Saginaw Leadership Cares

People have a variety of reasons to choose to give. It could be a personal connection with a cause or it could be a shared philosophy. For some it’s hearing a story of need and a compulsion to reach out and help. For others, it’s simply knowing a gift will perhaps provide sustainability.

Last year, a group of leaders in the Saginaw area created a membership-based group, open to anyone, to assist causes or projects in Saginaw County by way of a giving circle – the first of its kind here at SCF. A form of participatory philanthropy, a giving circle pools contributions from its members to provide maximum impact, typically to a single cause or project. “We wanted to create an easy way for individuals to give back in our community and see immediate results of that gift,” said Kevin Scorsone, one of the founding members of Saginaw Leadership Cares.

The group meets three times each year asking members to contribute $100 at each meeting. Members are able to nominate causes or projects for grant consideration ahead of the meeting. Those nominees then deliver a 5-minute presentation to the group. After the presentations, members vote on their favorite. The project with the most votes is awarded the entire amount collected that night. After three meetings so far, $2,700 was presented to Emmaus House, $2,900 to A Place for Grace and $2,600 to Houghton-Jones Neighborhood Association.

The decision to partner with SCF rather than go it alone was a natural one. “The steering committee members all have full-time jobs,” said Scorsone. “SCF helps manage the funds, vet the nominated organizations, and provide a seamless, easy-to-use online donation portal for members to donate and join. SCF makes managing the giving circle easy and enjoyable.”

Interested in joining Saginaw Leadership Cares?

It’s easy to sign-up! Visit our registration page and make your contribution.