Female Leaders Episodes

National fundraising auctioneer Subyn Novelle shares how she changed careers after 40, discovered her purpose, overcame self-doubt, embraced an abundance mindset, and built a meaningful life through philanthropy and leadership.

Are you putting your biggest goals on hold because they feel impossible? Or does the pressure to pick just one path keep you from moving forward? Dr. Jackie Bouvier Copeland refused to do either. Hear how she overcame the haters, founded Black Philanthropy Month anyway, and co-built a movement reaching more than 100 million people, while refusing to let the world reduce her to a single talent, title, or lane. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com Social Media Follow @blackphilanthropyou...

Tired of hearing philanthropic organizations say they can't find diverse talent? We are too. Help is on the way. Dr. Jocelynne Rainey, President & CEO of Brooklyn Org, shares how their $100,000 investment in their own paid fellowship program is helping Brooklyn Org build its own talent pipeline. Learn how to create leadership pathways, strengthen recruitment, and develop future philanthropy leaders from the communities you serve. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com Social Media Fol...

Discover what motivates today’s donors with Dr. Marguerite McClinton Stoglin. Learn how donor values, volunteer engagement, family philanthropy, stewardship, and next-generation giving can strengthen fundraising and long-term nonprofit sustainability.

Why wait for others to act when you can be the first to move? Odile Tevie shares how, in the absence of institutional support, she abandoned a secure career in finance to co-found and co-invest her own philanthropic resources into the Nubuke Foundation (Accra, Ghana) where Ghanaian artists create on their own terms and in their own voices. Discover how to become a first-mover leader, support emerging artists, navigate uncertainty, and transform an internal nudge into cultural and social change. ...

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.j...

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. Social...

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 blackphilanthropypo...

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 b...

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 i...

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 for...

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 Stories, 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 shares ...

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 development...

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 ser...

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 mem...

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 ...