancer)? Bring in experts in these areas to discuss areas of high need.

Create smaller committees for tasks

Develop a process and criteria for who will receive grants. Will you visit particular groups to see their needs? Will there be a standard application? Who will oversee the voting?

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