b'6THEFORUMPITTSBURGH FOUNDATIONCIRCLINGTO UPLIFT IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY, THE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IS LEADING GIVING CIRCLES THAT REALIZE THE PHILANTHROPIC POTENTIAL OF DONORS AND THE SELF-SUFFICIENCY POTENTIAL OF THOSE IN NEED.FOR JODI FOWLER, A SCIENTIST,the principles ofa Facebook click for someones birthday. We want philanthropy are now elementary. Philanthropydonors to become involved in the organizations. is strategican investment with a socialCFWCs first Giving Circle, in 2017, addressed return, she says, summing up her experiencethe opioid epidemic. This one, which ran from as one of 15 donors in the 2018/19 Giving CircleNov. 2018 through March 2019, was focused on organized by The Community Foundationsupporting vulnerable populations. The donors of Westmoreland County. Rather than justsplit into subgroups that evaluated organiza-mailing a check, the sessions with experts andtions in four categories: Economic Opportunity organizations seeking grants let us engage& Workforce Development, Children Living in in the process of determining who receivesPoverty, Mental Health & Well-Being Services, funding and how much funding to give.and Food Insecurity. They interviewed exec-This is music to the ears of CFWC Executiveutive directors and staff, heard from subject Director Philip Koch. While Giving Circles arematter experts and conducted site visits. Diana about leveraging moneythe donors raisedNeiderhiser, who like Jodi Fowler was part of $16,000 among themselves, supplemented bythe 2017 Giving Circle, appreciated the extensive $300,000 from a Richard King Mellon Foundationinvolvement. I personally felt like I grew with grantthey are equally about educating donorsthis Giving Circle, says Neiderhiser, a pharma-to reach their full philanthropic potential, sayscist. We learned to ask better questions and get Koch. We want our community donors to havebetter answers.the same experience as a foundation programThe Giving Circles embrace the goals of officer. This is not a one-and-done donation, like100 Percent Pittsburgh, the organizing principle'