You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day.

I'm your host, Elise Hugh.

Anyone who follows me on social media knows I am currently directing a documentary that follows the lives of four teenagers who lost their homes in the 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles.

Because of this, I've been on the receiving end of people's generosity because it is a largely

crowd-financed film. So I've been thinking about what it actually means to give and to receive.

It's moving to see the way people show up

for you when you're building something, not because they have to, just because they believe in it.

We give, as you would, to a loved one, looking them in the eyes. And unlike most of traditional

philanthropy, we give with no strings attached, literally shifting the power

into the hands of the leaders on the ground.

That's philanthropist Sarah Lomlin, who founded philanthropy together, a global movement to democratize

the power of giving.

In this talk from 2022, she makes the case that communities can build real power

through collective giving. She introduces a model called giving circles, groups of people with

shared values who come together to strengthen their social fabric, fund diverse solutions,

and make change. Life-changing things happen when we look at philanthropy

beyond the money

because all the money in the world

is not going to save us

but beloved communities well.

That's coming up

right after a short break.

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