About Us
Making a Real Impact
Our Mission
At Community Purse, we know you want to make a difference in your community but may have limited time and resources. Our giving circles, inspired by Christian values, provide a way to amplify donations and connect you with local nonprofits working to improve the lives of hurting people.
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”
1 Timothy 6:18
Our philanthropy group is based on the simple concept that we can accomplish more for our community through group donations, rather than individual donations.
During our quarterly meetings, we hear presentations from three member-nominated local nonprofits. After the presentations and a brief question and answer period, each member votes for where she would like to direct the funds. Once the votes are tallied, the selected nonprofit is announced and each member donates $100 directly to this charity, either electronically or by check.
Members agree to support the charity that the group selects, even if it was not the one they voted for, or if they missed the meeting. By combining our donations into one large grant, a nonprofit is able to fund a new program, hire a new staff member, and more. For example, our grants allowed a nonprofit to purchase a used truck to take food and clothing to home-bound veterans and a mental health clinic was able to hire a part-time intake coordinator.
We intend for our meetings to be an efficient
and productive use of time, treasure, and talent.
Our giving circles meet four times a year in the months of February, May, August, and November. Each one-hour meeting begins promptly and concludes promptly at the end of the hour. We network and socialize, hear from three nonprofits (each presentation lasting 5 minutes plus 3 minutes for Q&A), vote on our grant winner, then draw three charities to present at the next meeting. Our members come from different age groups, churches, and socio-economic backgrounds, but we all share a desire to bless and support our communities.
Benefits
- Help people in need
- All of your donation goes directly to the selected nonprofit
- Pooled donations offer greater impact for the charity than a single donation of $100
- Connect and socialize with other like-hearted members of your community
- Expand your knowledge of area nonprofits
- Efficient and productive use of time for busy people who want to make a difference