Innovators & Disruptors: Sara Lomelin: Building the Party You Want to Attend

Mar 11

Innovators & Disruptors: Sara Lomelin: Building the Party You Want to Attend

In this episode, Kristine Michie sits down with Sara Lomelin, founding CEO of Philanthropy Together, to explore why giving should feel joyful, relational, and deeply human. They discuss the rise of giving circles and collaborative funds, the myth that philanthropy belongs only to the wealthy, and how collective giving blends ancient mutual aid with modern infrastructure. Sara shares how Philanthropy Together serves as a “coral reef” for the field, supporting thousands of groups globally, and reflects on love, power, proximity, and the courage to act together in uncertain times.

Key Takeaways:

Giving should feel energizing, connective, and playful, not heavy or paralyzing. Joy and love fuel sustained action and community resilience.
From small giving circles to collaborative funds moving billions annually, collective philanthropy is relational, motivating, and powerful. Participants often call it the most fulfilling giving they do.
Giving circles blend innovation and primal practice: mutual aid, neighbor-to-neighbor care, and shared responsibility. The real shift is redefining who counts as a philanthropist: everyone!
Research like The Collaborative Effect shows collaborative funds excel by emphasizing proximity, partnership, and centering grantee voice.
Philanthropy isn’t only for millionaires. Organizations must diversify funding and support, especially as institutional and government resources shift. Never assume who will—or won’t—show up.

"Everybody that is around working in social impact… You have to love humanity. You have to love what you do." — Sara Lomelin

"The way of revitalizing funding again is spreading the net… reaching out to your own community and never assuming who can give and who cannot give." — Sara Lomelin

"The findings show that this model performs in the top percentile of institutional funds because of the five P's: proximity, partnership, patterns of practice, and the way they embed power in the model with grantees." — Sara Lomelin

More About Sara Lomelín:

Sara Lomelín is the founding CEO of Philanthropy Together (PhT), a global field catalyst expanding the power of collective giving. She is a 2025 TIME100 Philanthropy honoree, a TED mainstage speaker, and was named to the Forbes 50 Over 50: Impact list for her visionary leadership transforming who participates in—and leads—philanthropy.

Sara launched the Latino Giving Circle Network (LGCN), now the largest network of Latinx philanthropists in the U.S., and has trained leaders in over 20 countries. Her work has been featured in ForbesWomen, Stanford Social Innovation Review (SSIR), Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, and more.

Under her leadership, PhT has helped fuel a movement of nearly 4,000 collective giving groups and 370,000 everyday philanthropists who have contributed over $3.1 billion USD to nonprofits. Her team champions a vision of philanthropy rooted in equity, belonging, and community-driven decision-making.

Giving circles—PhT’s core focus—bring people with shared values together to pool resources and decide collectively where to give. Sara’s work helps redefine what it means to be a philanthropist by making generosity accessible, joyful, and impactful.

She is energized by cross-cultural collaboration and building community across generations, regions, and lived experience.

Connect with Sara Lomelin:
Website: https://philanthropytogether.org/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/philanthropytogether

X: https://twitter.com/phil_together

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/philanthropy-together/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philanthropytogether/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhilanthropyTogether/

Connect with Kristine:

Website: https://www.impactfullinc.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactfull_inc

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie/

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