By leveraging individual action for collective good, the love of humanity that AAPIP’s National Giving Circle members express is precisely what defines “philanthropy”. Through their caring, giving, and volunteering Giving Circle members choose action over inaction. They choose empathy over apathy. By being part of a giving circle, they learn that they can change the world.
Since the National Giving Circle Campaign began, our network grew significantly in size, giving, geography, and beyond. We’ve built a network of 37 Giving Circles. Together, we collectively gave over $1.7 million new dollars in 13 regions to 310 organizations in the AAPI community. More than that, Giving Circles create impact beyond the numbers:
- AAPI organizations from the arts to Haiyan relief, domestic violence counseling, to youth education all receive much needed funding to address and serve the community.
- Giving circle members start their own donor advised funds, become board members at grantee organizations or foundations, and give beyond their giving circle.
- Foundations are learning about the power of community philanthropy and the growth and issues facing the AAPI community.
Each year, AAPIP hosts a National Giving Circle Convening and as one of the participants put it, “The caliber of giving circle people I met are truly awesome.” Not only do we agree, but we know that our giving circles come together because of their deep love for humanity and caring for their community. Words cannot capture the electricity that happens each year, but we hope you will watch this year’s video as we celebrated 10 years of Asian Giving Circle in Chicago.