A Philanthropic Covenant with Black America E-Book

Rodney Jackson

• Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
• Kategorie: Fachliteratur
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 300

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2009

Beschreibung

A Philanthropic Covenant will feature eight essays from several prominent African American grantmakers, scholars, activists and clergy that will examine critical elements of modern philanthropy and how they affect Black communities for good and for ill. Each chapter will include statistical documentation of the issues, strategic recommendations to improve the quality of Black life, and examples of outstanding models already being practiced throughout the country. A Philanthropic Covenant is intended to inform individuals, grantors, religious organizations, fundraisers and youth how philanthropy--time, talent and treasure--can be strategically mobilized to assist Black communities in dealing more effectively with the issues outlined in The Covenant with Black America. Throughout the book, emphasis will be placed on the role, responsibilities and potential of African Americans and African-American philanthropy, in particular, to affect positive change in their own communities.

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Foreword

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Notes

Chapter 1 - Empowering the African American Community through Strategic Grantmaking

Facts

Creating an Equitable Portfolio

Mobilizing Communities of Color

Jobs for a Sustainable Future

Building Power and Voice

What Foundations Can Do

Notes

Chapter 2 - Philanthropy and Religion

The State of Giving and Religion in the African American Community

African American Support for Their Houses of Worship

Religious Charities and African American Religion

Houses of Worship and Support for Social Causes

African American Religious Institutions as Objects of General Philanthropy

A Future for Religion and Philanthropy among African Americans

Recommendations

Notes

Chapter 3 - Fundraising to Strengthen Black Communities

The Facts

Introduction

Nonprofit Organizations in America

African American Support for Nonprofits: Credibility is the Bottom Line

Fundraising—Whose Job Is It?

Empowering the Effective Fundraiser

African American Fundraisers

African American Donors

Unrestricted Funds: The Lifeblood of the Nonprofit Organization

If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

Call to Action: Innovative Ways to Raise Money

Is Your Nonprofit’s Story One of Success?

When Our Nonprofits Are Successful, Our Community Benefits

Notes

Chapter 4 - Youth in Philanthropy

The Facts on Youth in Philanthropy

What the Philanthropic Community Can Do

What the Larger Community Can Do

What Every Individual Can Do Now

What Works Now

Notes

Chapter 5 - Civic Engagement in the African American Community

Civic Engagement Defined

Philanthropy to the Rescue?

What’s Race Got to Do with It? Black Civic Philanthropy

Facts on Civic Engagement and Philanthropy

What the Philanthropic Community Can Do

What the Community Organizations and Local Faith Communities Can Do

What Every Individual Can Do Now

What Works Now

Democracy Alliance: Strategic Investments in Organizations as Agents of Change

Notes

Chapter 6 - An African American Response to Natural Disasters

Preparing Before the Breaches: Readiness and Response and the Role of Black Institutions

Promoting the Covenants: Empowerment and Engagement and the Role of Black ...

Supporting the Covenants: Revitalization and Transformation and the Role of Philanthropy

The Equity and Inclusion Campaign

The Japan Foundation

The Twenty-First Century Foundation

The New York Regional Associations of Grantmakers

References

Chapter 7 - Families and Friends—The Power of Small Groups

African American Family Reunions

Giving Circles

Common Elements of African American Family Reunions and Giving Circles

Addendum Renaissance Women Symposiums

Notes

Chapter 8 - Time and Talent: Volunteerism as a Resource for Black Communities

National Statistics and Trends

African Americans

Origin of Volunteerism in the African American Community

Contemporary Volunteerism among African Americans

Recruiting and Retaining African American Volunteers

Final Notes

A Sample of Successful Volunteer Programs

Volunteer Opportunities of Note

Notes

References

Chapter 9 - A Philanthropic Covenant with Black America

The Covenant with Black America

Summary of Chapter Covenants

Notes

Reconciling King’s Dream, Obama’s Election, and the Imperative for a Black ...

About The National Center for Black Philanthropy, Inc.

About the Editor

About the Authors

Index

Copyright © 2009 by The National Center for Black Philanthropy, Inc. All rights reserved.

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

Published simultaneously in Canada.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

A philanthropic covenant with Black America / edited by Rodney M. Jackson ; introduction by Tavis Smiley. p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

eISBN : 978-0-470-49413-4

1. African Americans—Charities. 2. African Americans—Charitable contributions.

3. Community development—United States. I. Jackson, Rodney M.

HV3181.P45 2009

361.7’608996073—dc22

2009001908

Foreword

In 2006 I had the privilege and honor to spearhead the creation of The Covenant with Black America, one of the most phenomenal publishing and social accomplishments of this decade. The Covenant reached #1 on the best-seller lists of the New York Times Book Review, the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Barnes and Noble, and Borders. It also became the basis for nationwide civic action as communities mobilized to make The Covenant a living, breathing document.

