Building a Jewish Giving Circle in Your Community

Workshop: Building a Jewish Giving Circle

A Jewish giving circle is a group of people who pool their charitable giving and make collective decisions about how to distribute it. This workshop format session is designed for anyone who wants to start a giving circle in their community, join one, or strengthen one that already exists.

Why Giving Circles Work

Giving circles are one of the fastest-growing forms of collective philanthropy in North America, and for good reason. They provide:

Community: The experience of giving together creates bonds that individual giving cannot. When a group deliberates about where their money can do the most good, they learn about each other and about the world.

Scale: $100 from ten people is $1,000. A pooled fund can make grants that no individual member could make alone.

Learning: The research process — learning about different causes, meeting nonprofit leaders, analyzing impact — educates every member.

Accountability: Members keep each other accountable to their giving commitments in a way that private giving cannot.

Session Outline

Hour 1: The Halachic and Historical Context — Communal giving funds in the Talmud and medieval period. The chaver (charity collector) system. What the tradition teaches about collective tzedakah decision-making.

Hour 2: Practical Structure — How to legally organize a giving circle (fiscal sponsorship vs. independent nonprofit). Voting systems. Grant cycles. Member agreements. How to handle disagreement.

Templates and Resources — Participants will receive templates for a member agreement, a grant application form, and a decision-making rubric based on Jewish values.

Registration and Access

This is a paid workshop session. Upon registration you will receive access to this full 2-hour recording, all templates and resources, and access to our Giving Circles community forum where you can connect with other circle organizers.