The hot summer days of August are oppressive, but it’s liberating to know that August is Black Philanthropy Month.
Giving goes on every day and takes so many forms. Mutual support, anonymous support, financial support, in-kind support. For so many of us, philanthropy is in our bones, our history, our DNA. We may not call it philanthropy, but it is how we have survived, thrived, and built organizations and institutions that continue to this day. These are our Black colleges and universities, sororities and fraternities, churches, community organizations, and activist collaborations. We give of our time, talent, treasure, vision, and heart.
As we give this August, take some time for individual reflection, family conversation, and community dialog focused on philanthropy. There are many things to consider. As family members, how are we encouraging our family to give and raise funds for Black organizations we believe in and benefit from? How do we come together at the family and community level to give “in-kind” – that is, to give of our resources, services, talents, and connections? How do we remind ourselves that it is an honor and a privilege to give and to serve? How do we begin conversations about planned giving or legacy giving? Are we taking time to include Black-led organizations and institutions in our wills? Do we understand how to take advantage of “matching gifts/grants” and “workplace giving” opportunities?
As organizational leaders, are we investing in our staff and volunteers? Are we developing their skills and talents? Are we promoting high standards of professionalism in our work, including our fundraising? Do we – and our staff members, board members, and volunteers – understand that fundraising is a profession with ethical standards, associations, and multiple methodologies? Are we open to building a strong presence via mutually beneficial cause marketing partnerships with corporations and organizations? Do we understand that fund development and fundraising are revenue drivers, not cost centers that should be cut when funds get tight? Are we open to increasing our partnerships and collaborations with other nonprofits?
Here are a few challenging conversation topics. Can we talk about consolidating or reducing the number of small nonprofit organizations that struggle to survive? Is there a different way to meet local needs in a personalized way? Can we share administrative services, or come together under one roof with one board, one administrative team, and one fundraising team? How do we increase monitoring and evaluation to determine how collective funds are being used? How do we understand and incorporate the rich histories and experiences within our community? How do we engage and serve Black immigrants from Africa, South and Central America, people of mixed heritage? How do we incorporate “their” priorities into “our” philanthropy?
Let’s start talking. We need a stronger voice in defining funding priorities in the communities where we live and work. We have to take care of our own. We have to demonstrate that we can contribute to causes we believe in. We can determine our destiny. God protect America and the world we live in. 
More about Black Philanthropy Month (BPM)
We can thank Black women for this global initiative. It was Dr. Jacqueline Bouvier Copeland who launched the global initiative in 2011, bringing the work of Pan-African Women’s Philanthropy Network in Minneapolis (founded in 2001) to a larger platform with the support of WISE (Women Invested to Save Earth). BPM is now part of BackBlack and still in motion. The theme for 2025 is Sankofa Now! Remember. Reclaim. Rise.
2018 gave rise to another day of Black giving. #Give828 launched with a vision from the founder of the Young, Black and Giving Institute, Ebonie Johnson Cooper. Give 8/28 is a day dedicated to giving to Black, grassroots nonprofits. Her rationale for selecting August 28th is 100% rooted in Black history and promise.
- August 28, 1955. 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered by three white men, which, became a “flashpoint in the civil rights movement.”
- August 28, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech in Washington, D.C.
- August 28, 2005. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Louisiana. The storm, which devastated New Orleans, inordinately impacted many of the city’s Black residents.
- August 28, 2008. Then-Senator Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination for president, becoming the first Black man to ever win the nomination and bid for the presidency.
- August 28, 1945. Major League Baseball President Branch Rickey met with Jackie Robinson to tell him he would be integrating the Majors.
- August 28, 2020. Our beloved Chadwick Boseman, aka T’Challa, transitioned to be with the ancestors.
© 2025 Mel and Pearl Shaw, authors of “Prerequisites for Fundraising Success.” We provide fundraising counsel to higher education, nonprofits, and philanthropy. Video conferencing always available. Visit www.saadandshaw.com.
