Collective giving.
Enduring impact.
Giving Circles
Upcoming Circle
A Detroit Women’s Giving Circle
Giving circles bring people together to learn, reflect, and give collectively around shared values and priorities. They transform philanthropy from a solitary act into a relational experience—one rooted in dialogue, trust, and collective impact; where participants pool resources, make funding decisions together, and distribute funds collectively. At Good Name Advisors, I design and facilitate giving circles in forms that reflect the people and stories at their center.
Give for Good Circles
Over a set period, usually 6-12 months, participants come together in a trusted group—friends, colleagues, fellow learners—to learn about philanthropy in a chosen issue area, and to make a collective gift greater than any one participant might give alone. Funds are pooled in a collective donor-advised fund (DAF) and granted out at the end of the cycle.
Give for Good Circles include:
- Expert facilitation and support
- Customized learning materials
- Group experiences (with refreshments!)
- A separate participation fee is required (it is not taken from your philanthropic funds)
Learn:
- Define your area of impact
- Discover and vet organizations aligned with your values
- Make informed, strategic giving decisions
- Build meaningful, lasting relationships with the causes you support
Family Circles
A guided, time-limited experience that blends family philanthropy with the power of giving circles.
Every family carries a story—a set of values, memories, and moments that shape who we are and how we move through the world. Family Circles are a way to honor those stories together.
Designed for families who want to mark a birth, celebrate a living loved one, remember someone who has passed, or simply commit to an issue of shared importance, a Family Circle creates focused time to learn, reflect, and give in their honor. It’s philanthropy as connection—a shared journey rooted in the issues, people, and places that mattered most to them.
How It Works
Over a defined period—typically no longer than six months—I guide your family through a curated, structured experience:
Learn Together
We explore the causes your loved one cared about, the communities that shaped them, and the values by which they lived. Families often discover stories they’ve never heard and perspectives they’ve never shared—and realize how the same experience can shape each person differently.
Reflect Together
Through gentle facilitation and thoughtful prompts, we surface memories, meaning, and what it feels like to carry someone’s legacy forward. These conversations often become as treasured as the giving itself. In an era where estrangement is common and family strife is normalized, Family Circles work against the tide—creating new experiences, deeper bonds, and a renewed sense of shared purpose.
Give Together
In the spirit of a giving circle, I facilitate research on organizations aligned with your goals, ensuring you hear from leaders, engage in meaningful conversations, and make a collective decision—or decisions—about where to invest in honor or memory of the person at the center of your Family Circle.
Reconnect
These days, it is the norm rather than the exception for families to find themselves split over political, religious, identity, and generational issues. Family Circles are an opportunity to find common ground and strengthen bonds.
If this offering speaks to you, let’s talk. I’d love to help you imagine what a Family Circle could look like for your family.
