Giving Circles have existed since the beginning of time, we just haven’t called them that. Communities around the world have always had systems of supporting each other for communal prosperity. But wealth and finances have become so personal and private, especially in the US, that if you don’t have the capacity to give a significant amount, or you don’t know where to begin with philanthropy, you might not get involved at all. This episode’s guest, Sara Lomelin, discusses the importance and evolution of giving circles and how she and Philanthropy Together are taking ‘giving’ back into the mainstream… and beyond.
Sara is a connector. Introducing people who care with trustworthy organizations is a passion. Originally from Mexico City, Sara moved to the United States 24 years ago. She began her philanthropic career as a fundraiser in the Bay Area Latino Community Foundation — knowing nothing about fundraising — and started a giving circle with 16 Latinas that were born in the US, each of them putting in $1,000 dollars per year. She’s since developed the largest Latino donor network in the country and is now the Founder and Executive Director at Philanthropy Together, an organization whose mission is to connect and catalyze the field of giving circles to democratize and diversify philanthropy.
Head to CreatingCommunityForGood.com for full show notes, key takeaways and episode resources.