A Circle for Giving
Evening falls on a small fishing village in Kenya, the blazing African sun having slipped below
the far horizon of Lake Victoria to make way for the gathering darkness. I have just returned
from a tutoring session with children in a nearby orphanage. Studies always end with the sunset,
as there is no electricity. As I approach my tukul, a cozy thatched-roofed hut that is my home
away from home, I notice a dozen or more women from the village gathering together a short
distance away. They make a circle. Each has a bundle in her arms, which she places in the
center. I do not interrupt their lovely gathering, but am struck by a deep sense of sisterhood that
emanates from their cirque. I imagine myself standing with them as they talk softly in the fading
light.
The next day I ask one of the women about the meeting and she tells me, “We call it the Circle.
Every month we come together and bring whatever we can share. We put our gifts in the middle,
and then we listen as each woman in turn tells how she and her family are doing, and whether
she needs help from the Circle. When all have spoken, we decide together who will take home
all of the gifts we have brought.”
I asked her how the women managed to give so much away each month, and she answered
simply, “When one of our sisters is in great need, we all suffer. When our sisters and our
mothers are secure, everyone lives better. I give freely, knowing that one day it may be my turn
to ask for help from the Circle and it will be given to me.”
Memories of the Circle and the women who created it have remained with me since my return
from Kenya. The power of their collective generosity and supportive wisdom is humbling and
inspiring. Together, these women keep a very poor village alive and well, sharing one another’s
bounty and hardship in the loving safety of their Circle.
Fast forward to October 2013 in Kalispell, Montana.
My dynamic friend Laura O’Connor calls me at the Flathead Community Foundation1 with a
“maybe crazy idea” for getting women together once a month to network and mentor each other,
enjoy a glass of wine, and raise money for local nonprofits. She and two good friends, Katy
Croft and Darla Harmon are preparing to launch Women Who Wine of Kalispell (WWWK).
From Kenya to Kalispell – the Circle has arrived!
In Laura’s words, “Really hope you’ll join me in this. We will get to see each other at least once
a month and do something really incredible for the community! Please share this invitation with
other women who would be a great fit. Our goal is to have 36 members who will meet once a
month for networking and fun, and to raise $1,000 per month for the benefit of 12 local
nonprofits each year”
WWWK propose that each woman contribute $30 and a bottle of wine each month, whether or
not she can attend. Members take turns being hostess once every 3 years! The hostess selects the
nonprofit beneficiary for the month. Each meeting is an opportunity to network with other
women and to visit with a local nonprofit representative. In addition to their monthly
contribution to the WWWK Charitable Fund, members auction off the several unopened bottles
of wine with proceeds going to the Fund.
WWWK joins more than 400 giving circles in this country – a movement that reflects women’s
growing capacity to give financially as well as in the century’s old manner of giving time and
talent, i.e. women’s sewing circles and church societies. Women accustomed to supporting
special event fundraisers are quick to appreciate the benefits of the giving circle model. “With
the same amount of money you’d use to write a check to charity, you get to make a difference,
spend more time with friends, and learn about your community needs.”2
There is no accident that these philanthropic groups are called circles. In The Impact of Giving
Together, Professor Angela Eikenberry describes giving circles as the “democratization of
philanthropy.” Giving circles allow everyone a place at the philanthropic table.
Interviews with many of this country’s giving circle founders2 reported that a common theme for
creating their circles were the six C’s of women’s giving:
 Create new solutions to problems; be entrepreneurial through philanthropy
 Change things for the better – make a difference
 Commit through volunteerism to the organizations whose visions we share
 Connect with the human face our gift affects; build partnerships with the people behind
the charitable projects we support
 Collaborate with others as part of a larger effort; seek to avoid duplication, competition
and waste
 Celebrate! Have fun together; celebrate accomplishments and enjoy the deeper meaning
and satisfaction of philanthropy
WWWK and the Flathead Community Foundation are working together to reach our annual
giving goals of $12,000 and to celebrate local philanthropy that makes a difference. Just as the
women in Kenya pool their treasures to care for one another, so we can stand in our circle of
giving for the benefit of the community we love and the people who need us. We welcome you
to join us! For information, please email Laura@FBSinMT.com or
lucy@flatheadcommunityfoundation.org
Lucy Smith
Executive Director
Flathead Community Foundation
www.flatheadcommunityfoundation.org
The Flathead Community Foundation is a public, charitable, nonprofit organization established in 2005 to “enrich
the lives of present and future generations by supporting philanthropy in the communities we serve.” We connect
donors with their charitable interests and support the work of local nonprofits through permanent endowments,
donor-advised funds and community grant-making.
2
Women’s Giving Circles: Reflections from the Founders