“I was hooked! Immediately! After attending a Community Purse meeting in Libertyville, I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my husband about this great organization. I didn’t know many people at the meeting, but I felt a wonderful connection because we were united in the mission to share with our local community in an easy, tangible way that could make an incredible impact!”
Jill Payne, Discipleship Catalyst, LifeSpring Community Church
How Does a Community Purse Giving Circle Work?
Community Purse provides resources and coaching to help your church or organization launch a giving circle with confidence so the group can focus on what matters most: building generosity and connecting women with nonprofits to help hurting people in the community. We do not charge a chapter registration fee.
Form a Team
Identify a woman in your organization who has a passion for generosity and can lead a team of 3 to 5 women. The team should come from different areas to widen the invite list and to manage the before, during, and after meeting tasks.
List Your Chapter
We will list the specifics of your group on this website. We will give you access to our Chapter Leader file folder that has many helpful resources. We also recommend setting up a chapter Facebook page to promote your group. We ask that new groups embrace our Statement of Faith.
Gather
Draw three nonprofit presenters from the member-nominated list to present at your meeting. Determine the most consistent time for your group to meet. We have found the months of February, May, August, and November work best for women’s schedules. Also, meeting quarterly, for one hour, appeals to time-crunched members. Most of our groups meet mid-week on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evening. Take pictures at your meeting for email correspondence and for social media.
Choose a Location
It’s important to identify a central location where your giving circle will convene regularly. Meet with your team to discuss options and the best time to host your giving circle.
Invite Friends
Think about your ideal size and then ask each team member to invite 10 to 30 friends. This is an opportunity for outreach, so think of friends and neighbors both within and outside of your church. We can provide a template for the invitation. A form for member sign-ups will be on your chapter page.
Give Grant
All of the donations are combined into one impactful grant. Members write a check directly to the nonprofit or give electronically through each chapter’s donor advised fund with the National Christian Foundation.
We encourage your chapter’s leadership team to visit the nonprofit to present the grant, along with chapter members if possible. Share photos of the presentation through email and social media to encourage your members and to increase membership in your giving circle.