Post your questions for LiJia & Joelle below, and jump in to answer others!
Welcome to our regular Popcorn Q&A 🍿, a convo time with People & Company and friends.
In this thread, we have our buds giving circle practitioner, Lijia Gong, and giving circle expert, Joelle Berman.
Ask these remarkable women about their giving circle experience:
LiJia’s giving circle, Radfund, which she co-founded with friends 5 years ago. Together, they direct money to folks in NYC “organizing to challenge structural inequality and to fight for racial and economic justice.” The giving circle has become a “political home” for LiJia and the rest of the group.
Joelle’s most recent work as the founding Executive Director of Amplifier, a global network of 125+ giving circles inspired by Jewish values. Joelle can share a wide variety of inspiration and insights on how to get a giving circle off the ground, or how to add some meaning to an existing one.
LiJia, Joelle and the P&C team will be responding here live for the next ~1hr. We invite you to ask questions, and to also share your POV with answers!
🍿Tell us what you think, please!
Popcorn Q&A is new to us and we would love your feedback so we can improve the experience *with* you in mind. Do you have 3 minutes to share some thoughts? If so, click here. Thank you!
Hello! Really intrigued about what I'll learn in today's session. I'm Mike, tuning in from London UK and thinking about ways to tune-in to a local community purely as a resident and not with my professional hat on. Orgs I currently give to: The Forest arts cafe in Edinburgh, my local NHS staff charity and of course the blood bank. Each giving experience is v traditional, linear and rarely social anymore. Hoping to learn ways to adjust these.
One of the reasons my friends and I started Radfund was to feel more engaged with our local community and to understand (and support) the activism happening here!
should probably update the number, it surely must be more by now. you should join our dance party that we host with some DJ friends (TFW) tomorrow if you would like (tho with time difference it may not be ideal): https://tfw.nyc/
Happy to help you find a new way to do this, Michael, and awesome to see that you're already giving to some awesome causes. Do you have any questions for us?
Thanks! Yeah I'd love to know whether there's a recommended set of steps to introduce people to the giving circle concept, please? Or a one-stop site or print-off that explains it to newbies (of all ages)? Thanks again
Not that you need to follow Radfund's model at all, but sharing our website in case it's helpful: https://www.radfundnyc.com/ And we are working on putting together a toolkit
Brooklyn, NY - all kinds of community work is on my mind today - my CSA (community supported agriculture), mutual aid groups, and well, giving circles of course!
Hi everyone! So grateful to have Joelle and LiJia spreading the word about giving circles and it's exciting to see all this engagement! I'm here from Philanthropy Together, an initiative trying to start TONS more giving circles and engage MANY MANY more people in collective giving. Joelle was there for the start of designing this effort and we just made a spotlight video with LiJia and Radfund! Happy to be here and hope some of you will join our future programming and support for this amazing, beautiful movement.
Great question! One lesson I've taken away is that it's been really helpful for our group to keep things concrete for our discussion -- instead of whether we should expand in the abstract, do we want to invite *this person* into the group. We are all a bunch of heady, opinionated people, so the abstract conversations could go on for hours without really getting anywhere. And another lesson is keeping it fun! Making sure we all center joy, connecting with each other and deepening our relationships.
Don't feel like you need to have it all figured it out before you begin! You will figure it out as you go. AND: Don't be afraid to talk about money and how much - sometimes, we underestimate how much people are willing to give to something that's meaningful to them. Asking folks for a "meaningful gift" rather than, say, $50 or $100 will almost always result in a larger contribution than you expected.
And, it's worth saying - that beyond the giving circles that have websites and get researched, there are MANY under-the-radar grassroots initiatives that function as giving circles but that may not call themselves as such. That's the beauty of this - that it's super organic, can happen anywhere.
oooh good point. we had a conversation about how we grew up talking (or not talking about money) and the Asian immigrants definitely agreed that we talked about money a lot growing up
We had many naming ideation/brainstorming sessions. I'm sure you all can relate. We were not thrilled were many of the ideas... I wish I had some of the ones we scrapped. I remember us playing with trying to come up with a fun acronym. But I think some of us really liked saying things were "rad" and once it was put out there, it seemed to resonate instantly!
