Back in the fall of 2004, a small cast of twenty- and thirty-somethings living in Greater Cleveland decided they should be able to see the impact of their charitable giving. One friend emailed another, and, before they knew it, they had formed a giving circle and were taking votes on a name (Cleveland Colectivo won). After working out a few rules and pooling the donations they typically made in a year, four local projects were selected to be "nurtured" (and which probably wouldn't have happened but for their support).

They are one of a handful of giving circles in the area, and perhaps a sign of a more hands-on trend in philanthropic giving.

Cleveland Colectivo recently announced the second round of projects to receive a grant from $500 to $5,000. Check out the good work going on at this local, grass roots effort.  

Educational forum sponsored by Cleveland Social Venture Partners on collaboration among nonprofit organizations, with a case study on the Cleveland Leadership Center.

Free, but please register at events@csvp.org or 216-231-2300.

Back in the fall of 2004, a small cast of twenty- and thirty-somethings living in Greater Cleveland decided they should be able to see the impact their charitable giving makes. One friend emailed another, and, before they knew it, they had formed a giving circle and were taking votes on a name (Cleveland Colectivo won). After working out a few rules and pooling the donations they typically made in a year, four local projects were selected to be "nurtured" (and which probably wouldn't have happened but for their support).

They are one of a handful of giving circles in the area, and perhaps a sign of a more hands-on trend in philanthropic giving.

Cleveland Colectivo recently announced the second round of projects to receive a grant from $500 to $5,000. Check out the good work going on at this local, grass roots effort.  

Invest directly in a local, socially conscious business or project—that's what giving circles such as the Cleveland Colectivo are all about. Launched last year, the Colectivo is a group of friends, neighbors and colleagues who pooled funds and decided to invest in good ideas that are still under the radar: An urban learning garden, a family refuge center, a carsharing business, and a student mural project.

The group is seeking proposals for its second round of funding. If you have a project that you would like to make a reality, visit www.clevelandcolectivo.org and answer three simple questions.

Each spring starting in 2006, four raised-bed gardens will be constructed and planted next to Lucky's Cafe in Cleveland's Tremont neighborhood with help from Maurice Small of Cleveland City Fresh and grant assistance provided by Cleveland Collectivo. 

Called the Urban Learning Garden, it connects kids in the neighborhood with an opportunity to participate in growing produce for market. Lucky's Cafe is committed to purchasing a portion of the produce. The rest will be sold at local restaurants and at City Fresh markets.

The wood for the raised bed gardens was recovered from an 160-year-old white oak, which was blown down recently in Magnolia Cemetery in Stark County.

For more information, visit Lucky's Cafe web site.

A giving circle is a group of like-minded friends, neighbors, or colleagues who join together for the purpose of collective giving. A few of these groups have organized themselves in Northeast Ohio.

Inspired by the traditional practice of immigrant neighbors who invested in each other’s businesses in order to build community, the Cleveland Colectivo formed in fall 2004 and, in January 2007, requested proposals for its second round of submissions. See also The Giving Back Gang, founded in 2002 by Hank Doll, President of the Doll Family Foundation in Shaker Heights.

This section will cover the many ways that caring people are coming together to invest in their communities.

Resources
Cleveland Social Venture Partners
Hands On Northeast Ohio
New Ventures in Philanthropy