Your invitation to become a philanthropist | Sara Lomelin (re-release)

0:03You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. Anyone who follows me on social media knows I am currently directing a documentary that follows the lives of four teenagers who lost their homes in the 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles. Because of this, I've been on the receiving end of people's generosity because it is a largely crowd-financed film. So I've been thinking about what it actually means to give and to receive. It's moving to see the way people show up for you when you're building something. Not because they have to, just because they believe in it.

0:43We give as you would to a loved one, looking them in the eyes. And unlike most of traditional philanthropy, we give with no strings attached, literally shifting the power into the hands of the leaders on the ground. That's philanthropist Sarah Lamlin, who founded Philanthropy Together, a global movement to democratize the power of giving. In this talk from 2022, she makes the case that communities can build real power through collective giving. She introduces a model called Giving Circles, groups of people with shared values who come together to strengthen their social fabric, fund diverse solutions, and make change.

1:24Life-changing things happen when we look at philanthropy beyond the money because all the money in the world is not going to save us, but beloved communities will. That's coming up right after a short break.

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4:12And now, our TED Talk of the day. I want to invite you over for dinner at my house. When you walk in, there are chairs crammed everywhere. Smells delicious. You hear people laughing. You see friends hugging and telling stories. There are more than 20 of us here tonight. Teachers, tech leaders, lawyers, moms. It's loud. And it's chaotic. But even if this is your first time, it feels like home. And then we'll sit down to work, because tonight is not a regular dinner. Tonight is a culmination of months of conversations and learning in my living room. At the end of this night, $30 ,000 will go out to a local grassroots nonprofit that is doing amazing work in our community.

5:06And that money came from everyone in the room. And the decision of where that money is going included all of our voices. This is a giving circle, a group of people with shared values that comes together to create change. My giving circle, the Peninsula Latina giving circle, is what I know philanthropy to be. It's joyful. and transformative and collaborative and intentional. Most people don't see us as philanthropists or this process when they think of philanthropy. But I'm here to show you the powerful possibility that exists in all of us to be philanthropists, no matter your age or your wealth, no matter where you live or where you come from.

6:00I am originally from Mexico City. I moved to the U.S. 25 years ago. And in 2007, when I started my first giving circle, I didn't even know the concept had a name. This is not new. Collective giving has been going on for centuries. Just in the past two decades, thousands of giving circles got started all over the world, collectively giving more than$1.3 billion. Thanks. I have dedicated my life to this work, and now I lead an organization called Philanthropy Together to democratize and diversify the power of philanthropy through the power of giving circles. They're giving circles with five members, or 500, each person giving$5 ,000, or$250 ,000, including any generation, identity, or geography.

6:57We give to nonprofits. who give it to individuals, or to new projects just getting off the ground. There are women's giving circles and Black giving circles, Jewish, Muslim and interfaith, giving circles that focus on climate change and civic engagement, cross-class and cross-race giving circles, Asian Pacific Islanders and Latinx LGBTQ, giving circles inside companies and social clubs and virtual. They're giving circles in Malawi and China and Germany. So these groups keep getting together year over year because collective giving is powerful. We can have a much bigger impact together than we can alone.

7:49So what is the secret? I'm here to show you the four steps to start a thriving giving circle. The first step is to create belonging. The concept of people banding together to create change is as old as humanity itself. And collective giving has roots in cultures all around the world. But today, we don't even talk to our neighbors anymore. But by belonging to something that is bigger than ourselves, and the collective power of our dreams and voices, that is what creates that lasting commitment to each other and to change. In a given circle, you start with a group. Friends, neighbors, colleagues.

8:38And you take the time to deepen those relationships. Those folks back in my living room, we basically started as strangers. But because we ate together and laughed together and shared stories and decided on our set share of values, we ended up creating a lasting community that gets together year over year. Giving circles make you feel at home. The second step is to hold space for discourse. It can be completely, completely overwhelming to know how to make an impact as an individual. But in a giving circle, you have the opportunity to learn together. Dozens of people engaging in challenging conversations, getting new perspectives about the issues in their communities.

9:32We work across differences and ideologies and viewpoints. But because everyone has an equal voice, we always walk in with something to share and walk away with something learned. And back in my living room, we're tackling the hardest part, to decide where are we giving together. So we'll learn, and then we'll vote, and we'll discuss, and we'll change our minds, and then we'll change our minds again. But beyond fail, we always come to an agreement at the end, because we come with an open heart and an open mind. In a giving circle, it's not about me or you. It's about us together. And once we have shared and discussed, the third step is to give with trust.

