The Big We

by Hali Lee

Drawing from the experiences of real-life giving circles, influential philanthropist Hali Lee challenges our traditional understanding of philanthropy and makes her case for the power of giving and the radically simple idea that when we work together, we have the power to make the world a better place.

When you think of philanthropy, what do you envision? Uber wealthy donors? Extravagant galas? In recent decades, philanthropy has come to be seen as something exclusive to those with an abundance of resources. But giving doesn’t have to mean donating millions of dollars. It can be as simple as a group of people who come together to make an impact on their community. In The Big We, Hali Lee argues that the future of philanthropy belongs to community action, specifically giving circles—a group of people who come together to pool their resources to do something good in their community. Born of traditions of generosity rooted in many of our ancestral cultures, giving circles provide a way for us to overcome our sense of overwhelm at the many problems we face.

Through stories of real giving circles around the country, including her own experience starting the Asian Women Giving Circle, Lee shows us a more expansive vision for the future of philanthropy. One led by people who are refocusing on community, who care about rebuilding the civic space, and who are yearning for connection, purpose, and shared vision. Through these giving circles do we see not only the immense impact we can have in our own backyards, but also the tremendous scope of change we can achieve through the power of collective action.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Hardcover

Published March 4, 2025

Reviews

[Madeleine · Rating 5 out of 5]

a hopeful and strikingly well written ode to collective participation in social justice, democracy, and community giving.

[Nausheena · Rating 5 out of 5]

it's fun reading a book your friend wrote. I'm part of the Big We. I joined the AMCF women's giving circle last year. Everyone should be part of one!

[Becca Hanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

“At a sociopolitical moment in which there is so much loneliness, isolation, distrust, and disenfranchisement, assembling with friends, neighbors, and colleagues to improve our neighborhoods is one way we can begin to reknit the ties that bind us.”

such a powerful read that walks you through the history and future of collective giving. if you want something that will demonstrate that you, yes you, can make a difference and then inspire you to take action, this is it.

“How we spend our money says something about what we think is impotent and what our values are… charitable endeavors are imbued with mortality, whether we like it, acknowledge it, or not.”

“‘How you show up over time is more important than any one thing you might do, any one moment, any one action. The most important thing is to keep at it.’”

[Davin Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smaller donors can shape the future of philanthropy! That's the message of this wonderful new book that encourages us to reimagine the world of giving. People often picture billionaires steering pet causes when they think of philanthropy. But smaller donors can band together forming what's known as "giving circles" to make a bigger impact and shape causes they care about. Giving circles are borne out of traditions from several ancestral cultures and help us build bigger impacts than we would have own our own. Definitely check out this book today if you're interested in philanthropy, community organizing, or just making a difference in the world!

[Miki A · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a moment in time when the world feels chaotic and divided, Hali offers a prescription for both democratizing giving as well as connecting with each other. In contrast to "Big Phil" (established institutional philanthropic entities), the movement from me to we that this book described is an antidote for us all to remember what it is to be part of a community that is working together for the common good, as well as joy.

Meshing Hali's personal stories with a historical review of philanthropy, The Big We offers us a path forward that is based in hope, joy, community and giving - all things that we need to both survive and thrive.

[Chahn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! As someone who is tired of billionaires making choices for me, this book is an antidote to that feeling of helplessness. Kitchen table philanthropy is what we all need so we can feel like we are contributing to our community and making change from the ground up. Bravo to the author for giving us all a recipe to create our own giving circles and create more connection in our lives. Highly recommend.

[Devon :~)]

Read for work so I am not rating this, but I was pleasantly surprised by how informative this was! I expected to hear a lot of philanthropy buzz and instead really appreciated the focus on community ESPECIALLY on creating community around civic engagement for marginalized groups.

She is onto something for sure, though this occasionally gets a little repetitive :~)

[Javen Swanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about ordinary people moving money together to help create the world they want to live in. But even more, it’s about overcoming isolation, building community, and finding meaning in shared purpose. As a nonprofit fundraiser, I’m coming away from this book with new ideas for how giving can be a deeper invitation into community, connection, and collective healing.

[Paul El-Fishawy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I found so remarkable about the book is that it not only discussed giving circles as a practical tool, but very skillfully and persuasively widened the aperture on that practice to a call to action for our civic engagement more broadly. This book offers us an essential tool for protecting our democracy.

[Casey Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generosity is more than a transfer of goods or services. The ways givers give impact the giver, and this book advocates well for giving as part of groups for community as well as more impact. Lee does a good job recognizing the informal & community-level giving systems that traditional banks don't see. Yay giving circles!

[Jenifer Gager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Relevant, honest, and right on time. Are you lonely? Wondering what you can do (as just one person? Spoiler: you’re not!)? Thinking about hyper-local actions you can take while also building community? This is the book for you!