What opportunities are there to learn from others?

Although the majority of donor journeys are personal and individual, by engaging with peers, donors are often presented with new ideas they hadn’t considered. They can also build relationships that could lead to funding partnerships, and work directly with others who have shared ambitions and make even bigger impact than what they would have been able do alone.

There has been a growth of giving circles over the last few years, which are all about sharing learning, connecting with communities and collective decision-making.

This collaborative approach allows you to have a greater impact by combining the group’s resources and the group’s collective wisdom, and can provide you with a different and very rewarding experience.

Marie-Louise Gourlay is the Managing Director, Europe for Forward Global (previously named The Philanthropy Workshop). Forward Global is a global network of philanthropists who come together to share and learn what their peers are doing. Its mission is ‘to shape the future of giving as a global community activating resources to maximise social impact’.

With the growth of giving circles, and increased interest from donors in giving to their local communities, in partnership New Philanthropy Capital (NPC), we developed “Collaborating for a Cause”. It was a targeted study which looked at how cause-related networks can provide opportunities for donors to find new pathways on their giving journey.

Collaborating for a Cause – How cause-related networks can lead to more and better philanthropic giving

Author(s)

New Philanthropy Capital

Year

2020

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Other resources or giving circles:

• Funders Collaborative. Funders from any area can join this group – trusts, foundations, government grant-makers, businesses and individual donors as well. It is hosted by the Association for Charitable Foundations, which is a membership association for foundations and independent grant-makers in the UK.
  
• UK Community Foundations. This is the national organisation which brings together accredited community foundations in the UK. The foundations proactively learn from each other and if donors are interested in working collectively with other people who have shared interests, particularly for place-based giving, this could be a useful network to explore.
  
• Environmental Funders Network. This network includes foundations, family offices, and individual donors who support environmental causes. Their aim is to increase the amount of financial support for environmental causes and to improve its overall effectiveness.
  
• Made in Stoke. This is a community of people with a link to Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding North Staffordshire area. Their intention is to create connections with people who are ‘Made in Stoke’ and provide them with a way to re-connect and give back to the city. 
  
• New Philanthropy for Arts & Culture. This initiative is working to collaborate between organisations and donors who are committed to supporting the arts and culture sector.
  
• Impact 100 London. Impact 100 was originally set up in the US but now has different chapters around the world, who share the ambition to empower women and unite them to give collectively to their local communities. The chapter in London is specifically focused on supporting women and girls in London.
  
  

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Margaret Mead