Someone explain Sisterhood Circles to me because I'm getting MLM vibes

[KungFuPanda]

Maybe I should just MYOB, since I'm not involved, but what's the deal with Sister Circles? Or Sisterhood Circles?  I can't quite puzzle it out and I can't ask this person "Are you cult leader?"  A homeschooling acquaintance runs these "meetings."  People pay to attend so they can get support and set goals and whatnot.  I absolutely value the counsel of women who are on your side, but this just seems a little beyond woo to  me.  Her posts come with the same frequency and energy as all the other women's MLM stuff.  It's like the shake people, where it looks like a personal post, but it pops up so regularly and seems awfully scripted and edited for a spontaneous personal update.  The posts are a bit long, and formatted with strategically placed emojis. There are meetings.  There are "the circle is full" posts followed by "there is room for you in the full circle."  There was a whole post about how she used to do it for free and people didn't attend regularly, but now that people pay it's much more successful all around.  It's billed as some sort of support/life coach system . . . maybe.

Is this a new thing? An old thing?  Is anyone else seeing this? I'm curious, but this is just a homeschooling acquaintance and I can't ask if she's taking advantage of my friends.  She seems genuine and I don't know if she's drunk some kool-aid or if it's her own recipe.

[lauraw4321]

Sounds like Gifting Tables: “Gifting Table” — sometimes referred to as "the tables" — was a women’s group that existed primarily in Connecticut beginning in 2008 until it was exposed as a pyramid scheme in 2011. The group positioned itself as a female-empowering sisterhood, with members helping each other through the recession, the Hartford Courant reported in 2013.

 

Each "table" was structured as a four-level pyramid, styled after the courses of a meal.

There were "eight participants assigned to the bottom row, four participants assigned to the third row, two participants assigned to the second row, and one participant assigned to the top row," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut described in a 2013 press release. "The top row participant is referred to as the 'Dessert,' the two participants on the second row as 'Entrees,' the four participants on the third row as 'Soup and Salads,' and the eight participants on the bottom row as 'Appetizers.'"

Each of the eight members on the "Appetizers" level were required to "gift" $5,000 to the leader of the table, or the "Dessert." Members were told that if they recruited more women to join, they'd move up in the ranks of their "table," finally reaching the "Dessert" level, where they'd be the ones raking in $40,000. Then they could simply move to a new table and start the process all over again. 

Members held fancy luncheons and dinner parties where they'd attempt to recruit new participants. The invitation-only nature of the group lent it an air of exclusivity and fulfilled a need for social connection — some tables used some of the funds for charitable donations — in an uncertain time, according to a 2010 report in the ShoreLine Times.

In the docuseries, "Gifting Table" leader Donna Bello told Madison that she still thinks the group was good for both the women involved and the charities it donated to. The Department of Justice, on the other hand, concluded that all the payments were “fraudulently characterized” as gifts, making the group a tax-dodging scheme for its top dogs to rake in thousands under the table. Several of the participants later testified that they didn't make the money they were promised and one claimed that even though she reached the highest level in two tables, she made nothing, the ShoreLine Times reported.  

From here: https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/what-is-gifting-table-and-how-is-it-connected-to-barbara-hamburg

[Jean in Newcastle]

Is this it?  https://circleofsisterhood.org/

[Danae]

48 minutes ago, lauraw4321 said:

Sounds like Gifting Tables: “Gifting Table” — sometimes referred to as "the tables" — was a women’s group that existed primarily in Connecticut beginning in 2008 until it was exposed as a pyramid scheme in 2011. The group positioned itself as a female-empowering sisterhood, with members helping each other through the recession, the Hartford Courant reported in 2013.

 

Each "table" was structured as a four-level pyramid, styled after the courses of a meal.

There were "eight participants assigned to the bottom row, four participants assigned to the third row, two participants assigned to the second row, and one participant assigned to the top row," the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut described in a 2013 press release. "The top row participant is referred to as the 'Dessert,' the two participants on the second row as 'Entrees,' the four participants on the third row as 'Soup and Salads,' and the eight participants on the bottom row as 'Appetizers.'"

