The Learning Curve Chronicles: The Serviceberry as a Blueprint for Community
- Kris Alexander
- Apr 24
- 4 min read
Updated: May 12
In this monthly blog series, Circles USA Chief Learning Officer Kris Alexander shares insights on her learning journey, sources of inspiration, and what excites her about her work. The column offers a behind-the-scenes perspective on the learning curve that drives growth and progress at CUSA as we continually deepen and enhance our mission of building community to end poverty.
I recently finished reading The Serviceberry: An Economy of Abundance and deeply appreciated Robin Wall Kimmerer’s view of the world and what is possible. It really made me think about Circles USA and our commitment to ending poverty through community building. Our “thing”, if you will, is social capital, and throughout her book, Kimmerer discusses the importance of relationships, reciprocity, and abundance at the heart of a thriving gift economy. That sounds a lot like social capital to me.
According to Kimmerer, the root of capitalism, the current economy of North America and much of the world today, is the belief in scarcity—the idea that there is never enough—so we must compete, accumulate, and control resources to secure our survival. It views everyone as a consumer and asks all of us to take more than we give, constantly trying to get the best deal in a transactional world. It is clear by the amount of challenges we are facing today in the world, including inflation, stagnating wages, mega-corporations, depletion of natural resources, and the amount of people struggling to make ends meet (around 73% of the population in the United States), that a mindset of scarcity is not sustainable.
Kimmerer (an enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation who, according to Brittanica, “has worked to bring Indigenous knowledge and Western scientific ways of understanding nature into conversation”) invites us to look at the natural world for an alternative. Biomimicry–the art of designing solutions on the natural world–has long been studied as a way to thrive in all areas of life. Examples of biomimicry include velcro being inspired by burdock burrs, bullet trains inspired by the kingfisher, and even energy-efficient buildings inspired by termite mounds. So what can we learn from nature about social capital and gift economies?
Nature has spent billions of years perfecting its designs—when we pay attention, we find solutions that are sustainable, efficient, and in harmony with life.
Kimmerer reflects on how serviceberries, which ripen in abundance and are freely shared by birds, animals, and humans alike, embody a different kind of wealth—one based not on accumulation but on relationships. She discusses how the serviceberry has evolved based on these mutually beneficial relationships, with no evolutionary purpose for the sweet, delicious berries that ripen and hold seeds outside of being irresistible to the birds and animals who will eat them and spread more serviceberry plants wide and far. In fact, moving through the digestive system of a bird actually supports the seed in sprouting, making it more likely for a new tree to grow where it was “deposited”.
Tying natural themes to economic ones, she reports, “Anthropologists characterize gift economies as systems of exchange in which goods and services circulate without explicit expectations of direct compensation. Those who have give to those who don’t so that everyone in the system has what they need. It is not regulated from above but derives from a collective sense of equity and accountability in response to the gifts of the Earth.”
Once again, we witness that it is relationships at the heart of, well, everything. Circles USA’s mindset—rooted in intentional friendships, centering those most impacted, building social capital, and fostering flourishing communities—was designed to embody a form of gift economy. Everyone involved in Circles participates in a reciprocal, multidirectional exchange of giving and receiving. Circle Leaders are not only supported by their Allies as they work to transform their lives, but they also contribute richly to the Circles community. Likewise, Allies are not just giving; they are also receiving, growing, and being transformed through their relationships. It is mutual.
For example, research shows that low-income families are often more generous and empathetic than middle and upper income people. They also tend to have an easier time making friends and naturally building community. This is something that middle- and upper-income Allies and volunteers learn from their Circle Leaders, which positively impacts their lives. As one Ally says, “[My Circle Leader] works very hard at reaching out to me and showing appreciation. She does a great job of accepting everyone.” Another Ally remarked, “Circles has expanded my circle of friends and relationships with people I never would have met if not for Circles. They have all supported me in one way or another just by accepting me as their friend.” This is just one small example, but it is indicative of a much larger framework. When I have the opportunity to visit a Circles Chapter, I always observe how everyone comes together for the success of the whole, with no concerns about who is bringing more or less to the chapter. Everyone brings their unique gifts and talents.
The Serviceberry quickly gained a place on my most loved books shelf, and Kimmerer’s clear insights of what is possible in community is obviously mirrored in our Circles Chapters that meet weekly all across North America. I would like to leave you with Kimmerer’s vision of the world, one that is clearly in alignment with Circles’ vision– all individuals live in equitable, thriving communities where poverty no longer exists:
I cherish the notion of the gift economy, that we might back away from the grinding market economy that reduces everything to a commodity and leaves most of us bereft of what we really want: relationship and purpose and beauty and meaning, which can never be commoditized. I want to be part of a system in which wealth means having enough to share, and where the gratification of meeting your family needs is not poisoned by destroying that possibility for someone else. I want to live in a society where the currency of exchange is gratitude and the infinitely renewable resource of kindness, which multiplies every time it is shared rather than depreciating with use.
Read more from Kris on her monthly Circles USA blog, The Learning Curve Chronicles:
