280. LIVE! from Phoenix: The Power of Collectives: Fundraising Circles and Giving Circles - Kyson Bunthuwong, Beverly Brooks Thompson, Chrissy Dupuy, Faith Boettger

Collective Giving, Fundraising Circles and Giving Circles, We Are For Good Podcast

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Overview

Join Jon + Becky for this Friday's episode alongside a panel of legit experts on The Power of Collectives: Fundraising Circles and Giving Circles. We talk how giving circles enable regular folks to pool their contributions and have proven to be one of the most effective ways to turn smaller gift dollars into a powerful force for community change. Special thanks to Virtuous for convening this discussion with our panel experts: Kyson Bunthuwong (Philanthropy Together), Beverly Brooks Thompson (Carter Global), Chrissy Dupuy (Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center), Faith Boettger (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys).

The Build Better Series

Today’s conversation is a LIVE replay of one of the dynamic panel conversations at the 2022 Responsive Nonprofit Summit presented by Virtuous. To get access to bonus resources from all these sessions, visit our RNS page at weareforgood.com/rns.

Today’s Guest Panelists

Kyson Bunthuwong, Director of Development and Partnerships, Philanthropy Together
Beverly Brooks Thompson, Managing Director, Carter Global
Chrissy Dupuy, Senior Director of Community and Philanthropy and Engagement Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Echo Alliance
Faith Boettger, Founding Member of the Business Women's Giving Circle of CFNOVA and Giving Circle Coach

“They say that a giving circle takes your mind, talents, and financial abilities seriously and makes giving a collaborative social experience. They create caring, generous communities that people who act intentionally, thoughtfully and strategically together.”

— Kyson Bunthuwong, Director of Development and Partnerships, Philanthropy Together

Episode Transcript

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Episode Overview

Tone setting (2:00)
Overview of Giving Circles (6:00)
Giving Circle Case Study: The Echo Alliance (8:00)
Attracting people to your giving circles (19:00)
Practical tips and counsel about implementing and managing a giving circle (28:00)
Beverly’s One Good Thing: Inviting somebody into the giving circle is a great way to invite them to learn the power of collective impact. (40:00)
Kyson’s One Good Thing: Giving circles really get at the heart of values. (40:00)
Faith’s One Good Thing: Everyone can be a philanthropist. (41:00)
Chrissy’s One Good Thing: Giving circles give you the opportunity to make those personal connections. (41:00)

Powerful quotes

“At the end of the day, giving circles and both in fundraising circles as well have community really at the heart of it, and what they do, and really tried to drive impact that way.” -Kyson

“They say that a giving circle takes your mind, talents, and financial abilities seriously and makes giving a collaborative social experience. They create caring, generous communities that people who act intentionally, thoughtfully and strategically together.” -Kyson

“I had a big light bulb moment on the difference between giving circles and donor circles and fundraising circles. And I said on that call, I was 20 years old when I learned this.” -Beverly

“One of the main components that we have seen as the success factor is those volunteer champions to help you recruit.” -Chrissy

“What's important about that is that we have shared values, we are uniting together around our commonality of business, women's seeing issues in our community and wanting to address them.” -Faith

“Not all giving circles and funding circles need to continually scale right. I think you have to build a community that's intentional, rooted in really strong values, ones that maybe they don't always see eye to eye but are willing to have discussion and are willing to learn together are willing to go deeper.” -Kyson

“It’s ways in which you go back to the root of just human connection. And that community building I think is is really at the heart of it.” -Kyson

“Giving circle should definitely go beyond the dollar and and try to volunteer join boards get engaged with nonprofits in a way that really uplifts them beyond kind of cyclical grant making.” -Kyson

“Mary Byrd Perkins is the core and the heart and soul of this group, but we want it to be bigger for the women. And so beyond that transactional piece, one thing I've really tried to do is, we have a Facebook group just for this, this group, so I'm constantly scanning Facebook, if one of the members is recognized for winning an award, or if she was honored by her company, or she got a promotion, posting those things in the group. So it's bigger than just Mary Byrd Perkins, it is about the women's community as a whole, this women's group, as a whole.” -Chrissy

“We're celebrating the impact that each of us are having individually. And as a whole.” -Chrissy

“The stronger our circle is, the more we can accomplish together.” -Faith

“Inviting somebody into the giving circle is a great way to invite them to learn the power of collective impact.” -Beverly

“Everyone can be a philanthropist.” -Faith

“Giving circles give you the opportunity to make those personal connections.” -Chrissy