HOW IT WORKS
A rapidly growing national trend, giving circles come in all shapes and sizes. Founders and members of these unique avenues for philanthropy are able to create their own missions and systems for charitable giving. A giving circle provides a powerful way to learn about community needs and to magnify the impact of personal charitable donations. The members of the Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle had three main objectives in mind when designing their organization: Learn, Give and Act.
LEARN
Based on the group’s personal interests and awareness of community needs, the Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle selects a community issue to examine in-depth each year. Through reading materials and guest speakers selected by the LEARN Committee, the Giving Circle’s Active Members learn about the selected issue at monthly meetings. After a broad overview of the issue, a study of current trends and Seacoast area needs, the group identifies a targeted area for investment. For example, in our 3rd giving cycle we learned about the needs of children-at-risk and subsequently narrowed our target area for investment to “preventing risky behavior amongst teens (ages 11 - 18).”
In addition, the Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle focuses specific monthly meetings on the study of philanthropy and giving as well as the broad needs of the local non-profit sector. In the past year, our study of philanthropy included readings and discussion on family legacy and raising community-minded, empathetic children. Our conversation was inspired and enriched through readings of literature from the Project on Civic Engagement and other materials listed in the Resources section of our website.
Past issue topics have included the environment, affordable housing and homelessness, and children at risk. Past speakers include: David Borden, Environmentalist & NH State Representative for Rye & New Castle; Roger Stephenson, Clean Air-Cool Planet; Brian Hart, Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire; Chris Sterndale, Executive Director, Cross Roads House; Dick Ingram, Executive Director, The Housing Partnership; Anne B. Gass, ABG Consulting; Katie Branch, Department of Children Youth Families; Jackie Cowell, Early Learning NH; Kim Firth, Endowment for Health; Ellen Fineberg, The Children's Alliance of NH; Dr Susan Lynch, First Lady of New Hampshire; Robin Albert, Director of the United Way of the Greater Seacoast’s Volunteer Action Center; Maryellen Burke and Peter Lamb, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation; Amy Ellsworth, The Philanthropic Initiative; Jill Schiffman and Marianne Jones, The Women’s Fund of New Hampshire.
GIVE
After learning about the selected topic and identifying a targeted area for investment, the Seacoast Women’s Giving Circle invites non-profit organizations to submit grant proposals in January. The 2009/2010 grant application form will be posted to our website in December. The GIVE Committee then takes several months to review the proposals and narrow the list of potential gift recipients to five semi-finalists. From this pool of applicants, the Active Members select two finalists to present in-person to the group in May. From these organizations, the Giving Circle members choose a recipient for its annual donation in June.
ACT
Several times a year, the Giving Circle’s ACT Committee organizes volunteer service projects for the members including a drive and a hands-on project. Through these community service opportunities, members support the year’s chosen issue, as well as other causes.
Throughout the course of the 2008-2009 year, our members served 10 meals to our neighbors at Cross Roads House and Seacoast Interfaith Hospitality Network. We collaborated with the Housing Partnership and Fair Tide to sponsor a holiday drive for 13 families living in affordable housing, collected goods for troops serving oversees, celebrated Earth Day by reclaiming parkland, raised awareness of idling at the Portsmouth Sustainability Fair, and helped the New Outlook Teen Center to clean and organize their basement and supplies as part of the United Way Day of Caring in May.
In 2008, with the encouragement of several local environmental leaders, we launched the “Turn the Key. Be Idle Free” campaign to decrease unnecessary vehicle idling. The campaign has now spread to nearly 25 area schools and received visibility in the local media. Anyone who is interested can download the toolkit from the homepage of this website to begin the campaign at their school. To download the toolkit, click here.
Updated July 2009
