Giving Circles: Operations Plan & Member Manual (GiVE 365)

GiVE 365 Member Manual

2016

What is GiVE 365? 

The idea is simple. You give $365 – a dollar a day – to make our community better. You pool those daily dollars with others. Then you decide together which organizations you want to receive the money. 

Formed in 2010, GiVE 365 was created by a group of community leaders and the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis to encourage philanthropy in a new group of donors. Since its inception, GiVE 365 has grown to more than 285 member households and has provided $378,190 in grants to 48 different, local community groups and initiatives. 

In addition to the grant pool, GiVE 365 has grown its endowment to $475,000 in its first seven years of operation. Want to know more about the endowment? See p. 11. 

Our Mission 

GiVE 365 unites and informs emerging philanthropists to make a collective impact on Greater Memphis. 

Our Values 

GiVE 365 advances the well-being of the Greater Memphis area by: 

• Equipping members with experiences and knowledge for making meaningful contributions to the community; 
• Exposing members to a diverse range of social issues and to the community-based efforts being made to address them; 
• Supporting a wide range of nonprofit and community based projects in the Greater Memphis area; 
• Leveraging financial, social, and human capital for collective philanthropic impact; and 
• Building and growing a fellowship of informed and engaged donors.  

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What You Can Expect 

So, you’ve joined GiVE 365. Now what? Here are a few things that you can expect out of your membership: 

• Impact: you will be able to pool your dollars with others to give more to nonprofits than many people could do alone. These grants allow the nonprofits to execute meaningful programs and projects in our community. See p. 4 to learn more about our grant making and a list of funded organizations.
   
• Information: you will learn about community issues and the nonprofits in Memphis working to address them. You will have the opportunity to speak directly to nonprofit leaders or see their work first-hand.
   

• Flexibility: GiVE 365 members can be as active as they’d like to be. Some members just contribute financially. Others join leadership or grant review teams. We know you are busy, and we respect your time. Check out the annual timeline on p. 7. 
   
• Engagement: There are monthly events for members, everything from meet-ups at local bars to volunteer opportunities at nonprofit organizations. 

• Education: Through a grant review team, you will learn more about grant making and philanthropy – how to look critically at potential grantees and make funding decisions designed for maximum impact. If you’re interested in serving on a grant team, see p. 8.  

• Diversity: GiVE 365 is made up diverse citizens ranging in age from their 20s to 70s, from 30 ZIP codes across our community. Members give collectively to support a broad range of nonprofits in many areas of our city. Visit give365memphis.org/meet-our-members for an up-to-date list of members. 

• Leadership: GiVE 365 is managed by a member-driven Advisory Team that works in tandem with the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis staff. If you are interested in a leadership position, see p. 9. 

• Communications: You will receive a monthly GiVE 365 eNews with information about upcoming events, the grant cycle, stories of grantee successes, and member spotlights. You will also receive mailed invitations to special events throughout the year, including Community Foundation programs. Make sure to follow GiVE 365 Memphis on Facebook and Twitter for daily updates on program successes! See more on p. 10. 

Grant Making 

GiVE 365’s informed and aware membership makes grants to support nonprofits in the greater Memphis area. The GiVE 365 membership chooses an annual theme to guide its grant making for that year. Typically, grants range from $2,000 to $10,000. 

Annual themes have been: 

• 2016: “Memphis 2020” – programs that will have a tangible impact on Memphjis in the next five years. 

• 2015: “And now for something completely different” – small grants to support new projects or programs that add value to the community and have a likelihood of success.
   
• 2014: “Collaboration for Change” – partnerships that support creative problem-solving in the community.
   
• 2013: “Home is Where the Heart Is” – projects to make Memphis neighborhoods more vibrant, livable, and secure. 
   
• 2012: “Eyes on the Prize” – organizations helping students graduate from high school or college
   

• 2011: “Fishing Lessons” – based on the adage: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for a lifetime.
   
• 2010: “Fostering Community in Memphis” – projects that bring people together to address the city’s most pressing issues. 

Grant History 

Total grants since 2010 are $378,190. 

Annual Timeline 

The grant process, which now runs December to May, is the centerpiece of the GiVE 365 annual calendar. It includes: 

• November: GiVErs vote on the annual grant theme, choosing from options submitted by members
   

• December: Holiday Cocktails event and announcement of the chosen grant theme. Bring your friends! This is a great way to show off GiVE 365 and get people involved at the beginning of the grant cycle. Grant review team registration opens for members.
   
• January: Information sessions are held for nonprofits interested in applying for grant.
   
• February: Grant review teams attend an orientation and receive instructions on reviewing applications.
   
• March: Volunteer grant review teams research the nonprofit applicants and their proposed projects. 
   
• April: The Finals event; grantees make three-minute presentations to GiVErs. This is the most anticipated event in the GiVE 365 year. Definitely try to make it, but know that you can watch the presentation videos online if you have to miss it.
   

• Late April- early May: Members vote online for their top choices, having attended the Finals or watching the 3-minute videos online.
   
• Mid-May: Grant awards are announced at the Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting. 

Member Voting and Grant Teams 

Members have the opportunity to vote on the annual grant theme and the ultimate grant recipients once review teams have chosen finalists. 

In the late summer and fall, anyone can suggest an annual theme for GiVE 365 grants. These ideas are collected and presented to the Advisory Team, who culls the list to a slate of themes that is presented online to members. One vote is allowed per membership. In other words, if a couple has one membership, they are allowed one vote.  

