‘Giving circles are fun’: Impact100 Melbourne launches

A new collective giving opportunity has been launched in Melbourne for locals who want to support their communities to thrive. Impact100 Melbourne, supported by the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, aims to build a new membership base in the Victorian capital and bring like-minded citizens together to make a difference on their patch.

Impact100 Melbourne is part of the network of thousands of giving circles that exist globally, with the actual model of Impact100 starting in the US as a women’s philanthropic initiative. The Australian-based Impact100 collectives, across a number of states, are open to men and women. They represent a growing movement in collective giving where people with shared values come together to make a difference in their own communities.

The model aims to ‘democratise giving’ and disrupts traditional foundation-led philanthropy by allowing everyday citizens to step into the role of being a local changemaker.

Impact100 Melbourne is set up as a sub-fund of Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. The goal is to bring together 100 (or more) diverse and community-minded people with a donation of $1,000 each. Together, the group learns about local organisations in need of support and vote individually at an end-of-year event on the organisation to receive a high-impact grant.

Impact100 Melbourne was established in 2014 and took a hiatus during COVID. Carolyn Williams, General Manager of Development at the Foundation, said: “We have those involved in the previous group in advisory roles, so we have the momentum of their experience.

“Melbourne is a great place to live, but increasingly it’s facing immense social and equality challenges. Many people are facing injustice and the pressures of rising living costs. Impact100 Melbourne is a great way to help your fellow Melburnians in a very meaningful way.

“At Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation, we’re at the intersection of the issues that deeply affect Greater Melbourne. We work by listening and learning, convening and amplifying, and we have a deep understanding of the organisations we work with, which lends itself perfectly to supporting a giving circle,” she said.

“Giving circles are fun. It’s a really enjoyable way to be engaged with your donation. Many of us donate to organisations whose causes resonate with us, but this is a way to really connect with the issues and the people at the other end of your giving.

“A thousand dollars is an amazing amount of money, but what you’re doing by joining Impact100 Melbourne is amplifying that impact.”

Members also love the sense of camaraderie they feel sharing discussions and learning with like-minded people.

“It doesn’t matter what your professional background is. This isn’t like a work networking event. It’s bringing people together who have similar values and who care deeply about Greater Melbourne. That’s really quite special,” Carolyn said.

Wayne Green, Director of Engagement for Victoria and Tasmania at Philanthropy Australia, is on the Advisory Committee of Impact100 Melbourne, along with Rikki Andrews, Manager, Public Benefit at auDA, and Rich Brown, Co-Founder of Strufold.

Wayne said: “Impact100 Melbourne is an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals in the community, where we can come together for a common purpose; making change and creating a bigger impact.

“The power of giving circles is that it’s about the collective, about friendships, about pushing and expanding the culture of giving for everyday donors and feeling the joy of deeply engaging in where and how we fund”.

Rikki said: “We’re so pleased that Impact100 Melbourne has been reinvigorated by Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation. We look forward to growing collective giving and being part of making more game-changing grants.”

Learn more about Impact100 Melbourne on the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation’s website.