Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Sara Lomelin of Philanthropy Together Is Helping To Change Our World
Each of us needs to see ourselves as a part of this movement. To change the narrative of who is considered a philanthropist. Philanthropy means love of humanity, and that means more than giving money. We all can give our time and our skills, and open doors to support the issues and organizations that we care about. We need to be “all in” when giving. Not just money, but have an abundance of heart.
As part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sara Lomelin, CEO Philanthropy Together.
Sara Lomelin is a connector of people and ideas, a relationship builder, and a firm believer that everyone can be a philanthropist. As founding CEO of Philanthropy Together, she is working to diversify and democratize philanthropy by creating the infrastructure needed for the giving circle model to flourish in ALL communities. Sara’s work provides a platform for different perspectives in the collective giving field — a unique giving model that has given away nearly 1.3 billion dollars in the past two decades and exploded in popularity among diverse audiences in the past five years.
Prior to Philanthropy Together, Sara served as Senior Director of Leadership Philanthropy at Opportunity Fund, now Accion Opportunity Fund, the largest nonprofit small business lender in the US. Previously at the Latino Community Foundation, Sara served as VP of Philanthropy for eight years and created the Latino Giving Circle Network™ — the largest network of Latinx philanthropists in the US with 22 circles and 500 members.
Sara has traveled the world speaking about the power of collective giving, the correlation between civic engagement and Latino philanthropy, and collaborated with advocacy organizations globally. She currently serves on the National Council of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy and the Board of Directors of GivingTuesday and Battery Powered.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
My time with collective giving and giving circles began over a decade ago with friends in Dallas, TX, chatting and discussing needs in the community in our living rooms. Over time, I moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area where I helped start the Latino Giving Circle Network — the largest network of Latinx philanthropists in the country, and a key initiative of the Latino Community Foundation. During those years, I saw the incredible power that giving circles have to change the narrative of who is considered a philanthropist. I now serve as the CEO of Philanthropy Together, a time-limited project co-designed by many giving circle leaders. We are on a sprint to bring new people to this movement — we endeavor to scale and strengthen the giving circle movement to more than 3,000 giving circles and 350,000 people by 2025. And as we do this work to establish and strengthen giving circles, we hope that for giving circle members, it will be a start or another step in their philanthropic journey.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
We have had our share of stories during these past couple of years, but one thing that always amazes me is how we pivoted from an organization trying to support the U.S. only to a global organization. The fact that we launched in April 2020 and everyone jumped into the virtual world allowed an international community to gain access to our programs. A couple of months after starting, we had our first giving circle incubator program: Launchpad For You, which featured participants from Germany, Chile, Mexico, and China. Since then, we have supported any person wanting to start a giving circle — anywhere in the world! We have since trained community leaders from 37 different countries to start giving circles.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I switched careers around 2010, I didn’t know at all how nonprofits or foundations worked. My then-husband got me a “Nonprofits for Dummies” book and I realized a couple of days later that a foundation was totally different from a nonprofit. I had to learn the jargon, the acronyms, and basically a whole new language to be part of this new space. The lesson learned here is that I try to not use acronyms and jargon as much as possible, because the people that our organization interacts with are regular people, and if we want people to take action and engage with us, how we talk needs to resonate with them. We need to be clear and straightforward in what we say.
Can you describe how you or your organization is making a significant social impact?
At Philanthropy Together, our mission is to democratize and diversify philanthropy through the power of giving circles. Giving circles are groups of individuals coming together to discuss their values or issues in their community, and decide together where to make a collective gift.
There are more than 2,400 giving circles involving hundreds of thousands of people around the world that have given away more than 1.29 billion dollars!
With such diverse representation in the movement and unique perspectives, we are connected to an unlimited number of issue areas — from women’s causes to LGBTQIA2+ to social justice to early childhood development, which my giving circle, the Peninsula Latina Giving Circle, focuses on.
Because most giving circles are representative of the communities they serve and they take the time to discuss issues collectively, they are better informed on their community’s needs.
Giving circles consist of everyday givers and I am always inspired by people who may not have a lot to give, in terms of dollars, engaging and doing the work to make their community better. It’s not about the dollar amount, but when people show up with their full selves, unselfishly, you can’t help but be moved to act.
Can you tell us a story about a particular individual who was impacted or helped by your cause?
Many giving circle members are coming full circle from being recipients of support from grassroots nonprofits to now being in a position to give back and I have many stories to tell. One of my favorites is Martin Vargas Vega, the son of migrant farmworkers who learned how to code because of a small tech-skills nonprofit. The nonprofit was supported by the Latinos in Tech Giving Circle and Martin saw how powerful it was for a group of people who looked like him to be fueling the work of the nonprofit that trained him. After his training, Martin landed a high-profile tech internship, and the very first thing he did was give half of his signing bonus to that nonprofit and the other half to join the Latinos in Tech Giving Circle. Martin actively uses his voice and power to offer more STEM programs to kids like him. He has also started a new giving circle to support grassroots nonprofits close to where his family lives. People come full circle.
Are there three things the community/society/politicians can do to help you address the root of the problem you are trying to solve?
Each of us needs to see ourselves as a part of this movement. To change the narrative of who is considered a philanthropist. Philanthropy means love of humanity, and that means more than giving money. We all can give our time and our skills, and open doors to support the issues and organizations that we care about. We need to be “all in” when giving. Not just money, but have an abundance of heart.
How do you define “Leadership”? Can you explain what you mean or give an example?
I am originally from Mexico City, and my culture has instilled a strong sense of pride in community in me. I have always felt that if I don’t take action in supporting my community, then I cannot ask others to do it. So I feel it is important to lead by example. I was compelled to engage in this work because it is so frustrating seeing that big philanthropy is not reaching the causes that are most in need. There are huge gaps in funding for people of color, women’s, LGBTQIA2+ causes and this is the reason so many giving circles get started, and this is why Philanthropy Together will continue its work to democratize and diversify philanthropy.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
When I switched careers 12 years ago, I didn’t understand the power dynamics and barriers that exist for grassroots nonprofits. I wish I knew the intricacies of philanthropy and why such large gaps exist between those who need funding and those who receive.
I now see that collectively, we are moving the needle to shift philanthropy, but it’s happening very slowly.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I am so proud to be a leader in the giving circle movement. This is truly people-powered philanthropy! I believe that giving circles are the most effective way to bring philanthropy to the front doors of everyday people. There is so much potential in having a world full of passionate, empowered, diverse individuals giving collectively and intentionally to create the world they want to see. These are the people who make up giving circles.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” — Henry Ford
I have reinvented myself several times in my professional and personal life. I know I will do it many times more. You only can do this if you keep your mind yearning to learn and you keep yourself humble to know that you never have all the answers. There is always something new to be learned.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. 🙂
I would love to have breakfast with MacKenzie Scott and Melinda French Gates. I am so inspired by the way they are revolutionizing philanthropy by trusting in the leaders on the ground and giving general operating grants. In the case of Ms. French Gates, acting in partnership by providing support beyond the dollars to the organizations that she supports. Those principles are exactly how giving circles give and I would love to brainstorm with both of them on how we can promote this model of people-powered philanthropy to a larger audience.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
You can find me on LinkedIn at Sara Lomelin and on Twitter at Sara_Lomelin. You can also visit philanthropytogether.org and follow @Phil_together on Twitter and @PhilanthropyTogether on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more about the giving circle movement.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Sara Lomelin of Philanthropy Together Is Helping To Change Our… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.