​February is a good month to share love and we love Philanos Affiliates and their members! Our Philanos theme for February is “Membership” beginning with our February Educational Webinar on February 13th at 12 PM ET – Building a Culture of Belonging: Recruiting AND Retaining a Diverse Membership.

Membership and membership structures are the foundation of our circles. Last year, Philanos recognized the desire for more connection and sharing of membership themes and we launched a virtual affinity group entitled Membership Roundtable. This group now meets bimonthly to discuss and share membership ideas, challenges, and resources. Every Philanos Affiliate is encouraged to participate through their members. All are welcome. The next Membership Roundtable on Tuesday, March 19 at 12 PM ET, will be sharing ideas for listening to your membership.

Breakout sessions on membership are always well attended at our national conferences, but even veterans of our Board (like Sandy) were surprised to see that a session on tiered membership fee structures was standing room only in Baltimore in November. We will be watching and following up on those circles that have embraced different fee structures and how those newer membership models fare in recruiting more diversity and in engaging and retaining those members.

Of course, membership is often about more than writing a check, and our affiliates have many examples of engaging their members through social events, volunteer opportunities, grant committee work, and educational programming. Our members are deeply committed to and interested in continuous improvement of their communities. It takes thoughtful and hard-working leadership to meet those needs. Just two weeks ago, the day after MLK Day, Greenville Women Giving (Maggie’s SC affiliate) offered up an educational program on Intolerance and Inclusion featuring three local women –an FBI agent assigned to hate crimes in the Upstate, a Jewish educator who offers programs on the Holocaust in schools and churches and elsewhere, and the Director of the Upstate Urban League in South Carolina. It was a fascinating and timely discussion with a very engaged audience.

Keep your members close, send them a valentine, and think about all the ways they enrich your community. 

Read the full eNewsletter here

Philanos Affinity Group Snapshot:

• Philanos offers affiliates opportunities to connect with each other through ​our five Affinity Groups. 
• Our Affinity Groups are for members, by members.
• These are for all women engaged in giving circles - leaders and those new to giving circles.
• W​e encourage all affiliates to share information and registration details for upcoming Philanos Affinity Group meetings with their members. 

• Philanos Affiliate Comms Club- Comms Club meets the 4th Tuesday of every other month. Join the conversation when we discuss issues and ideas for strengthening communications in your giving circle.
• ​Coming Soon! Philanos Affiliate Grantmaking Group - Grantmaking Group plans to meet regularly in the coming year. Join us to learn and share together about all things grants. 
• Philanos Affiliate Tech Talk- Tech Talk meets the 3rd Thursday of every other month. Come share your questions and ideas about software and tech platforms for your giving circle. 
• Philanos Affiliate Membership Roundtable- Membership Roundtable meets the 3rd Tuesday of every other month. Participate in this forum to discuss issues concerning membership in your giving circle.
• Philanos Affiliate A Table for Chairs- a confidential forum for affiliate giving circle chairs to  share ideas and expertise with leadership challenges.

5 Reasons to Attend Philanos Affinity Groups:

• Grow Your Leadership Pipeline  Encourage all your members to attend. Affinity Groups are not for current leaders only. New members, long-standing members, members of committees and members interested in the women’s collective giving movement - all benefit from learning about the challenges and successes of other circles.
• Your Circle is not Alone  Learn how other circles face the challenges you are confronting. Ask your questions in an informal setting. Curious how other circles recruit and retain members? Interested in the software other circles use for grants? Maybe you have a question about the best ways to communicate with your members. Affinity Groups are the perfect forum for these topics and more.
• Stop Reinventing The Wheel  Save your energy and borrow from what other circles have already done successfully. Maybe it’s a strategic plan. Or, maybe it’s an anniversary celebration. Ask your questions! Affinity Groups allow you to learn how other circles have done it and even give you a roadmap to get there.
• Expand Your Reach  Hear what other circles are doing to engage their members, connect with their local communities and celebrate their successes. Learn about website design. Hear how circles find support from local businesses. Find out how circles are going beyond the check.
• Make Priceless Connections  Meet other philanthropic women making impacts in their local communities. Then, keep the connection alive by staying in touch after the session. And, meet in person at the next Philanos Conference!

• Affinity Groups meet via Zoom for one hour from 12:00 Noon (ET) until 1:00 PM (ET). 
• Registration is required and is available via email sent to affiliates and on the Philanos website. 
• A Table for Chairs is a closed group and provides a forum for affiliate giving circle co-chairs to exchange ideas and expertise concerning leadership challenges.
• All other Affinity Groups are open to affiliate members. 

Thank you to those who participated in our January 23 Philanos Affiliate Comms Club! What a great discussion on blogging. Thank you for everything that was shared!

The Zoom recording and document/chat file is now available. 

Our next Comms Club will be on March 26, 2024 at 12 PM ET. Register here to join our conversation, Listening to Your Membership: Listening Sessions, Focus Groups and Surveys. 

Please bring your questions. Comms Club is all about connecting, learning and sharing.

Invite your colleagues to join an upcoming Philanos event.

