A growing group of Northern Virginia women are quickly discovering that it doesn't take millions of dollars to become a philanthropist. Eighteen women have created a local "giving circle," a club which pools contributions together so they can collectively make more sizable donations to area charities. "Together we can make more of an impact on local charities than we could individually," said Joan Kasprowicz, a founder of the group and a Vienna resident. Calling themselves the "Giving Circle of HOPE" (Helping Other People Everyday), the club has already raised $16,000 from its current 18 members in two weeks, Kasprowicz said. Because members are asked to contribute a minimum of $1 a day, it would take only 27 members giving the bare minimum to raise $10,000. Twice a year, the club will choose a handful of local nonprofits to fund, divvying up the tax credit amongst members. The first grants are expected to be issued in either May or June, Kasprowicz said. Giving circles have sprung up across the country in the last few years, notably in Boston and Baltimore. In the last six months, those two clubs have issued grants of $50,000 and $100,000 respectively to nonprofit organizations. Apart from the monetary contributions, members of the HOPE circle will also work on service projects throughout the community, said Linda Strup, a Reston resident and fellow founder of the circle. "We’re being a funnel for women to get involved in the community," she said. For example, members are currently helping collect coats and blankets for the Embry Rucker Shelter, which serves Reston and Fairfax County's homeless population. Educating members about local organizations is a key aspect of the giving circle's function, Strup said. Without the club, someone wanting to volunteer at a soup kitchen or write a check to a charity could feel overwhelmed by the seemingly endless array of Northern Virginia charities. "We hope to educate our members that these groups are out there and to let them feel connected to the groups they're giving to," she said. Diana Katz, a fellow founder of the HOPE circle and also a Reston resident, said she envisions the giving circle becoming a permanent, philanthropic mainstay of the region. "We really want this to become an institution here in Northern Virginia," she said. "It should become known as an entity where people can go for help." No one is quite sure why giving circles are almost exclusively female (males are allowed to join the HOPE Circle, though none have yet), but Strup said she thinks it gets at a fundamental difference between men and women. "Women are trying to carve out an area of philanthropy that just belongs to them," she said. "Women like to work together and do more hands-on work rather than just writing a check." The founders of the HOPE circle – Kasprowicz, Strup and Katz, along with Mary Curry Narayan, of Vienna – have been volunteering together for about 15 years, when their children all attended Sunrise Valley Elementary School. The four mothers became fast friends while volunteering at the school, and continued to work together as their children grew older and moved through Langston Hughes Middle School and South Lakes High School. Last fall, the women held a charity flea market to help a family cope with skyrocketing medical bills after a South Lakes High School student was seriously injured in a car accident. The women so enjoyed working together and doing something positive for the community, they decided to form the HOPE circle, Strup said. "It really drew us together and made us realize, ‘Gosh, we’ve worked together for so many years and done a lot of good and had a lot of fun, so why not?’" she said.