I’ve belonged to three circles in fifteen years: the just-graduated brunch crew, the new-moms stroller brigade, and now the “we run the charity auction” era. Same letters, completely different sisterhoods — each exactly what I needed.
Circles for every season
Alumnae circles aren’t one-size-fits-all. Big-city circles host monthly mixers and career panels; smaller towns gather for book clubs and service mornings. Special-interest groups — new moms, women in medicine, recent graduates — meet around shared seasons of life rather than zip codes.
What circles actually do
The calendar is delightfully ordinary: Founders Day luncheons, holiday cookie swaps,preceded by the serious stuff — mentoring collegians, funding scholarships, and staffing literacy programs. Ordinary, repeated, and quietly life-changing.
“I moved to a city where I knew no one. Within a month I had a dinner club, a running partner, and two women who’d drop anything if I called.”
Starting where none exists
No circle near you? Five sisters and a shared group chat is all it takes to charter one. Headquarters provides the playbook, the paperwork help, and a starter grant for your first three gatherings. Some of our strongest circles began with a single coffee date.