My guests today are Nneka Allen, Nicole Salmon, and Camila Pereira, the editors and contributing authors of a powerful new book about the lives and perspectives of Black fundraisers in the philanthropic sector, Collecting Courage. We have a candid discussion about identity, the culture of whiteness in philanthropy, and the tradition of philanthropic solutions that Black communities and families across the Western world have created for themselves and their broader society that are rarely recognized.

Collecting Courage is a powerful and moving collection of personal experiences written by Black fundraisers that chip away at the idea of an inherent goodness of the charitable sector. So how can a sector that exudes such external benevolence be the cause and source of pain and trauma in the form of macro and micro aggressions as documented in these stories?

These personal testimonies document racism, survival and the pre-eminence of 14 accomplished Black North American Fundraisers, 5 from the United States and 9 from Canada. This collection of works also speak to the journey of asserting Black identity in all-white work environments. The writers speak of their quest, often thwarted in the charitable sector, to bring to their workplaces the love they have inherited from their struggles to survive in a white dominated society. These brilliant, first-person narratives give voice to a more accurate and complete picture of philanthropy and charity in North America.

A Final Truth is the last chapter in the book and features the poem Fragments, written by Nicole E. Cozier. The editors specifically selected this piece to end the collection of stories because it perfectly encapsulates both the pain of our experiences as well as how Black fundraisers would feel if they worked in oppression-free spaces.

WHERE TO FIND TODAY'S GUESTS:

• The Empathy Agency Website - https://www.theempathyagency.ca
• Association of Fundraising Professionals: Our Right to Heal - https://afpglobal.org/ourrighttoheal 
• Nneka’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nnekaallen 
• Nicole’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolesalmon1
• Camila’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/camila-pereira-phd-8b085814/

BOOKS & MEDIA REFERENCES:

• Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love - https://hilborn-civilsectorpress.com/products/collecting-courage 
  
  
• A Slave’s Love by Savannah Blue - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJIEJAVHxDo 
  
  
• A Snippet of my Diary: Early Memories in Fundraising by Camila Vital Nunes Pereira - https://afpglobal.org/sites/default/files/attachments/generic/BrightPaper_CamilaPeriera.pdf 
  
  
• Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Madam C. J. Walker's Gospel of Giving: Black Women's Philanthropy during Jim Crow
  
  
• Nazrey African Methodist Episcopal Church National Historic Site of Canada - https://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=6054

This week we begin our focus on whiteness in the field of philanthropy and we are starting off this series of conversations with the original fund-diva, Ms. Kishshana Palmer.

Kishshana Palmer is a national speaker, trainer, and coach with a 18 -year background in fundraising, marketing, and talent management. 

The field of philanthropy is in the middle of an upheaval and complete transformation. If you are looking for someone who can help you understand where philanthropy has been and where it has the potential to go, the work it can do to advance racial justice and improve the work of charities of every cause, you need look know further than our amazing guest today.

She’s a supernova on any stage and a multiplicity of web platforms due to her charismatic and candid delivery. It doesn’t matter if she’s speaking about philanthropy, living your most authentic life, or diversity, the energy she brings to the stage is always entertaining and edifying. 

Kishshana is the author of Hey, I’m New Here, a new fountain of advice for leaders of the new school. The book posits that new leaders need to know that times are changing (fast) and what worked five years ago won’t work today. Since just about every team in an organization is composed of people from different generations our ways of approaching work are nuanced and blended. Today’s manager (and aspiring manager) are the leaders of the new school.

She is also the coauthor of a powerful article that was published by the Chronicle of Philanthropy this past July entitled, To White Leaders of Philanthropy: Do It Differently This Time, which has received quite a bit of attention in the fundraising and nonprofit world. Kishshana wrote this piece with her coauthor Ajuah Helton and it lays out a comprehensive set of recommendations and principles for predominantly white philanthropic and charitable institutions when they seek to contribute to movements for racial justice. 

While Kishshana’s consulting practice is well-known. She doesn’t limit her work to organizations. She also coaches women entrepreneurs. 

Kishshana is an adjunct professor at Baruch College, Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE), a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer (CGT) and an AFP Master Trainer. She is the founder of the Rooted Collaborative, which she defines as “a female-focused and led community for BIPOC female leaders, entrepreneurs, advocates, and artists who are redefining the look of philanthropy and fundraising, through our eyes.”

WHERE TO FIND KISHSHANA:

• Kishshana’s Website - https://kishshanaco.com 
  
  
• [Community] The Rooted Collaborative - https://therootedcollaborative.com 
   
• [Book] Hey, I’m New Here Book - https://heyimnewhere.com 
  
  
• [Podcast] The Secret Lives of Leaders - https://secretlivesofleaders.com 
  
  
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/funddiva
  
  
• YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmHCtQln_8ymk7GluBzCDxQ 
  
  
• The Rooted Collaborative on IG - https://www.instagram.com/therootedcollab 

MEDIA REFERENCES:

• To White Leaders of Philanthropy: Do It Differently This Time by Kishshana Palmer and Ajuah Helton - https://www.philanthropy.com/article/To-White-Leaders-of/249207 
  
  
• The Color of Change - https://colorofchange.org

Our fall season's first guest is Gibrán Rivera. I've known Gibrán over 15 years now. It was he and a group of his colleagues at an organization called the Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC) that initially inspired my work in the field of education and group facilitation. Just as he has done for so many others, his facilitation helped my colleagues and I shape a collective vision for how to become more effective educators who could truly lead with love.

I have never seen a person who was so skilled at elevating the abilities and the thoughts of an entire group of different people in real-time until I met Gibrán. His talents are sorely needed in our world and I’m super honored to have him discuss topics related to whiteness, masculinity, and community on today’s program.

Gibrán is an internationally renowned master facilitator and the founder of the Better Men Project and What Should White People Do? He helps the transformation of leaders, networks and organizations. He develops our capacity to work with complexity. And he pays very close attention to dynamics of power, equity and inclusion.

Gibrán invites us into what he calls a forward-facing remembering. He understands that our next evolutionary leap depends on trust and what he calls the currency of love. And he has devoted his life to defining better ways of being together in this world.

The central commitment of his work is to bring great people together to do work that changes everything and the work is about a just transition.

Where to find Gibrán:

• Website - https://www.Gibránrivera.com
• Gibrán’s Podcast - https://www.Gibránrivera.com/the-evolutionary-leadership-podcast
• YouTube Show - https://www.Gibránrivera.com/the-youtube-show 
• Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/Gibránx 

Media References:

• Conscious Masculinity a Talk by Gibrán Rivera at Interx - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-z9DcsBrcc
  
  
• How to Change Your Mind by Gibrán Rivera - https://www.Gibránrivera.com/blog/2019/5/2/ivvhd4bhc1f1rpqfgdk7lutd28n5ir
  
  
• Dreaming of a Self Beyond Whiteness and Isolation by Dr. John A. Powell  - https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/law_journal_law_policy/vol18/iss1/3
  
  
• The Rich Have Entered Their Escape Pods by Douglas Rushkoff - https://onezero.medium.com/the-privileged-have-entered-their-escape-pods-4706b4893af7
  
  
• Death Rates Rising for Middle Aged White Americans (NYT) -
  https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/health/death-rates-rising-for-middle-aged-white-americans-study-finds.html
   
• All-American Despair (Rolling Stone Magazine) -
  https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/suicide-rate-america-white-men-841576/

Reconstructing Whiteness Community:
https://chrisconroyconsults.thinkwellspring.com/reconstructingwhiteness