Scaling Impact Locally: How Giving Circles Can Transform Corporate Social Impact

What if your company’s giving strategy wasn’t just another top-down initiative, but a movement fueled by your workforce’s passion and purpose?
Many corporations struggle with meaningful employee engagement—but what if employees had a real say in where and how corporate giving happens? Giving circles put employees in the driver’s seat, increasing their sense of purpose and connection while ensuring corporate philanthropy is deeply aligned with business goals and community needs. Giving circles offer a compelling model that redefines donor and employee engagement and shifts decision-making power to those closest to the issues.The “all voices are equal” structure democratizes philanthropy by putting directors in the same room as associates to collaborate on how to support organizations in their communities they care about.
This session explores how companies can embed giving circles into their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies to foster deeper employee engagement, retention, and impact. Attendees will participate in a live simulation of a giving circle and learn the tools to run a meeting themselves. Through inspiring real-world examples and actionable strategies, you’ll learn to launch, partner with, or scale giving circles for maximum community impact.