An emerging philanthropic trend: the ‘giving circle’

From a modest suite in downtown Charlotte, N.C., Pat’s Place operates with a noble mission: to give battered children a refuge.

For director Anne Pfeiffer, who’s planning to move the small nonprofit into a 2,400-square-foot house, asking for money has become second nature. But a few months ago, Pat’s Place received one of its largest and least expected gifts: a $100,000 windfall, not from a corporate donor, but from a tightly knit group of no-name philanthropists from Charlotte’s wine-and-cheese circuit.

In a modern spin on centuries-old "sewing circles," the 157 members of the Women’s Impact Fund "giving circle" voted to spend their money protecting children from abuse.

By Patrik Jonsson | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

Full Story: http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1230/p01s01-ussc.html?s=hns