4. How Circles® Works
Overview

5. Establish Lead Organization
One organization assumes responsibility to set
up Circles:
1. Holds Circles® introductory and Orientation
sessions
2. Assures there is enough community interest
to pursue this new approach
3. Establishes an initial leadership team

6. Build a Guiding Coalition
Teams are set up in this order:
1. Resources—functions as leadership team and
raises initial funds
2. Recruitment—enrolls families and allies
3. Community—builds the programming
4. Economic Stability—supports individual plans
5. Big View—resolves the system-wide barriers

7. Enroll Circle Leaders
• Interview potential Circle Leaders
• Make selection of 15 for the first class
• Hold an Orientation to go over the
requirements and formally enroll people

8. Provide Circle Leader Training
15-week class provides following tools:
How to set and achieve realistic goals
How to make a major life change
How to make a financial plan out of poverty
How to work with Allies to accelerate your plan

10. The Circle Leader Training Outcomes
Graduates have:
• Long-term financial plan with clear and
measurable goals
• Skills to network with middle and upper-
income allies
• A new community of peers and weekly
meetings for support to reach goals

12. Match Allies to Circle Leaders
Allies attend:
• 90-minute Orientation
• 5-6 week Fundamentals Class
• Matched with a Circle Leader

13. Circles Formed
• Graduates of the Circle Leader Training
matched with Allies
• Circle Leader sets monthly meeting with his or
her new Allies
• Weekly support meetings offered to both
Circle Leaders and Allies
• Staff and volunteer organizers monitor Circles
and provide additional support as needed

15. What makes CIRCLES different ???
• Led by the family in poverty
• Transforms us – not just the
disadvantaged
• Processes are designed to
produce transformation in the
community, too
• Addresses systemic issues

19. Pond Mental Model
Teach to
Fish
Betterment
Give a Fish
of Pond
Individual
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Community
Maintenance of Understanding
the Watershed the Pond
Owning
the Pond

20. Pond Mental Model
• Many churches have outreach programming that addresses #1 – Give a Fish
– Food pantries
– Clothing closets
– Emergency Relief Funds
– Others???
• Some churches have outreach programming that addresses #2 – Teach to fish
– Job readiness programs – resume, interviewing
– Mentoring programs
– Computer skills programs
– Others???
• Fewer churches have outreach programming that addresses #3 – Betterment of
the Pond
– Community beautification project with persons from the community
– Working with families to implement programming in their community
– Community Gardens
– Others?

21. Pond Mental Model
Very few churches get to the “community” side of the pond – understanding their
community, helping members of the community to build ownership and maintaining the
broader community.
Understanding the Pond
– Intentionally building relationships with persons in the target neighborhood through joining the
Circles Initiative and studying the Bridges Out of Poverty
– Community listening to better understand the resources that are present, the improvements desired
and the passion of the residents to enact change
– A new paradigm from doing “to and for” to doing “with”
Owning the Pond
– Asset development
• home ownership
• small business development within the community
• Neighborhood associations that govern the community
– Leadership roles – elected officials
• School boards
• Non-profit board
• Church Trustees
Maintaining the Watershed/Sustaining the Ecosystem
• Strategic development and planning at the policy level that allows for neighborhoods to thrive
• Policy level involvement

22. What’s next for Circles of
Transformation?
• Pilot Launch in Dothan
• Develop Community Interest
• Host Community Meetings
• Recruit 100 + Volunteers

23. Fred and Laurel Blackwell
circles@awfumc.org
www.awfumc.org/circles
334.524.3652
www.facebook.com/
CirclesofTransformation