Teaming Up: Black Benefactors & the Catalogue (Part II)
By Tracey Webb, Founder, The Black Benefactors
In January, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation published the report, “Cultures of Giving: Energizing and Expanding Philanthropy by and for Communities of Color,” which confirmed something that I already knew: African Americans are more inclined to give than other races. I know this because philanthropy and charitable giving have been mainstays of the African American community for centuries.
In my previous GoodWorks post, I shared how my giving circle, The Black Benefactors, used the Catalogue to identify a grantee for our Black History Month grant awards. In doing so, I learned that we were in the minority. Although many of the nonprofits featured in the Catalogue serve low-income and under-represented communities — often which include African Americans — the majority of donors who use the Catalogue to identify nonprofits to support in the DC region are white. With the help of The Black Benefactors, I hope this will change.
Now that we know African Americans are more likely to give, there are two issues that are essential: ensuring that our giving is strategic to achieve maximum impact, and making sure that we’re represented as volunteers and board members with nonprofits that serve communities of color. It’s important that the clientele served by nonprofits see staff, volunteers, and board members who look like them. The Catalogue is an ideal vehicle to address these issues.
Here are some ways, working together, that we’ll help to increase the number of African Americans who use the Catalogue to identify and support nonprofits in the DC region:
- All members of The Black Benefactors will receive a copy of the Catalogue annually; we’ll use the Catalogue to identify organizations for site visits and newsletter and website features.
- Our members will have the opportunity to serve on the Catalogue’s review committee, and will share lessons learned for our own grant making process.
- We will promote the Catalogue among potential members at Black Benefactors events and special gatherings in partnership with the Black Philanthropic Alliance.
- We’ll invite Catalogue staff to speak to members at our meetings to support our goal of increasing member education on giving strategically.
- We will use the Catalogue to identify nonprofits for volunteer projects and board involvement.
To date, I’m pleased to share that three of our six grantees have been featured in the Catalogue: Adventure Theatre/Musical Theater Center, African Continuum Theater, and DC Students Construction Trades Foundation. And, a program which which I volunteer, Mentoring to Manhood (a youth mentoring program for black males in Prince George’s County) has made the 2012-13 edition.
The Washington, DC region is home to a large nonprofit sector, and there are plenty of organizations to choose from to direct your giving. How great is it that there is a resource that does the work for you! I’d love to hear your ideas about how we can work together to accomplish this goal. Please send me an email at twebb[at]blackbenefactors[dot]org or leave a comment!
Tracey,
Thank you for your thoughtful reflection and taking proactive steps through your work with Black Benefactors. I am a professional fundraiser working in major gifts ($25K+ for my organization). Major gift work, currently, hinges around building long-term relationships between the organization and potential donor. Too often, the organizations such as those that were recipients of your organization’s generosity receive very modest gifts. Don’t get me wrong, these gifts often keep the organizations afloat, but the challenge is that they rarely provide opportunities for growth or experimenting with new and innovative approaches.
So my questions are:
Does the use of the catalogue foster the potential for gifts of greater amounts? (perhaps through multi-year pledges)
Does the initial gift serve as the starting point of the relationship providing the institution has the expertise to steward the gift and cultivate future giving?
What are the giving amounts of the majority of white supporters you reference above in comparison to gifts from African-Americans?
Perhaps this a vehicle primarily for what would be traditionally viewed as operating support often realized in smaller annual gifts, but I cannot help but begin thinking about how we also target and cultivate larger giving opportunities through both African-American and white donors for what I suspect are very deserving organizations.
Thank you,
Brian
Hello Brian,
Thank you for your comment. It is my hope that the Black Benefactor’s grant awards will yield larger, and multi-year grants in the near future. As a former nonprofit director, I recall receiving many small grants, but those grants didn’t and couldn’t keep my program open.
My goal is to educate giving circle members on the benefits and importance of giving strategically, which includes multi-year gifts, to increase the likelihood that they’ll continue this practice on their own. I promote membership in the circle by telling prospective members this is the perfect way to learn how to do this. I plan to survey members annually to learn if this has been accomplished.
The Catalogue can help to spur multi-year grants because the organizations have already been vetted. It’s a perfect starting point for donors who haven’t given large gifts in the past.
However, a challenge I notice among many small nonprofits that I have donated to individually and as part of the giving circle is that they aren’t as likely to cultivate future giving. I don’t receive updates on a regular basis and this is an important aspect for increasing gifts from any donor. (To note: Our grantee we identified from the Catalogue has been an exception – and that’s because of the resources and learning they receive from the staff).
Regarding your question about the giving amounts of white supporters in comparison to African Americans, the report states that blacks give away 25 percent more of their income than whites – you can view the press release here: http://www.wkkf.org/news/Articles/2012/01/COG-Press-Release.aspx
Please be sure to visit us on Facebook and sign up for our newsletters to keep up to date with our progress: http://www.facebook.com/blackbenefactors
Best,
Tracey