I would start with meeting folks where they are, and asking about what social issues they feel passionate about (whether in their neighborhood, city, state, country, or the world) contributing to and letting the conversation go from there. I think the conversation is probably also different based on whether folks have a practice of giving. For folks who do have a preexisting practice of giving, I think it’s worth asking about how they give and what causes they give to. (Of course, this is somewhat specific to Radfund, since we're a giving circle that focuses on economic justice and racial justice.)
It’s this simple: just start by asking, “Do you ever feel like your donations actually make a difference?” Usually people say “No, not really.” It provides an opening to a new conversation about how much more powerful and transformative it would be to pool a much larger amount of funds (or time, or other kind of asset) than you could have ever given on your own, and make a bigger impact together. People usually follow that up with: “OK, but what’s the commitment like?” And then you can say, “It’s up to us! We can figure it out together so that it’s manageable for all of us.”
Well, Radfund OF COURSE. And Asian Women Giving Circle (led by Hali Lee!) and Birmingham Change Fund (in AL, with Marsha Morgan - and who got some of their members elected to school board and THEN TO THE MAYOR of Birmingham!)
How do you balance being proactive, giving to organizations that you do deep research on and spend time learning about, and reactive, giving to organizations based on need in the current moment?
Such a good, and hard, question! At Radfund, we do most of our giving once a year, and there’s a process where we nominate groups, ask organizers and folks we trust to recommend groups, and have deep (and long) conversations about what groups to give to. With that said, we do have a rapid response process for giving that is more based on need in the current moment. For example, because of COVID-19 and, particularly, its economic impact on immigrants and communities of color, we decided to do rapid response giving--some to the groups we have previously given to and some to new groups that were meeting the moment--for example Housing Justice for All, which has been organizing around eviction moratoriums and rent cancellation.
My friends and I are actually in a giving circle, and this is something we always try to keep in balance. What we often did was honor our proactive process of researching and giving the majority of our pooled funds to the organizations we had spent time learning about; we would also then usually commit about 25% of our pooled funds to something timely that was happening in the world, and that needed our attention. I should note: the “timely” donations were rarely disaster-focused; instead, they reflected the values and principles that guided all of our giving, and helped us address something more timely (usually having to do with an election, piece of legislation, or supporting a community that faced an imminent threat).
My question is... do you have recommendations on time commitments for a giving circle? For instance, is it helpful to say "this a one year commitment" or even... you can only be part of this circle for x amount of time?!
And we have had folks leave Radfund, and for two members leave and return! Mostly because of changes in personal circumstances meant to folks didn't have the bandwidth for the time commitment.
If you're just starting off a circle, it's helpful to ask to people to commit for one giving cycle - whether that takes a year, or six months, or three months. Then, people can opt-in moving forward if they're into it. Usually, people who stay are the right people :)
For Radfund, we ask new members to commit to joining for a year since our giving cycle is annual, but most stay for a long time! (I've been part of it for 5 years.)
Great question! The folks who I started Radfund were all folks what I knew really well, shared similar values around social justice, and all had experience organizing/bringing people together. Our group is really co-led and facilitated by everyone so that makes it so we're not only relying on one person to facilitate meetings, generate agendas, etc.
Most importantly, it's people you LIKE and would dig hanging out with. :) Beyond that, if you can find people who have complimentary skills/strengths (like maybe you're a details person, but maybe you know someone who's big-picture/vision, or someone else who brings good spiritual energy...), that's a huge plus.
I give so reactively - to many things that my friends are involved in or connect me to. Often these are queer causes, social justice causes, or communities I want to see flourish.
But the experience of giving is quite solitary. Me and paypal/venmo
There are SO many ways to describe what a giving circle is and how powerful it can be — how do you both describe it in just one sentence to get someone interested and involved?
It's a way to build the community you've always wanted to be part of -- one that not only benefits you and others in the circle, but the larger community that surrounds you.
