The Fastest Growing Form of Philanthropy You Haven't Heard Of

Hi, everybody.

Welcome to We Can't Do This Alone.

I'm your host, Erin Stitzel, and today we're doing a follow-up episode to an episode that dropped in April about giving circles.

So it's so timely because last week the new Giving USA report landed.

So Giving USA, it's the longest running study of charitable giving in the United States, and, you know, at first glance the headlines look great.

Americans gave a record of $617 billion in 2025.

This is the first time that we've crossed that 600 billion threshold.

So you would think that generosity's thriving, but reading past those headlines shows a very different story.

Fewer than half of households in the United States give at all, and that number keeps falling.

Half of all the dollars now come from less than half of 1% of donors.

Let that sink in.

The everyday giver, the person writing the $50 check, the $100 check, is quietly walking away.

We are raising more money from fewer and fewer people, and the average nonprofit loses well over half its donors every single year.

So the real crisis in philanthropy, it's not about the amount of dollars being raised, but it's about how few people are actually giving.

So that brings me why I wanted to have this conversation today.

So earlier this year, my friends Mary Beth Kanevy and Danielle Hall, along with Krista and Susie, they started the 100 Strong.

So I didn't really know anything about this, but it seemed easy enough.

Donate $100 twice a year, pool your money with the other members, and then a collective amount would be given to a charity that members vote upon.

So back in April, I sat down with Mary Beth and Danielle, Krista and Susie of the 100 Strong here on this podcast, and in doing this podcast, I learned so much more, not just about what the 100 Strong is, but also what a giving circle is.

Come to find out, giving circles are the fastest-growing form of philanthropy in the United States.

So again, let that sink in for a second.

So in a moment where donors are vanishing, this one model is growing faster than anything else, and it is built on pooling everyday gifts, those 50, $100 gifts, and bringing brand-new people in to supporting our nonprofits.

So if the rest of the sector is fishing from a smaller and smaller pond, giving circles are out there digging new ponds and bringing in new folks.

So I have found this so intriguing that I decided we needed a follow-up episode.