“We are really excited to launch Pro Giving Circles, and we knew that Giving Tuesday would be the perfect opportunity to unveil the program,” said Lana Volftsun, Executive Director of OPF.  “Giving Tuesday is a day for everyone to come together and give - and our platform makes it easy for companies and groups to do just that. Our platform enables anyone – from a college alumni chapter, book club, or company – to build a circle and participate in sustained, meaningful philanthropy together.  We are working towards democratizing giving in the U.S. and are excited to be a part of a national day of philanthropy!”

The platform, which is the first of its kind, advances the organization’s mission of making philanthropy accessible to young professionals. Giving circles are groups of people who pool their donations and decide collectively how to award them, amplifying members’ impact beyond what they would be able to achieve alone.

Affordability, knowledge and impact often serve as barriers to giving for young professionals.  OPF educates users about giving, empowering them to donate at least 1% of their salary to address issues they are passionate about. The technology is complete with nomination, assessment, and voting tools, a philanthropy curriculum and educational resources, social sharing functionality, and donations processing, making it easy for anyone to engage in meaningful giving.

Key Features of the Pro Giving Circle Platform:

- Nominate, Assess and Vote: Complete all steps of the grant cycle online, from nominating and evaluating organizations, to voting for which nonprofit will receive the grant.

- Philanthropy Curriculum and Educational Resources: Use the curriculum as a guide to understanding why you should give, how to support causes about which you’re passionate, and how to evaluate organizations.

- Social Sharing Functionality: Share your giving circle with friends on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ with buttons on the site.

- Simple Donations Processing: All donations are processed efficiently and securely through our site, eliminating the need for you to worry about your circle’s finance.

- Enhanced Customer Support: Receive one-on-one support from the OPF staff to help users run their giving circle.  OPF will help facilitate group and guide them through any snags they might encounter along the way.

- Custom branding and URL: Design a pro giving circle with their organization’s logos, photos or colors. Users can rebrand the technology for their audience and create a unique, memorable URL.

To date, the One Percent Foundation’s programs have engaged over 7,000 Millennials in strategic philanthropy. For more information on the One Percent Foundation, visit onepercentfoundation.org.