Shortly after the theme is chosen, an application is posted for nonprofits interested in submitting a proposal. And then, things get really interesting.  

If you really want to dig into the grant making process, you can join a grant review team. Teams are composed of approximately 5-7 members.  

On average, teams receive about eight proposals to review, and reviewers report that each proposal requires about an hour to read and analyze.  

Review team members attend an orientation at which they meet their teams and receive a brief training on reviewing the proposals, both how to access them online and what to look for when judging their merit.  

Each reviewer individually reads and analyzes his or her team’s assigned proposals before a second meeting in which review teams put forward their finalists.   

The finalists, usually between 12 and 15 nonprofit organizations, pitch their projects in quick succession at a Finals event in April. After that, members vote online for their favorite projects, generally ranking their top five.  Once voting ends, the data is analyzed and presented to the review team captains for approval and any final tweaks to awards.  

The grants are announced at the Annual Meeting in May, and then it’s time to start thinking about doing it all over again… 

In 2016, 100% of members who voted had at least one of their top five picks fully funded, and nearly 100% had two of their top five fully funded.  

Leadership 

Are you interested in a GiVE 365 leadership position? The Advisory Team (or A-Team, for short) has two specific roles. One, to provide direction and guidance to Community Foundation staff in relation to the ongoing programmatic needs and growth of GiVE 365, and two, to advocate to the Foundation staff on behalf of the GiVE 365 membership. 

We’re looking for folks who are passionate and excited about getting involved and helping GiVE 365 be as great as possible. And, it would be a huge help if you have relevant experience (membership development, fundraising, community engagement, etc.) and a commitment to GiVE 365. 

The A-Team is elected once a year, with a Chair nominated by Community Foundation staff. The A-Team includes eight to 15 GiVE 365 members, either self-nominated or nominated by the A-Team.  

The A-Team committee members may serve a maximum of three years. Once a member has been off the A-Team for two years, he/she may be nominated to serve on the A-Team for another three-year term. 

Here are the details of the nominations process: 

1. In June, the Chair of the A-Team and staff will identify the members of the committee who will be rolling off that year. The Chair will also ask all current members if any of those not slated to roll off will be self-selecting to roll off the Team. 

1. Once the Chair knows how many spots (15 members in total, including the Chair) will be available, he/she names a subcommittee (with a chair) of the A-Team to recruit and review new members to fill those spots. 

1. In September, the nominations subcommittee puts out a call for members to join the committee, speaks with potential new members, and reaches out personally to candidates they would like to see on the Team. Staff will support the call for nominations via the newsletter and social media. If staff has any recommendations, those will be given to the subcommittee chair. 

1. In October, the subcommittee will meet and decide on the final slate.
    

1. In November, the membership will vote on the slate.
    

1. In January, the new members attend their first A-Team meeting. 

Communications 

One of the most helpful things you can do as a member is Like and share our Facebook posts! There are two big reasons.  

• The more you interact with the posts on our Facebook feed, the more GiVE 365 information you’ll see. We post daily with news about grantees, community successes, and member spotlights. 

• The more you Like and share things, the more people out in the world see our posts. The crazy Facebook algorithm doesn’t always make it easy for our fans to see our content. The more people who see the posts means the more people knowing about our great work! 

Sample social media posts: 

• I love being a part of GiVE 365 and I bet you would, too! Check out give365memphis.org to learn more about membership. https://www.give365memphis.org/ 

• Have you seen all the GiVE 365 magnets around town and wondered what it is? We’re an awesome group of Memphians who give together to make nonprofits better. Learn more!  https://www.give365memphis.org/ 

• What if I told you that there’s an organization in Memphis that makes meaningful contributions to the community, while bringing its members together to forward social change? Would you join? https://www.give365memphis.org/ 

• To make a difference every day, you should GiVE 365. #GiVE365. https://www.give365memphis.org/
   
• Looking to put your dollars to work and make great things happen in our community? So are we! #GiVE365. Log on to give365.org.
   

• I dare you to #GiVE365! Are you up for the challenge? https://www.give365memphis.org/ 

Endowment 

An important aspect of GiVE 365 is that half of all money contributed by members goes into an endowment. An endowment is a way of investing that ensures a permanent source of funds for GiVE 365. The GiVE 365 endowment balance is now over $458,000. 

The principal of the endowment fund is never spent, and it can grow over time to generate an increasing stream of funding devoted to fulfilling the mission of GiVE 365. Earnings are used to make grants that meet community needs. Your gift—and all future income from your gift—is a permanent source of community funding that makes good works possible, forever. 

The GiVE 365 endowment, which began with $54,750 in 2010, has the potential to grow to $1,103,589 in 2025. 

*  Assumes 300 GiVE 365 members paying $365 annually, with half of that going to the endowment each year (and the balance going to that year’s GiVE 365 grant pool).  Further assumes an 8% return on invested funds and a 5% annual payout to the GiVE 365 grant pool.
 

Lifetime Memberships 

Some GiVErs have chosen to become Lifetime Members, contributing $3,650 or more. Lifetime Membership gifts are allocated at 5% to the GiVE 365 annual grant fund in the year received, and 95% to the GiVE 365 endowment fund. Exceptions to this treatment may be made for gifts with restrictions, such as Foundation grants. 

Staff 

Here are the folks at the Community Foundation that you can reach out to with any questions about membership, renewal, RSVPs, etc.  

give365memphis.org is also a treasure trove of information about the program, upcoming events, etc. You can see the full Operations Plan, which came out of 2014 strategic planning, here: https://www.give365memphis.org/how-we-work/advisory-team/.