DEEPENING AND EXPANDING CIRCLES

2022 Impact Report

Letter From The Executive Director

Welcome to the 2022 Impact Report for Circles USA.

You’ll notice that this Impact Report is a little different from previous years, as Circles is always evolving into a more engaging, interconnected way of sharing knowledge. This multimedia report includes several videos along with the usual infographics and inspirational stories.

Our current theme is deepening and expanding Circles USA. The work of ending poverty is profound: it requires us to go deep into our communities, our systems, and our mindsets in order to reimagine communities where everyone can have enough money, meaning, and friends to thrive. In these depths, we confront exhaustion, shame, and harmful narratives about poverty. We also discover strength, connection, and innovation to do what we do better. And when we deepen our expressions of the Circles model, we then have the capacity to expand our impact. We reach more communities and more families who are moving from surviving to thriving. This report will detail the ways in which 2022 has been an amazing year of transitions, deepenings, and expansions.

Circles USA’s veteran chapters have shown such fortitude throughout the pandemic. Many took this time to regroup and replenish their chapters, deepening their communities’ expression of Circles by implementing our collective best practices and innovations. Their 2022 results show success and dedication in the face of the mounting obstacles. Four new Lives Transformed videos embedded here capture the inspiring stories of individuals and communities who have deepened and expanded their lives with Circles.

Our newest chapters are answering the call to build thriving communities and to expand the impact of the Circles USA into even more states across the nation. We’ll introduce you to 10 chapters who joined the Circles family in 2022, and detail significant awards new Circles partners in Tennessee and Maryland secured for poverty alleviation systems work.

As the Circles USA network continues to flourish, the national office is adding capacity to grow our level of care for our chapters. We deepened our staffing structure by adding regional coaches to support regional communities of practice. You can meet our regional coaches on pages 18 and 19. We look forward to sharing the results of this deepened support, connection, and collaboration.

Though we wished our Executive Director Jamie Haft farewell in May, we continue to benefit from her contributions to Circles USA. For me, pivoting from Chief Learning Officer (CLO) to Executive Director has been a challenge to deepen and expand my capacity and skill sets to serve you better. And we’ve had the great bounty of hiring a new CLO. The experience and heart that Yvette Trujillo brings to the national office has been a powerful force for good already!

This year, our Board of Directors deepened their connection to members in the field by launching an Advisory Council made up of representatives from various chapters, roles, regions, and backgrounds in our Circles USA community. Learn more about this new council on page 16. This expansion of direct, two-way communication between board and stakeholders will surely yield important perspectives to foster the evolution of Circles with integrity and accountability.

These are just a few highlights of Circles USA’s deepening and expansion in 2022. We believe this multimedia report will encourage you to view our results, hear our stories of transformation, and read about where we’re headed next—all of which is made possible by you, Circle’s community of practice and friends.

Thank you for your continued support and for all you do to build community to end poverty. May you be inspired to deepen and expand all year long.

Executive Director, Circles USA