Monthly Archives: October 2012

Community Investment Network Annual Conference, “The Philanthropic Renaissance,” to Foster Leveraging of Our Collective Resources

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The Community Investment Network (CIN) is a national network of giving circles and “everyday philanthropists” that “inspires, connects and strengthens African Americans and communities of color to leverage their collective resources and create the change THEY wish to see.”

CIN’s 2012 conference, titled The Philanthropic Renaissance: Illuminating Creative Expressions of Giving, was held in Birmingham, Alabama, October 4-7, 2012. Among other things, the conference highlighted the growing movement of giving circles and community philanthropy.

For more information, visit the conference website and blog.

See also BlackGivesBack.com’s report on the conference: The “Philanthropic Renaissance” Illuminates Creative Expressions of Giving in Birmingham.

Perspectives on Buying Black

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Maggie Anderson tells the story of her family’s pledge to buy black for an entire year in Our Black Year: One Family’s Quest to Buy Black in America’s Racially Divided Economy. [See links to media coverage of the book here.]

The Andersons’ endeavor evolved into The Empowerment Experiment, which “converts our family’s pledge into a positive awareness campaign about the need for strategic entrepreneurship and conscious consumerism in and to benefit the Black community.”

Ms. Anderson provides an excerpt from the book in Black Enterprise (July 2012): How To Buy Black (“14 strategies for conducting your own empowerment experiment”).  Continue reading →

Emerging Trends in Collaborative Black Philanthropy: The First Head and Heart Philanthropy Summit

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From BlackGivesBack.com 

On August 10-11, 2012, nonprofit executives, foundation leaders and philanthropists convened at the inaugural Annual Head and Heart Philanthropy Summit in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, “for learning, professional networking and idea generation.”

The invitation-only summit was organized by Christal M. Jackson, founder of Jackson and Associates Group, LLC, a boutique fund development and philanthropic consulting firm, who noted: “…Given the serious issues facing our community, we must begin to collaborate for greater impact to create systemic change.”  Continue reading →

On Banking Black

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Support Your Local Black Bank. Derek T. Dingle. Black Enterprise.com.
Buying Black is only one step to economic freedom, we also have to bank Black

“Popular syndicated radio talk show host Warren Ballentine recently teamed up with the National Bankers Association, the Washington, D. C.-based consortium of minority-owned financial institutions, to unveil “The People’s Economic Movement,” a program designed to encourage African American individuals and institutions to deposit dollars in Black banks. The initiative’s supporters, among others, include National Urban League President Marc Morial, NAACP head Benjamin Jealous and National Action Network President Rev. Al Sharpton.

Ballentine firmly believes Black institutions and consumers will recover from the Great Recession by pooling resources and strategically leveraging our buying power . “We don’t want to create a minute. We want to create a movement,” Ballentine told me earlier this week. “We’re asking everyone to get involved.” The call to action has been gaining traction as organizations like the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists have decided to transfer funds to local Black institutions.  Continue reading →