San Francisco and Peninsula Chapters
We have two chapters, one based in San Francisco, and one on the Peninsula. The two chapters share a single funding focus, speakers and a single ballot each year. Members may attend events hosted by either chapter.
Membership is by invitation. If you are interested in joining, send an email to info@oneskygivingcircle.org and include the name of the One Sky member who referred you, and which chapter you will be joining.
Minimum Annual Contribution, Membership Tiers (not), Voting & Sponsoring Members
Visit our Grapevine Giving Circle page for donation information.
- Minimum Annual Contribution: Our minimum annual contribution is $750 although contributions over and above that minimum are gladly accepted. (Members who joined prior to 2019 are grandfathered at $500)
- Two year commitment: The giving circle has a minimum two-year commitment. To minimize administrative overhead, and general nagging, when you join please make your two-year contribution. If this presents a problem just let the treasurer know.
- Tiers: There is only one “tier” of membership.
- Voting your “pooled” contribution: Members each get to vote once in choosing the grant recipients (this means casting one vote for one of the two international organizations and one vote for one of the two domestic organizations). The annual minimum contributions are pooled and one grant goes to each winner.
- Allocating your donor-directed funds: When you cast your ballot you will also be able to direct additional funds to any of the organizations on the ballot.
- Sponsoring Members: In keeping with spirit of the giving circle, members who contribute more that the minimum annual dues, still get to vote only once. For every $750 over the minimum annual that you contribute, you may elect to sponsor another voting member, or you may simply add it to the funds the circle will grant that year.
The giving circle can accept corporate matching funds and additional donations are welcome.
Benefits of Membership
Why join a giving circle in addition to the charitable giving that your family already does? There are several reasons:
1. Extremely efficient: avoids red tape, bureaucracy, and volunteer hours of auctions and fundraisers.
2. Inherent equality of members: everyone gets one vote.
3. We are different from groups where a single organization is funded year after year. The structure of the giving circle allows members to learn about a myriad of issues and organizations under the broad umbrella of women and girls’ education and empowerment.
4. Level of Involvement: Members can simply write an annual check, mail in their vote, and call it a day. There is no obligation to come to any meetings or events. However, the giving circle offers the opportunity to stay engaged with the issues in several ways:
- a. On the third Thursday of October we will hold an Annual Meeting where we will present the four grant candidates, and, in future years, hear from the previous year’s grantees.
- b. We will host informal movie screenings and discussions, which offer friendly, low-key intellectual and emotional enrichment.
- c. We will, in time, have family-oriented events which will allow members and their families to engage on the issues our circle addresses.
- d. Members may participate in the Grant Screening Board to select the four annual grant candidates.
Founding Members
- We began in 2012 with 28 Founding Members.