Mahoning-Shenango AFP Hosts Talk on Intersection of Race, Philanthropy

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – A presentation by the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professional will examine the intersection of race and philanthropy.

“The Color of Money and the Culture of Giving” will be held at 6 p.m. Feb. 18 on Zoom. The featured speaker is Kimberley Lewis, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries of East Texas and owner of Motivational Muse LLC. The discussion is moderated by Susan Moorer, Idea Chair for the Mahoning-Shenango Chapter of the AFP.

Nearly two-thirds of Black households donate to charity each year, according to a 2012 report by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to the tune of $11 billion. As the fundraising field has shifted away from a one-size-fits-all model, the need to reach communities of color has increased.

“The definition has broadened to include average people giving generously. We know that the majority of every dollar raised comes from average people, but there’s a myth that those average people are not people of color,” the AFP chapter said in a statement. “The fact is that the majority of charitable dollars come from individual donors who you seldom see across magazine spreads.”

In addition to her work leading the East Texas Goodwill and running her own company, Lewis is the chairwoman of Goodwill Industries International’s diversity and inclusion committee and winner of its 2020 Diversity & Inclusion Award. As a writer, her works have been featured in Forbes, Advancing Philanthropy, Workability International and The Global Good Fund. She is the author of two books, a historical novel titled “The Fourth Generation” and  “A Seat at the Table or a Part of the Meal: Creating a Culture of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.”

Registration for this Zoom presentation is available HERE. It costs $10 for AFP members and $20 for nonmembers.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.