Each of the eight members on the "Appetizers" level were required to "gift" $5,000 to the leader of the table, or the "Dessert." Members were told that if they recruited more women to join, they'd move up in the ranks of their "table," finally reaching the "Dessert" level, where they'd be the ones raking in $40,000. Then they could simply move to a new table and start the process all over again. 

Members held fancy luncheons and dinner parties where they'd attempt to recruit new participants. The invitation-only nature of the group lent it an air of exclusivity and fulfilled a need for social connection — some tables used some of the funds for charitable donations — in an uncertain time, according to a 2010 report in the ShoreLine Times.

In the docuseries, "Gifting Table" leader Donna Bello told Madison that she still thinks the group was good for both the women involved and the charities it donated to. The Department of Justice, on the other hand, concluded that all the payments were “fraudulently characterized” as gifts, making the group a tax-dodging scheme for its top dogs to rake in thousands under the table. Several of the participants later testified that they didn't make the money they were promised and one claimed that even though she reached the highest level in two tables, she made nothing, the ShoreLine Times reported.  

From here: https://www.oxygen.com/true-crime-buzz/what-is-gifting-table-and-how-is-it-connected-to-barbara-hamburg

Wow.  I thought I was as cynical about MLM/pyramid schemes as it is possible to be, but the complete lack of subtlety there is shocking.

[Danae]

57 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

Maybe I should just MYOB, since I'm not involved, but what's the deal with Sister Circles? Or Sisterhood Circles?  I can't quite puzzle it out and I can't ask this person "Are you cult leader?"  A homeschooling acquaintance runs these "meetings."  People pay to attend so they can get support and set goals and whatnot.  I absolutely value the counsel of women who are on your side, but this just seems a little beyond woo to  me.  Her posts come with the same frequency and energy as all the other women's MLM stuff.  It's like the shake people, where it looks like a personal post, but it pops up so regularly and seems awfully scripted and edited for a spontaneous personal update.  The posts are a bit long, and formatted with strategically placed emojis. There are meetings.  There are "the circle is full" posts followed by "there is room for you in the full circle."  There was a whole post about how she used to do it for free and people didn't attend regularly, but now that people pay it's much more successful all around.  It's billed as some sort of support/life coach system . . . maybe.

Is this a new thing? An old thing?  Is anyone else seeing this? I'm curious, but this is just a homeschooling acquaintance and I can't ask if she's taking advantage of my friends.  She seems genuine and I don't know if she's drunk some kool-aid or if it's her own recipe.

It's almost certainly a pyramid scheme dressed up in empowerment language.

 

[KungFuPanda]

4 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Is this it?  https://circleofsisterhood.org/

I don't think so.  There's no charity attached.  It's very much about personal growth/peace/productivity.  It seems more like life coaching or group therapy or some kind of support meeting.  No company is every mentioned, but Sisterhood and Circle are ALWAYS capitalized.  My radar is pinged.

[pinball]

I watched Murder on Middle Beach recently…

There is a theory that Barbara Hamburg might have been murdered due to her involvement in gifting tables.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Then perhaps this  https://sistershipcircle.com/events/

Sounds New Agey. 

[KungFuPanda]

41 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Then perhaps this  https://sistershipcircle.com/events/

Sounds New Agey. 

This must be it, but the search yields nothing in my zip code.  This is very much the language. It all seems immeasurably vague by design.  I've only seen one person run these meetings for about 3-4 years now.  Usually this stuff is more contagious.  It's almost like they're buying into a friend group.

[Jean in Newcastle]

2 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

This must be it, but the search yields nothing in my zip code.  This is very much the language. It all seems immeasurably vague by design.  I've only seen one person run these meetings for about 3-4 years now.  Usually this stuff is more contagious.  It's almost like they're buying into a friend group.

The "story" tab tells about how the founder wanted a female friend group.  But more than just friends.  Female empowerment.  With language like "Tribal leaders" so maybe a matriarchal group. 

[KungFuPanda]

17 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

The "story" tab tells about how the founder wanted a female friend group.  But more than just friends.  Female empowerment.  With language like "Tribal leaders" so maybe a matriarchal group. 

I could use some cash.  Maybe I should start charging my friends to play with me.  Hmmmm . . . I might need all new friends for this to work. 😆