Female Leaders Episodes

You don't have to control capital to create change. You can advise the people who do. In this episode, Dr. Nicole Bates , Senior Advisor of Executive Strategy & Initiatives at Pivotal , shares how to impact philanthropy through trust, relationship building, and strategic connection. Learn how to center women, lead with love, and drive collaborative, high-impact transformation. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Social Media Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.ja...

In this Father's Day Season 2 premiere, Season 1 and Season 2 guests and listeners ask one other candid questions on fatherhood, philanthropy, equity, and strengthening Black communities giving you real strategies to lead, serve, and create impact around the world. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Social Media Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (host)

As the New Generation of African American Philanthropists (NGAAP) celebrates its 20th anniversary, co-founder Valaida Fullwood helps you understand how to reclaim the practice of "Giving Black," however you identify. Gain insights from her work as an author and exhibit creator. Learn from her expertise in Black philanthropy and collective giving and discover why starting your own giving circle can help you amplify impact and build community. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Socia...

Feeling alone in fundraising can derail your confidence and career. This episode shows you how building a strong community and professional network helps you overcome isolation, gain support, and thrive long-term.

Local news is declining, threatening community awareness and accountability. Dale Anglin shares how philanthropic funding is rebuilding local journalism—and why your support is essential to sustaining trusted information and a healthy democracy.

Dr. Elizabeth Alexander discusses inclusive philanthropy, artist support, ancestral legacy, and leadership as president of the Mellon Foundation, offering insight into how arts funding, creativity, and institutional funding shape culture and public memory.

Not sure how to land a nonprofit board role or whether it's the right one when you land it? Christal Cherry , founder of Board Pro and Fabulous Female Fundraisers (F3), shares how you find values-aligned boards, position yourself to serve, and lead with equity using best-practices grounded in Black philanthropic traditions. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Social Media Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (host)

Don't let your nonprofit stay in survival mode. Chevelle Dixon , of Pan‑African Solutions Consulting , shows you how to shift from scarcity thinking to strategic action, using an abundance audit and in‑kind giving to secure real resources, stabilize operations, and move your mission forward without chasing more cash. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (host)

We often assume if an NBA player isn't giving publicly, he isn't giving at all. False. As Executive Director of the NBPA Foundation, Erika Swilley advises NBA players on their philanthropy, turning their fines into philanthropy and one-day giving patterns into long-term community impact. She shares how she guides them on charitable instruments and nonprofit partnerships and why she recommends players don't jump into starting a foundation before they're ready. More tools at blackphilanthropypodca...

If you feel devalued in transactional philanthropy, you're facing a real threat to your purpose‑driven work. You need a new model now. Using Black giving traditions, Heather Infantry , CEO of Giving Gap , shows you how to reclaim your joy, dignity, and worth so you and your nonprofit can create meaningful, purpose‑driven change without sacrificing yourselves. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (host)

Dr. Kimberlin Butler, Founder & Chief Possibility Catalyst of The L.E.A.D Agency, certified impact philanthropy advisor, and creator of Youth Possible Philanthropy™ shares why young people are essential partners in systems change, philanthropic leadership, and community investment, and how intentional listening strengthens equitable grantmaking. Butler challenges the youth as tokens model prevalent in many philanthropic spaces arguing that partnering with young people is obligatory if philanthro...

In this episode, host Michelle Renee Jackson , MDiv speaks with Karen Isble , Vice President for College Advancement at Kalamazoo College about her work with the Collaborative for Respectful Workplaces in Higher Education Advancement. Karen shares her journey from opera singer and prospect researcher to frontline fundraising executive, offering insight into the often‑unspoken challenges frontline staffers in philanthropy face when their physical and emotional safety is compromised, and bad donor...

In this episode with host, Michelle Renee Jackson , MDiv, Jessyca Dudley, CEO of Bold Ventures , shares why understanding reparative philanthropy's role in our increasingly disconnected and inequitable world is no longer optional. This is obligatory work. We gain an understanding of how we can shift toward repair‑centered practices in philanthropy that address historic and ongoing harms impacting countless communities across the US and globally. We learn why extraction‑based wealth creation, pay...

In this solo episode, Michelle Renee Jackson , MDiv host of Black Philanthropy: Our Stories reflects on the last 7 months since BPOS premiered on Father's Day 2025. In order to guide the direction of BPOS moving forward, Michelle examines the wins, challenges, and hard lessons learned in the last 7 months. As a podcast in conversation with black leaders leading in a more than half‑trillion‑dollar philanthropy industry, this episode considers how the sector can become a more effective catalyst fo...

How do we build a vital and inclusive democracy in a time of polarization, uncertainty, and systemic inequities? In this episode of Black Philanthropy: Our Storie s, host Michelle Renee Jackson , MDiv, sits down with Keesha Gaskins-Nathan , Director of the Democratic Practice Program for the United States at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, to explore her journey from law school and community organizing to leading philanthropic strategies that strengthen democratic systems and culture. Keesha shar...

How does one help to embed equity into the DNA of a major philanthropic institution like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation? In this episode of Black Philanthropy: Our Stories , host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, speaks with Maisha Simmons, Associate Vice President of Equity and Culture at RWJF. Together, they discuss how Maisha leads efforts to operationalize equity, diversity, and inclusion across RWJF's programs and policies. Maisha reflects on her journey from grassroots community developmen...

How can small nonprofits build sustainable revenue, access philanthropic data, and stay rooted in community? In this episode of Black Philanthropy: Our Stories , host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, sits down with Francesca Axam Frederick, a fundraiser, strategist, and tech entrepreneur whose journey from dance to data is reshaping how grassroots organizations engage with philanthropy. Francesca shares how her early experiences in the arts led her to fundraising, why she transitioned into human se...

What does it mean to center Black women's healing, challenge philanthropy's contradictions, and reclaim joy as a radical act? In this episode of Black Philanthropy: Our Stories, host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, sits down with Dr. Yanique Redwood—author, strategist, and former foundation CEO—to explore the emotional, structural, and spiritual dimensions of Black women's experiences in philanthropy. Dr. Redwood shares the journey behind her powerful book White Women Cry and Call Me Angry, a memo...

What does it mean to be called to philanthropy "for such a time as this"? In this episode of Black Philanthropy: Our Stories, host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, sits down with Yvonne Moore—strategist, founder of Moore Philanthropy, and truth-teller in the sector—to explore the tension between comfort and courage in Black philanthropy. Yvonne opens up about the "golden handcuffs" that keep many professionals from taking bold action, the ancestral legacy that fuels her work, and why she believes p...

Think your messy past disqualifies you from a career in philanthropy? Think again. Your past isn't a liability. It's an asset. Brianna Rogers , at the San Francisco Foundation , once in foster care and formerly incarcerated, demonstrates how you can (and must) turn your lived experience into leadership currency in the industry of philanthropy to transform the communities you love. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (h...

You may feel shut out of philanthropy, told you need elite credentials, polished language, or "the right pedigree." C'Ardiss "CC" Gardner-Gleser , Founder of Black Ivy Collective, shows you how to break past gatekeeping, reject elitism, and use your lived experience as power. Learn how to step in boldly, disrupt harmful norms, and lead unapologetically. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (host)

Philanthropy and black culture are inextricable. Always. Every time. Everywhere. My father, Solomon Neal Jackson III, is an example of what it is for us to love through our giving. The industry of philanthropy often ignores philanthropists like him. Not us. This show is dedicated to our dad, Solomon, a man known for how big he loved. He is black philanthropy. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com . Follow @ blackphilanthropyourstories & @ michelle.renee.jackson (host)