Giving Thought: Collaborative learning for community change 

Like many things, philanthropy can be more impactful and enjoyable when done in the company of others. When done in the community, the outcomes and depth of connection multiply. The latest research on collective giving shows that it dramatically expands the areas where funding is made. It is a catalyst for social, community-led change across the nation. 

Collective giving or giving circles are one way for individuals to strengthen their connection to their community by collectively learning and making strategic grants. While these community-led groups can take many forms, they often come together through a shared affinity to explore a specific topic or area of shared interest over a period of time. Members each contribute to a pool of funds and then decide together how to invest their money by making larger collective grants to non-profits or organizations.  

Individual members often take what they learn from these groups and choose to grow their connection to non-profits or organizations outside of their participation in the giving circle. Others take the information they learn and engage more deeply with policy changes, while still, others share what they learn with their peers outside of their giving circle. Each supports a more significant impact and catalyzes change more meaningfully than individual efforts alone.  

Collective giving profoundly impacts members by allowing them to learn and decide which areas to fund. It pushes the bounds of traditional philanthropy by allowing individuals to collaborate with their peers and potentially expand what causes receive funding. This fosters a sense of belonging and purpose and catalyzes social cohesion and change. 

A recent study shows that participation in collective giving has grown to 4,000 groups, contributing over $3.1 billion — more than double their impact in the past seven years.  

Since 2016, Aspen Community Foundation has hosted a giving circle, the Giving Network. From the beginning, the Giving Network focused on learning more about the challenges facing children and families in our region. Its collective grants have supported the expansion of school-based counseling programs and provided starting investments for family resource centers in local school districts. Since its inception, the Giving Network has granted over $2.5 million and expects to grant another $500,000 later this summer.  

This year, it’s exploring a new structure to learn more about the issues facing our region and explore the needs of non-profits to improve community outcomes. In addition, they shifted their process to include hearing from other regional grantors, like the city of Aspen, Pitkin County, Aspen Community Foundation, and the Aspen Thrift Store. This learning added a new dimension to their grant-making process, allowing members to understand more about the ecosystem of support and funding.  

In January, 49 organizations applied for grant consideration; a grant committee within the group then vetted the applications and narrowed it down to a group of 15 finalists. Site visits were conducted, and eight organizations were invited to present to the Giving Network this summer at one of their two summer meetings held in member homes. The members will vote on grant allocations in August, closing out this year’s cycle.  

“Collectively, we’ve learned about organizations working with children, the environment, food insecurities, domestic violence, addiction recovery, Latinx legal, and English services, just to name a few,” shared Giving Network Chair, Ramona Bruland.  

She shared, “The Giving Network is a great place to start for second homeowners and year-round locals thinking of giving back to this community. There are over 300 non-profits that operate in our region, and digging into all the organizations that support our community can quickly become overwhelming. Instead of writing a check and not giving a second thought to the impact of your gift, giving circles are a great way to dive deep into non-profit services and then discuss the strengths and merit of each non-profit with like-minded philanthropic contemporaries. There’s genuine compassion and camaraderie in a giving circle.” 

Collective giving has the potential to shift communities and systems through grants and relationship building while also offering members an opportunity to expand their thinking.  

“Community learning and giving is key to philanthropy. It challenges biases, creates urgency, and helps everyone become more familiar with the issues outside their immediate experiences. Learning as a group helps the entire community because giving becomes prioritized based on immediate and longer-term needs. Through the Giving Network, I’ve experienced individuals increase their philanthropy and help think about the long-term sustainability of our area,” shared Morgan Fixel, co-chair of the Giving Network grants committee.  

The Giving Network is accepting new members on a rolling basis, and its model is just one of many shapes that giving circles can take. To learn more about joining the Giving Network, contact ramona@giving-network.org. To explore other types of giving circles or to learn more, please contact allison@aspencommunityfoundation.org.