Three Hartford Foundation Giving Circles Convene to Discuss the Power of Collective Philanthropy

Last month members of the three giving circles at the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving gathered over dinner at the Pond House in West Hartford to discuss their work and what inspired them to be more philanthropic. This is the second annual collective gathering of members of the Black Giving Circle Fund, the Catalyst Endowment Fund and the Latino Endowment Fund.

All of those in attendance shared many of the same interests in learning more about the Greater Hartford community and what the region's nonprofit organizations were doing to help meet the current challenges. People also talked about the value of making a collective impact by pooling resources and ideas; they appreciated the Hartford Foundation's efforts to keep them informed about community needs and provide them with the ability to support the work of nonprofits to lift up the community.

The event was such a success that all of those in attendance urged the Foundation to provide more opportunities for the membership of all three giving circles to get together and provide other ways to stay informed about each group's events and activities. Efforts are underway to produce regular communications on giving circle activities; by request, a bus tour during the summer months is being planned to enable giving circle members to visit local nonprofits that have been supported by the three groups.