While giving circles come in many shapes and sizes, their key attribute is that members decide on which organizations they want to support collectively, engaging each other in discussions and decision-making and taking direct responsibility for grant making and running the group. In this sense, they form a more democratic, grassroots-based, bottom-up alternative to conventional top-down philanthropy such as a foundation or an NGO.

Giving circles accommodate people who want to do something more active than simply writing a check, and who want more of a say in their giving in the context of busy and hectic lives. Due in part to this diversity, giving circle members are significantly more likely to support women and ethnic and minority groups than other donors. Giving circles also provide opportunities for democratic participation through agenda setting, decision-making and face-to-face debates and deliberation, and they build the capacities of their members through education about issues, organizations, and the skills of grantmaking.

The challenge is to move beyond encouraging more giving (even if it’s channeled to marginalized groups and decided by democratic processes), to enhancing the ability and willingness of donors to engage in deeper efforts to change themselves and the structures that perpetuate poverty, inequality, violence, and discrimination.

Read the source article at nonprofitquarterly.org