Great question, and I *love* joelle's response! This of course comes from my experience with Radfund, but I would say it's a group of friends living our values and supporting our broader community through pooling our resources and giving together
They range from really low-key to all-out, venue-hosted events. Some larger giving circles, like women’s foundations that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars (or many even millions), often host large catered luncheons or dinners not only to celebrate their grantmaking and grantees’ work, but also to raise funds from new and existing members. Smaller, grassroots giving circles throw house parties, and sometimes even invite staff members, activists or beneficiaries from the smaller nonprofits they support to come and be honored and party alongside them. I’ve even heard of a giving circle marching in a parade with one of its arts-focused grantees.
We threw a bit of a Radfund “coming out” party a few years ago, and it was so special! We invited our broader friend community as well as representatives groups that we had given to, so they could share about the work that they do. What felt really special about that party was that it really felt like we were all in community together! One of the representatives we invited was so taken with the model that she was interested in starting a giving circle herself! I think it really showed how a giving circle can break down the divides between donors and grantees in traditional philanthropy.
Joelle - you talked about how a giving circle can give away any asset. What are some examples of giving circles that give of something other than money in a meaningful, impactful way?
Yes - for sure - see my response to Peyton below. Something else worth noting: Most giving circles start with giving away money, but usually within the first giving cycle, after having researched the needs of organizations, they will often feel compelled to give in additional ways -- to leverage their financial contribution, to build a deeper relationship with the organization, and to learn more first-hand about the organization’s work. For example, my giving circle focused on homelessness for one of our cycles, and we made our financial contribution to an organization led by currently and formerly homeless folks who were advocating for betting housing policy. Then, we committed to pairing off among us and hosting a weekly arts-and-crafts class at a local women’s homeless shelter, which we did for about six months.
Ooops... missed the question above. I appreciate your reply. I read "Toxic Charity" by Robert Lupton and the book challenges givers to connect with organizations in the way you talk about exactly - on going and in person.
my question: in the episode, you talked about how a giving circle can give away any asset. curious about some examples of giving circles that give of something other than money?
what joelle said! also, for Radfund, we considered finding ways to give our time and skills to the groups that we support, but ultimately settled on giving money, because we wanted to spend more time with each other in the group, learning and deepening our friendships.
Thanks Peyton - and yes, giving circles also give time (for instance, in the form of volunteering either for organizations they give to, or to others who they don't), "talent" - their skills/expertise that could be useful to organizations they are excited about; they show up -- as bodies at protests/rallies/parade, and more.
thank you! I loved the framing of friends showing up to give together/do something together. it makes sense that time/talent/physical presence all fit in with that! I feel like there's a some that happening already and the concept of a giving circle makes it really easy to add a bit of structure.
also want to thank both of you for your words. really helped me tie some things together that I had been thinking about with my own group of friends and long term/structured action!
👋🏻 Welcome, we are happy you are here!
To get started in the chat: Tell us where you are tuning in from today and share the community work that is on your mind.
I'm in Sunset Park, Brooklyn! Currently thinking about a workshop I'm running at an Allyship & Action summit next week :) https://www.freelancercybersummit.com/events/allyship-and-action
I am in my kitchen in Brooklyn! And I want to start my own giving circle...any takers? ;)
me
Hello! Really intrigued about what I'll learn in today's session. I'm Mike, tuning in from London UK and thinking about ways to tune-in to a local community purely as a resident and not with my professional hat on. Orgs I currently give to: The Forest arts cafe in Edinburgh, my local NHS staff charity and of course the blood bank. Each giving experience is v traditional, linear and rarely social anymore. Hoping to learn ways to adjust these.
Welcome Mike! :)
One of the reasons my friends and I started Radfund was to feel more engaged with our local community and to understand (and support) the activism happening here!
Wow! Just on your website now, incredible. Congrats on what you've done as a group so far. Inspired. Also loved '390 dance parties' :D \o/
should probably update the number, it surely must be more by now. you should join our dance party that we host with some DJ friends (TFW) tomorrow if you would like (tho with time difference it may not be ideal): https://tfw.nyc/
Will share with my NY pals. Thanks!
Happy to help you find a new way to do this, Michael, and awesome to see that you're already giving to some awesome causes. Do you have any questions for us?