• Webinar: Building a Culture of Belonging: Recruiting AND Retaining a Diverse Membership - Feb 13, 12 PM ET 
• Tech Talk February 15, 12 PM ET 
• Membership Roundtable March 19, 12 PM ET 

Regards,

Buffy Beaudoin-Schwartz (Women's Giving Circle of Howard County, MD)
Ann Marie McGee (Impact 100 Redwood Circle, CA)
Philanos Communications Co-chairs
media@philanos.org

The inspiration remains alive for the 35 members of the Baltimore Women’s Giving Circle who attended PowerUp! Baltimore. Shortly after the conference, they got together at two brainstorming sessions to share their newfound ideas. Not surprisingly, the ideas shared ran the gamut from ways to onboard new members to thoughts on adding community leaders to the grant process to suggestions for members-only social gatherings to improve retention. Interestingly, some of the discussions even focused on past practices that might be ready for a second act. For instance, the talk about on-boarding new members led into a discussion of the former practice of hosting in-person orientations at members’ home for new members. Everyone agreed it was time to bring back the in-person orientations. The energy was palpable as members discussed ideas for developing closer relationships with grantees by helping grantees identify other funding sources and connecting grantees with schools in the area as a source of volunteers. Ideas for reinvigorating BWGC’s advocacy program by looking at the lessons learned at the conference were well-received. Using poster-size Post-It Notes Philanos Board member Renee Gordon captured the thoughts, ideas and suggestions shared at the two brainstorming sessions and then distilled them into six umbrella categories with all of the ideas sorted into one of the six umbrella categories. Now, the goal is to identify those ideas that BWGC should move forward on. All attendees felt not only re-energized but delighted to connect with each other in the brainstorming sessions.

MD Women's Giving Circles Host National Philanthropy Conference,

Read the article!

The 2024-2025 Philanos Board of Directors and Governance Committee application process is officially open with submissions being accepted through Friday, February 2, 2024.

As a member of the national Philanos team, you have opportunity to Collaborate in order to:

• Create and amplify quality initiatives and solutions for affiliates across the globe;
• Change the narrative of an area of collective giving through your expertise and passion;
• Commit to this important work with women with diverse experiences and perspectives;
• Gain Confidence and be nurtured in your philanthropic leadership journey;
• Connect to women from across the network who are equally as committed to women’s collective giving; and
• Celebrate the joy of new friendships and fresh ways of thinking!

These “6 C’s of Women’s Giving”, created by Women’s Philanthropy Institute founders Sondra Shaw-Hardy and Martha Taylor, inspire us all in our daily efforts locally, and nationally.

We believe Philanos’ efforts to inspire women’s philanthropy and strengthen organizations for impactful grantmaking are best when inclusive of women with a range of skills and diversity of thought and experience.

Together, we are impacting communities for the better!

• Want to make a referral for an amazing woman? 
• Interested in applying yourself?
• Need to talk with someone before deciding if this is right for you?

Check out the application today! Board of Directors & Governance Committee or email questions to our Governance Committee Chair, Maureen Romito. 

As the leading women's giving circle network, Philanos is proud to partner with Community Investment Network, Grapevine, Philanthropy Together. Philanthropy Together serves as a field catalyst for the collective giving movement, bringing together members, leaders, networks, and supporters from across the world - including Philanos, Community Investment Network, and Grapevine. Community Investment Network supports giving circles led by and serving communities of color. Grapevine is the only tech platform dedicated to giving circles, serves as a home for group giving, and has accelerated the movement by connecting people to the issues they care about. 

We will also be collaborating with other networks in the collective giving space to increase the impact in our communities and include additional voices and experiences that have not been heard. We are grateful for the support and resources we have received this past year, and particularly proud of our collaborative work going forward that is funded by the Fidelity Charitable Trust Initiative. 

We have strength in numbers! The Philanos network now numbers more than 90 affiliated women’s giving circles. Collectively these circles have granted more than $232 Million for the benefit of their local communities! That is an Impact, we should all be proud of. Women absolutely make things happen!

The Philanos Board and Committees are off and running to create a year of content and resources for all Philanos Affiliates.

We thank you for sharing! During 2023, members of 66 Philanos Affiliates participate in at least on Affinity Group: Comms Club, Tech Talk and Membership Roundtable. The groups return for 2024 and with more frequency. These informal Zoom groups are a terrific opportunity to lean from each other. And be sure and watch for the intro of our newest group for grantmaking in February.  

We have strength in numbers! The Philanos Network now numbers more than 90 affiliated women's giving circles. Collectively these circles have granted more than $232 Million for the benefit of their local communities! That is an Impact, we should all be proud of. Women absolutely make things happen!

We welcome Board nominations! The Governance Committee is seeking a few good women. If you or someone you know is interested, please check out the article below or visit the Philanos website. Deadline for applications is February 3.

Most of all, we wish each of you success in 2024 - personally, professionally and philanthropically!

Welcome to our new Philanos Affiliates:

• Women's IMPACT Network of New Hanover County, NC
• Aspen Giving Network, CO
• Santa Fe Hestia Fund, NM
• Impact100 DC
• GivHer Circle, MS
• 100+ Women Who Care East County, MS
• 100 Women of Central Mississippi
• Women's Giving Circle at York County Community Foundation, PA
• Women Inspiring Philanthropy, TX

Philanos is the leading national women's giving circle network, with more than 90 affiliates in 29 states, District of Columbia, England and Australia. Philanos affiliates vary by membership and governing models; however they all share one guiding mission: to become informed donors, to practice intentional grantmaking, and to make a lasting impact in their local communities.