A global initiative designed to expand and strengthen Jewish giving circles and to support inspiring changemakers around the world
New York, NY – (September 16, 2014) – The Natan Fund, a giving circle of young professionals in New York, today announced the launch of Amplifier, a global network of giving circles inspired by Jewish values. Amplifier is the first concerted effort to unite Jewish giving circles into a field, catalyze the creation of new circles, educate circle members on best practices in philanthropy, and connect giving circles to each other and to grantseekers of all types efficiently and effectively through an innovative new web platform.
Giving circles are groups of people who pool their charitable donations and decide together where to allocate their money. Research shows that members of giving circles give more, give more strategically, and are more engaged in their communities than non-members. This past summer’s Connected to Give: Community Circles report (Jumpstart, 2014) demonstrated that giving circles are also particularly strong among affinity groups, such as those connected by religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or age.
Supported by a pilot grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Natan convened dozens of partners from across the Jewish philanthropic and nonprofit sectors over several months to co-design Amplifier’s web platform and in-person training and mentoring programs. More than 30 giving circles and over 100 nonprofit organizations have registered on the web platform during its beta phase, and the number is growing every day.
“People are craving a meaningful experience with giving, and giving circles can provide just that,” says Felicia Herman, Natan’s executive director. “So much of giving is reactive – we give because we get a solicitation in the mail or our friends ask us to donate to their favorite cause. Giving circles, by contrast, are proactive: they enable members to discover their giving passions and then to give in way that is transparent, intentional, hands-on, and social – no matter how much money they have or what types of causes they want to support.”
Amplifier’s in-person and online resources make it as simple as possible for anyone to start, grow, and sustain a giving circle and to connect with excellent potential grant recipients and with other giving circles. Trainings, coaching, conferences, and events complement a unique interactive web platform, www.AmplifierGiving.org, that offers searchable directories of giving circles and nonprofit organizations, giving circle management tools, a growing Resource Library, and a Common Grant Application for grantseekers.
“Giving circles are for everyone,” says Lynn Schusterman, chair of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. “They inspire people at all levels of giving to come together with a community of friends or family and to wrestle with how to bring Jewish wisdom to bear on contemporary issues of all kinds. We are investing in Amplifier because we believe that giving circles can be a powerful pathway for engaging with Jewish life and values, as well as for ensuring a vibrant future for Jewish philanthropy. ”
Amplifier is also intended to benefit nonprofit organizations, to make it easier for them to raise funds from giving circles and even to start their own circles. “The Common Grant Application and Organization Directory make spreading the word about our work and connecting to potential sources of support incredibly efficient,” says Rachel Ishofsky at Innovation: Africa “Submitting one application on Amplifier’s site not only saves us time but also showcases our work to a broad landscape of potential supporters.”
For further information on Amplifier, guidance on starting or joining a giving circle or submitting a Common Grant Application, please visit www.AmplifierGiving.org.
ABOUT NATAN // WWW.NATAN.ORG
In the fall of 2002, a group of young professionals came together in New York City to imagine a new approach to Jewish philanthropy: a thoughtful, engaging experience of strategic, collective giving, where they could use both their minds and their money to support new ideas and transform the Jewish world and Israel. They wanted to give together, in a community of like-minded peers, brought together by their generosity and their commitment to Jewish philanthropy. They wanted control over where their money was going and transparency about how it was being used by those who received it. And they wanted to have real impact – to support new ideas with the potential to make systemic change. They created The Natan Fund, a giving circle focused on supporting Jewish and Israeli social entrepreneurs and startup nonprofit organizations.
Ten years later, nearly 200 members – almost all under age 45 – have participated actively in Natan’s grant making process and events. Natan has allocated over $9.6 million to more than 160 innovative Jewish and Israeli social entrepreneurs and startup nonprofits around the world. After growing as a giving circle for over a decade, Natan is expanding into a field-building role by partnering with dozens of organizations to create Amplifier: The Jewish Giving Circle Movement.
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