Thanks! Yeah I'd love to know whether there's a recommended set of steps to introduce people to the giving circle concept, please? Or a one-stop site or print-off that explains it to newbies (of all ages)? Thanks again
Not that you need to follow Radfund's model at all, but sharing our website in case it's helpful: https://www.radfundnyc.com/ And we are working on putting together a toolkit
Love this question... I need this. Been using the podcast episode lol
A podcast is certainly better for mother nature than a print-off!
Yes - Philanthropy Together has a bunch: https://www.philanthropytogether.org/
This looks ideal. Thank you so much for sharing, Joelle.
tuning in from brooklyn! community work on my mind: giving circles and critical resistance's abolition toolkit
ilu
http://criticalresistance.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/CR-Abolitionist-Toolkit-online.pdf
Katie here - tuning in from the Chicago area! I am also curious about starting a giving circle with friends 😊
What will you name this giving circle katie!?!?
I'm in Olney, MD (the suburbs) hanging with my parents and grandma!
I support this Peyton <--> LiJia lovefest
!! DMV
yessss! we need to talk about the DMV one day
yes please!
just got off a call talking about how we can change policing and feeling energized by that community (and policy) work!
Brooklyn, NY - all kinds of community work is on my mind today - my CSA (community supported agriculture), mutual aid groups, and well, giving circles of course!
Waving hello from Philanthropy Together -- hi Joelle and LiJia!
Welcome Isis!
Wassup Isis! Welcome and so glad to see you here.
hiii isis!
Hi everyone! So grateful to have Joelle and LiJia spreading the word about giving circles and it's exciting to see all this engagement! I'm here from Philanthropy Together, an initiative trying to start TONS more giving circles and engage MANY MANY more people in collective giving. Joelle was there for the start of designing this effort and we just made a spotlight video with LiJia and Radfund! Happy to be here and hope some of you will join our future programming and support for this amazing, beautiful movement.
Ooo is the video live!? Would love to see it!
Soon soon!
What are your biggest lessons learned — what NOT to do? 😆
Great question! One lesson I've taken away is that it's been really helpful for our group to keep things concrete for our discussion -- instead of whether we should expand in the abstract, do we want to invite *this person* into the group. We are all a bunch of heady, opinionated people, so the abstract conversations could go on for hours without really getting anywhere. And another lesson is keeping it fun! Making sure we all center joy, connecting with each other and deepening our relationships.
Don't feel like you need to have it all figured it out before you begin! You will figure it out as you go. AND: Don't be afraid to talk about money and how much - sometimes, we underestimate how much people are willing to give to something that's meaningful to them. Asking folks for a "meaningful gift" rather than, say, $50 or $100 will almost always result in a larger contribution than you expected.
Thanks for sharing popcorn. My question is about export. Have you seen Giving Circles work outside of North America?
Awesome Foundation has chapters around the world! https://www.awesomefoundation.org/en
We're helping launch 40 giving circles right now and 4 of them are international!
Ooooh awesome!
And, it's worth saying - that beyond the giving circles that have websites and get researched, there are MANY under-the-radar grassroots initiatives that function as giving circles but that may not call themselves as such. That's the beauty of this - that it's super organic, can happen anywhere.
Yes -- check out Dasra in India, and this website in general for giving circles in Asia: http://givingcircles.asia/case-studies-details.aspx?cs=5
Also - there's some research on giving circles in the UK and Ireland: https://www.slideshare.net/aeikenberry/presentation-on-giving-circles-in-the-uk-ireland
Kai, what do you think would be some of the different (or similar) challenges/reasons for starting one where you are in Singapore?
One challenge that may be less acute in Singapore is disclosing income. It’s less of a taboo.
oooh good point. we had a conversation about how we grew up talking (or not talking about money) and the Asian immigrants definitely agreed that we talked about money a lot growing up
Sending midnight vibes from Singapore
KAI!!!
Queen LiJia, miss our chats and photo shoots
What are some of the best (wackiest, most playful?) names you've seen out there for giving circles?
Downtown Nasty Women Social Group, yes yes yes: https://www.futurenow.org/givingcircle/downtown-nasty-women-social-group
And: LiJia how'd y'all land on "Radfund"?
