Author talk: “The Big We” by Hali Lee
A special evening with Hali Lee, author of The Big We, How Giving Circles Unlock Generosity, Strengthen Community, and Make Change, interviewed by Betsy Vorce. Saturday, June 28 at 5 pm. Attend in-person only, with registration requested. Click here to register. Book copies will be available for sale and signing.
When you think of philanthropy, what do you imagine? Super wealthy donors? Extravagant galas? In recent decades, philanthropy has often seemed like a sport for rich people only. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It can be as simple as ordinary people coming together to do something good for their community.
In The Big We, Hali Lee argues that the future of philanthropy belongs to community action, specifically giving circles―groups of concerned people from any economic group learning, acting, and giving together to effect positive change.
Through stories of actual giving circles around the country, and including her own experience starting the Asian Women Giving Circle, Lee fleshes out her vision for the future of big giving. For example, these stories explain how Lisa organizes her mom friends to raise money to flip the state legislature; Marsha organizes a network of mostly Black giving circles; and Seiji and his neighbors pool money to support community organizing. Through these giving circles we see not only the immense impact we can have in our own backyards, but also the tremendous change we can achieve through the power of collective action.
In May 2025, Lee was featured in the inaugural Time100 Philanthropy list for her work building the collective giving movement. In 2021, she was named to Forbes’ 50 Over 50: Impact in recognition of her work as a cofounder of the Donors of Color Network (the first-ever national network of wealthy persons of color), co-creator of Philanthropy Together (a national collective giving support organization), and founder of the Asian Women Giving Circle. Her work has been covered by the Washington Post, New York Times, and Good Housekeeping, which called her “The Mindful Giver” and one of “10 Women Over 50 Who Prove It’s Never Too Late to Change the World.” She was born in Seoul and grew up in Kansas City. She lives in Brooklyn with her family, a dog, a cat, and rooftop honeybees.
Betsy Vorce is a Senior Communications and Marketing Executive with extensive experience at high-visibility non-profit and commercial organizations and as a consultant for a wide range of cultural, media and mission-driven institutions.