A year later, The Covenant was followed by The Covenant in Action, which chronicled the steps black people have taken in response to the challenges set forth in The Covenant. One of the many innovative projects reported in the second volume was an undertaking by the National Center for Black Philanthropy, Inc. (NCBP), located in Washington, D.C., to develop what they called A Philanthropic Covenant with Black America.

Originally conceived as a brief volume for their 2007 national conference, A Philanthropic Covenant blossomed into the full-length book you are holding now. I am very pleased to note that several of my colleagues who were instrumental in producing The Covenant have also played key roles as contributing authors in A Philanthropic Covenant. Their involvement has helped to make a smooth transition from one book to the other.

My abiding friend Dr. Cornel West made an astute observation when he said, “The crisis in Black America is threefold . . . economic, political, and spiritual.” While the election of President Barack Obama clearly shows that America has come a long way in its political development, we must not lose sight of the large numbers of African Americans who have yet to catch up with this progress. Philanthropy—the giving of time, talents, and treasure—is already an important strategy in assisting black communities. But it can become even more effective when individuals are giving of their own time, talents, and treasure in support of other African Americans.

This is what A Philanthropic Covenant with Black America is really about and why it deserves your attention. When the hearts and minds of black people are motivated and mobilized, there is no problem we can’t solve. Dr. Martin Luther King said, “. . . we’ve got to strengthen black institutions [and] begin the process of building a greater economic base.” Philanthropy—black philanthropy—can help accomplish both.

I congratulate the National Center for Black Philanthropy on its achievements with A Philanthropic Covenant, and I trust you, the reader, will give it the same generous level of thought and consideration that you accorded to The Covenant. It is an important action plan for achieving not only civil rights, but “silver” rights.

Finally, please look for the third volume in The Covenant series, Accountable: Making America as Good as Its Promise, by Tavis Smiley with Stephanie Robinson.

Tavis Smiley

Acknowledgments

We want to take this opportunity to acknowledge the many individuals whose time, talents, and treasure made this book possible. First, we want to thank Tavis Smiley for bringing us his brilliant, The Covenant with Black America, which set the stage upon which this volume was built. We also thank Tavis for his unhesitating support and encouragement when we first announced the book, for featuring it in The Covenant in Action, and for providing the Foreword to this volume.

We also thank our good friend, colleague, and board member emeritus, Dr. Emmett D. Carson, for providing the thoughtful Afterword to this book. All of us who are involved in African-American philanthropy and volunteerism owe Dr. Carson a huge debt of gratitude for his many years of leadership and scholarship in these areas. It was only appropriate to have allowed him to have the last word.

Next, we thank all the authors—Angela Glover Blackwell, Birgit Smith Burton, Kermit “K.C.” Burton, Charisse Carney-Nunes, Jeannette Davis-Loeb, Carol Brunson Day, Rodney M. Jackson, Stephanie R. Robinson, Judith Gordon Samuel, Harold Dean Trulear, and Sherece Y. West—who so brilliantly crafted the ideas that will henceforth be known as A Philanthropic Covenant with Black America. It is our fervent hope that this book will make a worthy companion to Tavis Smiley’s The Covenant. We send a special note of thanks to our president and CEO, Mr. Jackson, for having conceived of the idea of the Philanthropic Covenant and edited the volume.

We also want to thank Dr. L. Lauretta Baugh for her review and insights on portions of the text; Norma Denise Mitchem for her unwavering support and encouragement throughout the development of this book; Penland L. Woods, volunteer extraordinaire, for sharing her first-hand experiences and insights; Allan R. Clyde for his editorial assistance in the initial development of the book; the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, and our editor, Judith Howarth, for their unswerving belief in this book and their saint-like patience with its development.

We thank the Annie E. Casey Foundation and former Senior Program Director, K.C. Burton, for having provided the grant that allowed us to pursue this book.

The National Center for Black Philanthropy, Inc.

Samuel L. Gough, C.F.R.E., Chair, Board of Directors

Introduction

Anyone not poor enough to receive is rich enough to give.

—Fredrick E. Jordan, African-American Businessman and Philanthropist

At the beginning of his introduction to The Covenant with Black America, Tavis Smiley asked an intriguing question: Why a Covenant with Black America? Tavis answered his question, in part, with an anecdote taken from the life of the late civil rights leader, A. Philip Randolph, which concluded with an admonition from then-president Franklin Delano Roosevelt about the importance of “organizing and mobilizing” to bring about social change.

It is both fair and appropriate to ask the same question about this book: Why a Philanthropic Covenant with Black America? To answer this question, we must briefly examine the concept of philanthropy and its role in the history of African Americans.

