Raising nearly $1.3 billion since inception, giving circles effectively engage all types of donors, new study finds

INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Collective giving groups, often known as giving circles, have tripled in number since 2007, becoming an increasingly popular way for donors from a diverse array of backgrounds to support charitable organizations or projects of mutual interest, according to new research released today.

The Collective Giving Research Group (CGRG), with support from the Women's Philanthropy Institute (WPI), released the findings of a new study on giving circles in the United States. The report, The Landscape of Giving Circles/Collective Giving Groups in the U.S.—2016, investigates the current scope and scale of collective giving groups in the United States in order to understand their impact on donor giving and civic engagement.

Giving circles have engaged at least 150,000 people in all 50 states and given as much as $1.29 billion since their inception, the study found. Sixty percent of giving circles are created around a particular identity—including groups based on gender, race, age and religion. Women dominate giving circle membership, making up 70 percent of all members. Further, giving circles have become more inclusive of income levels. Today, minimum dollar amounts required for participation range from less than $20 to $2 million, and the average donation amount was found to be $1,312 – compared to $2,809 in 2007.

The study also found that networks of giving circles have emerged since 2007, with 25 networks now in existence. Today, 45 percent of identified giving circles are connected to each other through a network or alliance group.

This new study is a significant contribution to ongoing efforts to understand the changing face of charitable giving and how to harness trends in philanthropy to encourage more giving by all. These findings provide strong evidence that giving circles are an increasingly significant philanthropic force, engaging a greater diversity of donors, including women, people of various ethnic and racial backgrounds, and donors of all wealth levels.

The Landscape of Giving Circles/Collective Giving Groups in the U.S.—2016 is being released in conjunction with the first-ever summit for giving circle networks, held this week in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The study was conducted by a team of four researchers: Jessica Bearman of Bearman Consulting, Dr. Julia Carboni of Syracuse University, Dr. Angela Eikenberry of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and Dr. Jason Franklin of the Johnson Center for Philanthropy. The study was funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, via the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, and by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.

The full report is available at: https://philanthropy.iupui.edu/gendergiving

SOURCE Women's Philanthropy Institute