Windmill Giving Circle

Windmill Giving Circle was started in 2006 by melding two interests: food and non-profits. In fact, a group of friends, mostly young professionals in high-tech, realized that rather than hope to become fabulously wealthy and endow a non-profit one day, we wanted to do something more immediate (and realistic). We wondered whether non-profits might be willing to meet with us one Sunday every month to tell us about their work while we all enjoyed a potluck dinner. There would be no promise of a minimum donation or even the number of people who’d attend. However, they could be assured that there would be a number of people passionate about helping others, interested in learning, and willing to open their checkbooks.

The response was beyond our expectations. We have been privileged to host a number of non-profits born and bred in the South Bay who have inspired some of us to get more closely involved, but have given all of us a better understanding of the challenges facing people living in the Bay area.

The idea of a Giving Circle is not only metaphoric, but, we hope, also functional. Many Sundays, we actually end up sitting in a circle while our guests tell us about the passionate work that they do. Perhaps it’s hokey, but it feels like this circle is both inward looking and outward seeking. We are happy to give what we can to the causes and organizations represented by the people gracious enough to spend their Sunday evening helping us understand their work. However, sitting in the Circle, we wondered if the power of the Giving Circle could be expanded to the larger community.

Out of this goal to help expose the great organizations that we have come to know at our Sunday potlucks to the larger community, the Community Outreach Program was born.

Community Outreach Program

The Community Outreach Program has very few preconceived notions of success. Our simple goal is to give our friends, their friends, and more friends of friends, etc. the opportunity to LEARN, CHOOSE, and HELP.

TiVo, nVidia, and Google have graciously opened their campuses to host a Lecture Series Event. We want to provide a forum for the local non-profit organizations we’ve found most inspiring to connect with more people. We hope you will put aside a few hours after work to come learn, choose, and help.