We had many naming ideation/brainstorming sessions. I'm sure you all can relate. We were not thrilled were many of the ideas... I wish I had some of the ones we scrapped. I remember us playing with trying to come up with a fun acronym. But I think some of us really liked saying things were "rad" and once it was put out there, it seemed to resonate instantly!
Do you have advice on how to initiate the conversation with friends and family to start a giving circle?
I would start with meeting folks where they are, and asking about what social issues they feel passionate about (whether in their neighborhood, city, state, country, or the world) contributing to and letting the conversation go from there. I think the conversation is probably also different based on whether folks have a practice of giving. For folks who do have a preexisting practice of giving, I think it’s worth asking about how they give and what causes they give to. (Of course, this is somewhat specific to Radfund, since we're a giving circle that focuses on economic justice and racial justice.)
It’s this simple: just start by asking, “Do you ever feel like your donations actually make a difference?” Usually people say “No, not really.” It provides an opening to a new conversation about how much more powerful and transformative it would be to pool a much larger amount of funds (or time, or other kind of asset) than you could have ever given on your own, and make a bigger impact together. People usually follow that up with: “OK, but what’s the commitment like?” And then you can say, “It’s up to us! We can figure it out together so that it’s manageable for all of us.”
What are some of the giving circles you are personal superfans of?
Either because of a wonderfully potent mission, a thoughtful giving model, or even the ways thye have fun together...?
Have to second Asian Women Giving Circle, because Hali Lee is amazing!
Well, Radfund OF COURSE. And Asian Women Giving Circle (led by Hali Lee!) and Birmingham Change Fund (in AL, with Marsha Morgan - and who got some of their members elected to school board and THEN TO THE MAYOR of Birmingham!)
Also Social Justice Fund NW and others are doing cross-class giving circles called Giving Projects: https://socialjusticefund.org/giving-projects/
I am also a superfan of North Star Fund (a community foundation in NY that funds organizing) and the cross-class giving circles that they organize
How do you balance being proactive, giving to organizations that you do deep research on and spend time learning about, and reactive, giving to organizations based on need in the current moment?
Such a good, and hard, question! At Radfund, we do most of our giving once a year, and there’s a process where we nominate groups, ask organizers and folks we trust to recommend groups, and have deep (and long) conversations about what groups to give to. With that said, we do have a rapid response process for giving that is more based on need in the current moment. For example, because of COVID-19 and, particularly, its economic impact on immigrants and communities of color, we decided to do rapid response giving--some to the groups we have previously given to and some to new groups that were meeting the moment--for example Housing Justice for All, which has been organizing around eviction moratoriums and rent cancellation.
My friends and I are actually in a giving circle, and this is something we always try to keep in balance. What we often did was honor our proactive process of researching and giving the majority of our pooled funds to the organizations we had spent time learning about; we would also then usually commit about 25% of our pooled funds to something timely that was happening in the world, and that needed our attention. I should note: the “timely” donations were rarely disaster-focused; instead, they reflected the values and principles that guided all of our giving, and helped us address something more timely (usually having to do with an election, piece of legislation, or supporting a community that faced an imminent threat).
My question is... do you have recommendations on time commitments for a giving circle? For instance, is it helpful to say "this a one year commitment" or even... you can only be part of this circle for x amount of time?!
And we have had folks leave Radfund, and for two members leave and return! Mostly because of changes in personal circumstances meant to folks didn't have the bandwidth for the time commitment.
If you're just starting off a circle, it's helpful to ask to people to commit for one giving cycle - whether that takes a year, or six months, or three months. Then, people can opt-in moving forward if they're into it. Usually, people who stay are the right people :)
For Radfund, we ask new members to commit to joining for a year since our giving cycle is annual, but most stay for a long time! (I've been part of it for 5 years.)
For LiJia, I want to start my own giving circle.
Any recommendations for what to look for in a "core team" - the people you build it with in the beginning?
Great question! The folks who I started Radfund were all folks what I knew really well, shared similar values around social justice, and all had experience organizing/bringing people together. Our group is really co-led and facilitated by everyone so that makes it so we're not only relying on one person to facilitate meetings, generate agendas, etc.