10:30Because in a giving circle, we give all together to a shared pot of funding before even knowing where that money is going to go. We trust each other. And that trust extends to the groups that we're funding. Tonight, we're deciding to give to a small nonprofit with a tiny, tiny budget. These numbers may shock you, but in the U.S., 88 % of funding goes to just the top 5 % of nonprofits. And groups led by Black and Latino leaders get far less funding than similar groups led by white leaders. In my giving circle, we give, as you would, to a loved one, looking them in the eyes. And unlike most of traditional philanthropy, we give with no strings attached, literally shifting the power into the hands of the leaders on the ground so they can decide how to best use the money.

11:40Thank you. Because community knows what community needs. For any philanthropist, it should never be about parachuting into a community to save it. Just acting alongside in partnership. They don't need to be saved. They need to be trusted.

12:04And the last step is just to act in abundance. When people think of philanthropy, they usually just think on big money. And of course, you know, money is a big part of a giving circle, too. Because of the multiplying effect, my hundred dollars can turn into 10 ,000 or 100 ,000. You know, I even can make my kids look outside of their phones for two minutes and pay attention when I'm telling them that I just gave$50 ,000. But philanthropy literally is love of humanity. Giving with an abundance of heart and of spirit. We can all be radically generous in so many ways beyond just money. So after tonight, we all are going to go and volunteer and advocate and open doors and share in social media.

13:06We call this in giving circles giving your five Ts. Time, talent, treasure, testimony and ties. One of my favorite stories of abundance is that of Martin Vargas Vega, the son of migrant farm workers whose dream was to become a coder. Martin got trained by a small tech skills nonprofit in his community. That nonprofit was supported by the Latinos in Tech Giving Circle. And for Martin, it was incredibly powerful to see a group of people that looked like him supporting and fueling the work of the nonprofit that was training him. So after his training, Martin landed this high-profile internship in Silicon Valley.

14:04And the very first thing he did was give 50 percent, half of his signing bonus, to that nonprofit.

14:17And wait. And the other half, to join the Latinos in Tech Giving Circle. because he is a philanthropist. Martin is actively using his voice and his power to bring more STEM programs for kids that look like him. That is abundance. Life-changing things happen when we look at philanthropy beyond the money because all the money in the world is not going to save us, but beloved communities will.

14:57For a long time, philanthropy has been just a selected few, few select, that decide on the impact on many. Who should and should again funding? What is and what is not considered impactful? Again, in the U.S., communities of color receive 8 percent of philanthropy. For women and girls' issues, It's just 1.9 percent. Not even one-third of one percent goes to the LGBTQ community. We have to change that. When we shift the power of philanthropy into all of our voices, we change who gives, how we give, and ultimately what gets funded. Giving by, for and with the communities we represent is the future of philanthropy.

16:00And each and every one of us belong in this movement.

16:10Just think, what if every town, every issue, every community have a giving circle with passionate philanthropists like you. So if you're looking for impact and connection and purpose and joy, join or start a giving circle. No matter if you have$5 to give or$50 million, no matter if you are a teacher or a tech leader or a lawyer or a mom, And if you do have millions or billions to give, join us in this movement. Match a hundredfold or invest alongside the local giving circle. Thank you so much for coming to my giving circle tonight. In a world that feels heavy, doing philanthropy together fills me with so much joy and hope for the future.

17:18Maybe when we started, you thought you were only coming for dinner. But actually, you just got an invitation to change the world. Let's meet at your house next time. Gracias.

17:39That was Sarah Lomlin at TED 2022. This talk was originally published in September of that year. If you're curious about TED's curation, visit ted.com slash curation guidelines. And that's it for today. TED Talks Daily is a podcast from TED. This episode was fact-checked by the TED Research Team and produced and edited by our team, Martha Estefanos, Oliver Friedman, Lucy Little, Emma Taubner, and Tansika Sungmarnivong. Additional support from Daniela Ballarezzo, Christopher Faze-Bogan, Valentina Bohanini, Ban Ban Chang, Brian Green, and Lainey Lott. Learn more at podcasts.ted.com. I am Elise Hu.

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