What is a giving circle?

According to Wikipedia, “giving circles are a form of participatory philanthropy where groups of individuals donate their own money or time to a pooled fund, decide together where to give these away to charity or community projects and, in doing so, seek to increase their awareness of and engagement in the issues covered by the charity or community project.” The Beehive Collective requires that each member donate a half a percentage of her annual income to our pool. We choose as a group who will receive our yearly grant.

Is The Beehive Collective solely a giving circle?

We started out that way, but over the years we’ve added a number of fundraising events to our calendar. This allows our members to donate more than just money, and for non-members to get involved by giving their time and talent. And it lets us expand the pool of funds that we can give away! We’re committed to community engagement and education, so watch for Beehive hosted panel discussions and networking events, too.

How does The Beehive Collective decide who gets the money?

At the start of each year, we choose our annual giving theme and call for grant proposals around that topic. Over the summer, our Grants Committee puts out a request for proposals. After the deadline, the committee narrows these proposals and presents the finalists at our year-end meeting. All members who have fulfilled their pledges are able to vote, and the grantee is announced!

Why and how does The Beehive Collective focus on women’s leadership development?

Although The Beehive is an equal-opportunity organization to which both men and women belong, we are committed to fostering women’s leadership. We believe that investing in women is socially, economically and creatively beneficial to our community. We accomplish this through our own actions and engagement, with events like the Kick Ass Ladies Club, and by focusing our small grants on organizations working to empower women and girls.

What if I want to get involved, but I’m afraid of commitment?

That’s great! We encourage you to come to our events, get to know us, and even join a committee before becoming an official member – lots of current Bees took this path. We’re a social hive and love talking about what we want to accomplish and how much fun we have doing it. So, come see for yourself and decide if you want in. We think you will!

So, what do the committees do?

With so many members and moving parts, our committees help us execute on what we want to do. The Fundraising Committee plans our events, the Grants Committee accepts proposals and vets potential grantees, the Communications Committee focuses on engagement with current and potential members, and the Women's Leadership Committee works to promote women's networking and leadership opportunities. Participation is voluntary, but a huge part of what we love about The Beehive is the opportunity to use our talents to make Raleigh a better place (and getting to know other Bees in the process)!

Why Raleigh?

It’s where we live! As an organization, we want to make thing better locally and have chosen to focus on our immediate area. Of course, we love the Triangle and all of North Carolina, but Raleigh is our home.