Giving Circles

Giving circles enable groups of individuals to come together with a philanthropic purpose to pool their pounds and resources to fund chosen causes.  Giving circles vary in size and structure, ranging from an informal group of friends meeting locally to large, formal organisations with employed staff members.

The Funding Network has been described as the UK’s first public, open giving circle. Through our events, we provide an enjoyable forum for  donors (of all amounts) to work together and to meet innovative and effective social change organisations working for a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable society.

Types of giving circles

The focus of groups is wide-ranging and the approach to giving just as broad as these examples:

• Event-based – networks that draw people together for charitable events and giving, such as The Funding Network
• Local – a group of like-minded people who give to local causes, such as Nat Wei’s Shoreditch Group
• Interest-based – give to a specific cause
• Project-based – micro-trusts or ‘giving clubs’ in which a group of people come together to focus on one project and then disband
• In-house corporate – networks within companies that give often via CSR practices
• Social media networks – a flourishing trend of collective giving via online sites such as Facebook

For further information on giving circles, see Philanthropy UK.