Choosing Flow Funders
Below are a variety of sample questions and letters to help you begin the Flow Funding process: What is Flow Funding?; Flow Funding Questionnaire; Flow Funding Invitation to Participate Letter; Flow Fund Welcome & Acceptance Letter; Flow Fund Guidance for Accountibility & Reporting; and Helpful Organizations. Feel free to copy and paste this text and format on your own organization's letterhead. Sections that appear [italicized] are for you to fill in with your unique information.
What is Flow Funding?
What is a Flow Fund Circle?
Philanthropy requires a certain thought process that includes strategy and due-diligence. With Flow Funding, we can move outside the normal structure and framework of proposals and evaluations, into a place of gift giving. This is a very different approach and mindset in which the giving of funds becomes an adventure as opposed to a duty or a burden.
A Flow Fund Circle is created when a non-profit organization, instead of donating funds through the usual, more traditional channels, invites a group of individuals to allocate these funds to the charities and organizations of their choice.
Flow Funders are chosen because of their professional life experience, openheartedness, visionary qualities, and the ability to discern good opportunities for funding. One of the benefits of Flow Funding is that the projects that receive funding reflect the unique spirit and fields of interest of each Flow Funder.
Flow Funding creates a form of philanthropy that is proactive (not passive), intuitive, effective, open to new possibilities, and benefiting the Funders as well as the Recipients. The core values of Flow Funding are: Generosity of Spirit, Trust, Discernment, and Community.
Why [Name of Organization] Switched to Flow Funding
[Name of Organization] has been donating in traditional ways for over [number] years. In recent years, the main focus of our contributions has been to support [Delinate or explain the areas of interest of your organization's contributions, e.g. educational opportunities/incentives, international health care, the conservation of wilderness areas, etc.]. Flow Funding our resources will give us the opportunity to outreach to a number of new beneficiaries. By choosing Flow Funders with different experiences, wisdom, and creativity, we will broaden our areas of focus and bring more diversity to our philanthropy.
We believe that Flow Funding allows money to be contributed in a sensible and meaningful way. Flow Funding builds a sense of connection and community that grows through trust. It is a model for a more democratic form of philanthropy, which allows initiators and visionaries an opportunity to decide how money is distributed to the projects and endeavors that they believe in. This reminds us of the possibility that each and every one of us can effect change in the world.
"May the gifts move through increased hands until all people experience the abundance of life." ~ Marion Rockefeller Weber, Flow Fund Originator
Flow Funding Questionnaire
Welcome to the Flow Fund Circle. I am thrilled that you will be joining our circle of visionaries that have accepted the responsibility and joy of giving away money in the world for three years to projects and people that touch your heart.
I would appreciate receiving your answers to this questionnaire. I hope you will find it an enjoyable opportunity for reflection and insight. In my view, Flow Funding is an adventure, so the thoughts and plans you have now may (and hopefully will) evolve along the way.
- Why do you wish to become a member of the ‘Unleashing Generosity’ Flow Fund Circle?
- Why is this a good time for you to become more engaged in philanthropy?
- Have you read the description of Flow Funding and some of the stories of previous Flow Funders on the Flow Funding website? https://www.flowfunding.org/
- Please give us a brief general indication of the direction in which this money would go. (More detailed description of funding guidelines and philosophy are requested below.)
- Do you understand that there is no salary available for Flow Funders and that funds cannot be used for your travel, or your own or relatives’ projects? This is not a job but rather an opportunity to practice generosity in the world.
- Are you willing to attend our two-day annual meeting? It will probably be in September or October each year in England or California. All your expenses for attending this meeting will be covered.
- Are you willing to send all the other ‘Unleashing Generosity’ Flow Fund members a report two weeks prior to our meeting? This should include details of the names, addresses, phone number, websites (if available), the amount given to each recipient and brief description of why you gave the funds? Please also include answers to these questions about your experience as a Flow Funder: What inspired you? What moved you? What surprised you? What challenged you? How did your worldview change? What advice would you give to other Flow Funders?
- This work is not for everyone. Do you see any possible personal difficulty in doing this work?
- Please read descriptions of characteristics/funding guidelines/philanthropy philosophies described by other Flow Funders at https://www.flowfunding.org/about/fundingguidelines.html
- How would you describe your own funding guidelines? What are five characteristics that are important to you about projects you would like to support? We are happy to see Flow Funds reach far and wide. Do you have plans to give outside your own country and culture? If so, please give an indication of which countries and cultures where your money might flow?
- Please include a short biography/profile. This is not a CV: you can approach it with whatever format/tone/lens that you wish. It is only for other members of the Flow Funding Circle, the senior members of The Funding Network (our Fiscal Sponsors) and Marion Weber, our Flow Fund Initiator. It will not be published or circulated beyond that without your permission.
- Please also attach your photograph with this questionnaire.
Flow Funding Invitation to Participate Letter
Date:
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip
Dear
As a Flow Fund Circle Holder appointed by Marion Weber, I am delighted to invite you to serve as members of my Flow Fund Circle for the next 3 years (2026-2028) You have been chosen to join my Unleashing Generosity Circle because of your life experience, your philosophy and ethics, and for your generosity of spirit. I believe you are in a good position to effectively discern where a financial gift could have a transformative effect on individuals, groups, organizations and communities.
For next 3 years you will be given $20,000 (or local equivalent) to offer funds to recipients of your choosing, guided by your discerning and generous heart. We request that these funds be distributed during the first eleven months of each year. We suggest that you consider allocating these funds to the individuals, groups or organizations of your choice periodically throughout the year, rather than making a large allocation to one recipient; it is requested that you do not offer more than $5000 to any recipient, and that most of your donations will be considerably smaller.
We are planning the first Flow Fund Circle online meeting for [date]. We will also have an in-person meeting to present our yearly reports in the Fall. At this gathering, we will share information about our donations, as well as the meaning and process behind our contribution choices. We are deeply interested in what we can learn as a group as well as from each other individually.
We ask that you make a commitment to participate in our Flow Fund Circle in-person meeting each year. If you accept, please fill out the enclosed questionnaire and send it back to us.
Most sincerely,
[Name]
[signature]
Organization (if appropriate)
Flow Fund Welcome & Acceptance Letter
Date
Dear [Name],
I am happy to welcome you as a Flow Fund Circle Member.
I appreciate your acceptance of my invitation to join our Flow Fund Circle. We are pleased that you will be joining our circle of visionaries and have accepted both the responsibility and joy of contributing to the projects and people that touch your heart.
The mission of creating a Flow Fund Circle is to increase trust, empowerment, and compassion in the world by allowing resources to flow through new eyes and new hands. The more new funders there are, the more diverse the funding. Thank you for joining us!
I accept your invitation to join [Name of Flow Fund Circle for [year].
Signed ________________________ Date _____________
Helpful Organizations
Flow Donors may want to look beyond his or her own circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances for Flow Funders. There are many organizations that could help guide a Donor in the direction of potential Flow Funders.
The organizations below recognize the contribution of social innovators and visionaries. The people they choose have been through a thorough nomination and application process, with reference checks to verify their achievements and character. Recipients of these awards and fellowships are likely to have the life experience and personal characteristics to be good Flow Funders. The staff at these organizations are also potential Flow Funders:
The organizations below strive to apply spiritual and religious values to issues of peace and justice. The staff and members of these organizations are potential Flow Funders:
There are hundreds of organizations with volunteers who work in situations of war, poverty and other humanitarian crisis. The staff and program affiliates of these organizations are potential flow funders:
