ONLINE: Racist Roots of Nonprofits and Philanthropy + Nonprofit Innovation Summit

Racist Roots of Nonprofits & Philanthropy
Wednesday, February 1, 2023
12:00pm-1:30pm PT
Online via Zoom

Nonprofit Innovation Summit: Centering Equity in Fundraising
Thursday, March 2, 2023
10:00am-2:30pm PT
Online via Zoom

Racist Roots of Nonprofits & Philanthropy

“Faulty.” “Problematic.” “Racist.”  These terms are now regularly used to describe the foundations that the nonprofit and philanthropic systems were built upon. In this session, we will explore the relatively recent history of how these systems came to be, why they are built on deep injustices, and how nonprofits and philanthropy are actually a political and economic system. Together we’ll dive more deeply into interpersonal exploration of what Community-Centric Fundraising can look like in practice, exploring the ways in which we can step into and attempt to shift the power dynamics in service to the communities we serve. If we do not examine how nonprofit and philanthropic systems came to be, we can never hope to reimagine them, improve them or do better, to benefit the communities we are trying to serve.

Nonprofit Innovation Summit: Centering Equity in Fundraising

While movements to transform philanthropy are gaining momentum across the country, nonprofit service providers that want to achieve financial stability in alignment with their equity-centered values are trapped in a system designed to maintain the status quo. How do you create a resource development plan and strategies that are rooted in justice? What does it really mean to bring equity into your fundraising practices, and how do you implement equity-centered fundraising?

The current fundraising model is donor-centric fundraising, which is based on building relationships and creating tailored approaches to engage donors in giving. While donor-centric fundraising has effectively raised funds for the nonprofit sector, there are challenges to using this approach. Through this Innovation Summit, we will explore alternative fundraising practices that center on equity and community. Throughout our time together we will cover:

• A brief grounding on the history of nonprofits and philanthropy and the framework of community-centric fundraising
• Short-term, immediate actions we can each implement
• Long-term practices that build a base for systemic change

Overview:

• Part 1 (10:00am-12:00pm): Michelle Shireen Muri from Freedom Conspiracy will take us through a brief history of the foundations that the nonprofit and philanthropic systems were built upon before delving into principles of community-centric fundraising and actions we can all take. This interactive session will include small group conversations to connect with fellow attendees.
• Lunch break (12:00pm-1:00pm)
• Part 2 (1:00pm-2:00pm): A panel of nonprofit leaders from across the state who are practicing equity-centered fundraising in their organizations will share their experiences, perspectives, and learnings.
• Part 3 (2:00pm-2:30pm): A final discussion to share takeaways, reflections, and actions you plan to take going forward.

Are you interested in continuing the conversation after the Summit? Join us for an in-person gathering in Seattle the morning of Tuesday, March 14. Register to attend the follow-up gathering.

$50 for Not-yet-members (Interested in becoming a member? Join today to take advantage of member benefits.)

Cost should not be a barrier to participate. Please contact us if you have any requests, concerns, or questions.

Interpretation: Please indicate during registration if you have an interpretation request. Typically, we need at least two weeks in order to schedule an interpreter.

Visual Descriptions: Presenters will include visual descriptions of themselves and the slides to give a person who is low-vision, blind, or calling in without video a sense of space and place.

If you have additional accessibility requests, please let us know when you register.

Summit Panel Details

Lacrecia “Lu” Hill Empire Health Foundation
Lu has over ten years of executive-level experience and a drive to ensure people and systems work together to meet objectives. She has modeled her career around the philosophy that supporting personal and professional growth leads to the most effective working environment. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and an MBA.
Lu spent most of her career in the non-profit and philanthropic sector, only leaving to take over the family business. Lu started her career with Boys & Girls Clubs, working in Las Vegas NV, and Sweet Home/Lebanon OR, before coming home to the Spokane Clubs in 2011. She also worked as a Senior Program Associate with the Empire Health Foundation. Since 2015, she has been in the cannabis industry, building out cannabis production, extraction, packaging, sales, and distribution facilities. Implementing best practices in management, finance, and manufacturing. She has come full circle and currently holds the position of Community Engagement & Strategy Director at Empire Health Foundation.
She owns her own consulting business (LMH Consulting) and teaches Yoga locally. Lu currently serves as founding board president of Spectrum LGBTQIA2+ Center. She also serves on the following boards Inland Northwest Business Alliance (INBA), Spokane Neighborhood Action Program (SNAP), SNAP Financial Access, and Northeast Youth & Family Services. Three words: Support, Inform, Encourage

Shona Carter, Black Future Co-Op Fund
Shona Carter brings a community-centered and racial equity focus to growing trusting partnerships and leading development in order to resource and further the mission of the Black Future Co-op Fund, Washington state’s first cooperative philanthropy by and for Black people to ignite generational wealth, health, and well-being. Her personal quest is to understand and effectively address the complexities of and barriers to creating a socially just and sustainable community. She has more than 20 years of philanthropic experience, having served as vice president of community engagement and strategy at the Community Foundation for Southwest Washington; senior donor relations officer at The San Francisco Foundation; advancement officer of corporate partnerships at the Foundation of City College of San Francisco; and associate program officer of the Clorox Company Foundation at the East Community Foundation.
She co-founded the Southwest Washington Equity Coalition, a cross-sector collaborative of community leaders and organizations seeking to advance racial equity through policy advocacy, institutional change, and fostering an inclusive culture in southwest Washington. She also serves as a member of the Philanthropy Northwest Board of Directors, Clark County Public Health Advisory Council, and I5Bridge Replacement Equity Committee, as well as volunteers for Live Free, a gun violence prevention and decarceration organization.
Shona has a BA from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MBA in corporate social responsibility from Mills College. She lives in Vancouver, Washington, with her partner Kelvin and dog Hobbes. Outside of work, she likes to travel, hike, camp, craft, write, and dabble in photography.

Aisha Al-Amin, Social Justice Fund
Aisha Al-Amin is a fundraiser, community organizer, facilitator, and writer who lives and works in the Seattle Area. She is the current Donor Organizing Manager at Social Justice Fund. She is also a board member at Pongo Poetry Project and a facilitator at Young Women Empowered.

Phone: (855) 299-2922 x108

Email: [email protected]