Joelle - anything else I should think of?
Most importantly, it's people you LIKE and would dig hanging out with. :) Beyond that, if you can find people who have complimentary skills/strengths (like maybe you're a details person, but maybe you know someone who's big-picture/vision, or someone else who brings good spiritual energy...), that's a huge plus.
❓OUR QUESTION OF THE DAY
As Joelle, LiJia, and others pop in to answer your specific questions, we have a question for you all.
What organizations do you currently give to? What does the giving experience entail? Is it ever social?
I give so reactively - to many things that my friends are involved in or connect me to. Often these are queer causes, social justice causes, or communities I want to see flourish.
But the experience of giving is quite solitary. Me and paypal/venmo
There are SO many ways to describe what a giving circle is and how powerful it can be — how do you both describe it in just one sentence to get someone interested and involved?
It's a way to build the community you've always wanted to be part of -- one that not only benefits you and others in the circle, but the larger community that surrounds you.
Great question, and I *love* joelle's response! This of course comes from my experience with Radfund, but I would say it's a group of friends living our values and supporting our broader community through pooling our resources and giving together
What are some examples of giving circle celebrations that stand out to you?
They range from really low-key to all-out, venue-hosted events. Some larger giving circles, like women’s foundations that raise hundreds of thousands of dollars (or many even millions), often host large catered luncheons or dinners not only to celebrate their grantmaking and grantees’ work, but also to raise funds from new and existing members. Smaller, grassroots giving circles throw house parties, and sometimes even invite staff members, activists or beneficiaries from the smaller nonprofits they support to come and be honored and party alongside them. I’ve even heard of a giving circle marching in a parade with one of its arts-focused grantees.
Oh - love the parade idea!
We threw a bit of a Radfund “coming out” party a few years ago, and it was so special! We invited our broader friend community as well as representatives groups that we had given to, so they could share about the work that they do. What felt really special about that party was that it really felt like we were all in community together! One of the representatives we invited was so taken with the model that she was interested in starting a giving circle herself! I think it really showed how a giving circle can break down the divides between donors and grantees in traditional philanthropy.
That is powerful - to have people outside of your circle ~also~ be holding you accountable.
Joelle - you talked about how a giving circle can give away any asset. What are some examples of giving circles that give of something other than money in a meaningful, impactful way?
Yes - for sure - see my response to Peyton below. Something else worth noting: Most giving circles start with giving away money, but usually within the first giving cycle, after having researched the needs of organizations, they will often feel compelled to give in additional ways -- to leverage their financial contribution, to build a deeper relationship with the organization, and to learn more first-hand about the organization’s work. For example, my giving circle focused on homelessness for one of our cycles, and we made our financial contribution to an organization led by currently and formerly homeless folks who were advocating for betting housing policy. Then, we committed to pairing off among us and hosting a weekly arts-and-crafts class at a local women’s homeless shelter, which we did for about six months.
Ooops... missed the question above. I appreciate your reply. I read "Toxic Charity" by Robert Lupton and the book challenges givers to connect with organizations in the way you talk about exactly - on going and in person.
my question: in the episode, you talked about how a giving circle can give away any asset. curious about some examples of giving circles that give of something other than money?
what joelle said! also, for Radfund, we considered finding ways to give our time and skills to the groups that we support, but ultimately settled on giving money, because we wanted to spend more time with each other in the group, learning and deepening our friendships.
Thanks Peyton - and yes, giving circles also give time (for instance, in the form of volunteering either for organizations they give to, or to others who they don't), "talent" - their skills/expertise that could be useful to organizations they are excited about; they show up -- as bodies at protests/rallies/parade, and more.
thank you! I loved the framing of friends showing up to give together/do something together. it makes sense that time/talent/physical presence all fit in with that! I feel like there's a some that happening already and the concept of a giving circle makes it really easy to add a bit of structure.
also want to thank both of you for your words. really helped me tie some things together that I had been thinking about with my own group of friends and long term/structured action!
agreed! happy to help and connect further
So glad to hear -- and happy to share more wherever helpful!
welcome, michael!