I used to think that Bread for the Journey (BFJ) did not fit into the definition of a Giving Circle (GC) because a GC was a group of people who pooled their own money to give away and BFJ did fundraising in the local community to create the pool of money to give away. However, the definition in this report states a Giving Circle this way:  A giving circle is a philanthropic vehicle in which individual donors pool their money and other resources and decide together where to give them away. Giving circles include social, educational, and engagement components that seem to connect participants to their communities while increasing their understanding of philanthropy and community issues.

The phrase “and other resources” would include donations from other community members. Using the definition above, I would say each BFJ chapter is a Giving Circle.In fact, in one of her earlier research papers, the author of this report, Angela Eichenberry, stated that BFJ was the largest network of Giving Circles in the country.

As I read this report and the transcript of an NPR story from May 15^th that led me to the research findings, what was missing was anything about Giving Circle Members learning to develop a deeper sense of trust in community members who know what the community needs. It seems that with BFJ, a sense of trustworthiness is inspired when our Chapters give freely to someone in their community. And, it seems that BFJ chapter volunteers are developing, in themselves, a deeper personal sense of trust rather than getting better at due diligence in the traditional manner. Am I right? Wrong? You are the ones in the field.

Giving freely and extending trust to a person creating a program in your community is, perhaps, the spiritual component of our work at BFJ – a much more vague concept for GC writing or research. But it seems to be central to our work at BFJ. Is this true in your chapter?  Would you call it spiritual?

I am posting this on my blog, and would love to read comments about your thoughts on this research paper and my wonderings above. After hearing from you, I would like to touch base with the two women who did this research. Your input would be invaluable.

Thanks so much.

Marianna

Dear BFJ volunteers,

This is an exciting time to be alive; changes are occurring everywhere. We can tighten up and get rigid as an automatic response (which is usually our first reaction) or we can stop, be mindful of where we are, be awake to all of the influences surrounding us and, with consciousness, allow for something different to occur. If we’ve been doing some sort of daily practice such as meditation in which we learn to let go, now is when our practice matters most. The stakes are high – so many people have lost money and a sense of security – which is why this is such a rich time to grow.

Along side the story of loss is an equally powerful story in which generosity plays a key role. As you know, we have received requests for several new chapters in the first quarter of 2009 – an amazing thing in these economic times. I have been surrounded by stories of people who are consciously responding exactly opposite of the mainstream ideas of what to do when things get tight. Many people are giving more. More time, more money, more words of kindness, more talent, more nourishment. They are leaning into the crisis – looking squarely at it, and saying they trust goodness, kindness and care over fear. In fact, they are declaring that generosity extinguishes fear and they are acting in ways that are consistent with their beliefs.

The other day, inspired by a story I read, I purchased four small bouquets of daffodils, put a ribbon around each of them and gave them away, one by one, as I walked down a street in San Francisco. It cost me $5 for the flowers and I had the ribbon at home. It was nothing, and yet it brought at least 5 people so much joy! And who knows what happened from there. I included a card with each bouquet that said “SMILE – You’ve just been tagged. Someone reached out to you with an anonymous act of kindness. Now it’s your chance to do the same. Do something nice for someone. Leave this card behind, and keep the spirit going!” I have many more of these cards and would be happy to send as many as you wish. Just ask and they’re yours.

Stories of Generosity don’t get as much air time as stories of fear, loss, anger, destruction and abuse of power, but it should. There is an organization I would like to recommend that shares stories of generosity and kindness in the most beautiful and concise way. It is called Charity Focus and I recommend that you click “Get Involved Now” then select any of the things on the list – especially their newsletters. The pages you will receive in email are beautiful to the eye and inspiring to read. They are short and to the point – easy to read or view in a minute or two. And they usually have a link in case you wish to read more. So much of modern life can create a drag in our lives. This organization creates a lift. And I don’t know about you, but I’ll take all the lift I can get. I would love to hear your thoughts and comments about them.

Charity Focus is the organization responsible for creating the SMILE cards I mentioned above. Its founder, Nipun Mehta, attended our Visionary Donor Circle Retreat two weeks ago, and his wife, Guri Mehta is starting a Bread for the Journey chapter in Berkeley. (Guri wrote this article that inspired my daffodil giveaway.) I hope you all will have a chance to meet them soon and in the meantime, you can get to know them through Charity Focus.

Brandy has set up an online blog where this letter will be posted and you can respond and read everyone else’s response. You can also access this blog from our website’s homepage www.breadforthejourney.org I will be writing much more often here and I encourage you to read, respond, and stay connected. We are all doing such great work in the world. I envision us being a lift to one another. We are the light of the world. Let’s shine for each other and for others to be inspired to act in ways that antidote fear and encourage trust.

In love,

Marianna Cacciatore