The word philanthropy does not easily roll off the tongue, nor does its correct definition immediately come to mind. To many Americans, philanthropy conjures up an ethereal and mysterious world in which the wealthy give money to charity, motivated primarily by the tax write-offs they receive. It is a world dominated, mostly, by very wealthy whites; although, a few wealthy African Americans are seen as also being members of this exclusive club. (Oprah Winfrey and Bill Cosby immediately come to mind.) And most African Americans are viewed as recipients rather than givers of philanthropy.

In 2009 we are beginning to understand that this is more of a caricature of philanthropy than a true reflection (though some might argue otherwise). Thanks to the research of scholars like Ambassador James A. Joseph and Dr. Emmett D. Carson, we now know that the “impulse for philanthropy,” as Ambassador Joseph put it, is not the exclusive province either of one race or one economic class. The philanthropic impulse can also be found by examining the history and current practice of communities of color: black, Latino, and Native American, as well as Asian American and Pacific Islanders.

Among African Americans, philanthropy is more commonly referred to as “giving back.” Philanthropy, or giving back, has been an integral part of black U.S. history and can be traced back to African culture and values that survived the Middle Passage and chattel slavery. “Historically,” according to Dr. Carson, “black philanthropy has been a survival mechanism through which African American people directed their money, time and goods to lift up and advance the myriad interests of African-American people.”1 Black philanthropy, “synonymous with African-American survival and perseverance,”2 became the very embodiment of the contribution of “time, talent and treasure” that benefited blacks and non-blacks alike.

In 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. challenged African Americans to “develop a kind of dangerous unselfishness.” Black philanthropy may be unselfish, but it is hardly dangerous; not dangerous in a literal sense—although there were times in black history when the practice of philanthropy by African Americans was in fact dangerous—it is used here in the sense of one of its synonyms, “risky.”

The tenacious, ongoing problems in the black community, so well documented in The Covenant, that seem so resistant to change, will require a full court press, if they are ever to be solved. This means being intentional and strategic in the use of our time and talent, and willing to take risks with our treasure. It has been said many times that we cannot expect anyone else to rescue us. Improving black communities, ultimately, is something we have to do for ourselves by committing our time, talent, and treasure in purposeful, strategic ways.

A Philanthropic Covenant with Black America invites all those who believe in “giving back,” “leaving no one behind,” or “each one reaching one” to recommit to bringing about change in black communities. This book shows that everyone has a role to play. Grantmakers, who are particularly averse to taking risks, are challenged to do just that. The need in black communities for the expertise of fundraising professionals, particularly African Americans, has never been more urgent. African American religious congregations are challenged to “revisit their philosophy and theology of giving to black communities.” Black youth should be encouraged to learn the value of giving, rather than receiving. Civic engagement is a powerful strategy for strengthening and developing cohesion in black communities. Black families, far from being the poster children for dysfunction, can be the cornerstones for black community renewal. Black communities can join together and begin planning in advance to reduce the effects of natural disasters. And volunteers, particularly African Americans, can be integral parts of all the aforementioned. People and institutions that commit to actions that strengthen black communities can be said to be carrying out “Covenant Commitments.”

Finally, in order to ensure that adequate funding is available for these efforts, and in the spirit of self-help that has characterized black philanthropy for 200 years, we ask your consideration of a major $100 million “Covenant Fund for Black Communities.”

Making Covenant Commitments to strengthen black communities and following through on them will indeed require the kind of “dangerous unselfishness” that Dr. King spoke of. Ironically, this was the phrase that Dr. King used in his famous, “I Have Seen the Promised Land,” speech in Memphis the evening before he was assassinated. In the same speech, he also said, “Be concerned about your brother. You may not be on strike. But either we go up together, or we go down together.”

What was true then is equally true now. Despite the current economic crisis (or maybe because of it), history may have handed us an unprecedented opportunity to finish the job of bringing equal opportunity to all African Americans. Everyone concerned with progress in the black community should read this book and then answer this question: Have you made your Covenant Commitment today? The future of our people in America may depend upon your answer.

Rodney M. Jackson

Notes

1 Emmett D. Carson, Ph.D., “African American Philanthropy at the Crossroads.” In At the Crossroads: The Proceedings of the First National Conference on Black Philanthropy, ed. Rodney M. Jackson (Oakton, VA: The Corporation for Philanthropy, 1998), p. 10.

2 Ibid.

Chapter 1

Empowering the African American Community through Strategic Grantmaking

Angela Glover Blackwell

Founder and CEO, PolicyLink, Oakland, CA

Facts

The author gratefully acknowledges the writing contributions of Katrin Sirje Kärk, former PolicyLink senior writer, and Fran Smith, PolicyLink senior communications consultant; and for her insight on many of the climate change implications this chapter contains, Danielle Deane, program officer, Environment, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.