Episodes

What does it mean to lead a foundation while honoring your calling, your family, your hair, and your roots? In this episode of "Black Philanthropy: Our Stories," host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, sits down with Jason Terrell, President of the Dobbs Foundation, former educator, and co-founder of Profound Gentlemen. Jason shares his deeply personal journey from teaching middle school English to leading one of Georgia's most historic philanthropic institutions. Jason reflects on how his upbringing...

If you're tired of code switching to survive at work, especially when employer loyalty isn't guaranteed, Steve Vassor, of Fund II Foundation and DJ, helps you rethink risk: how to decide when a workplace has earned you, when it hasn't, and how showing up as your authentic self in philanthropy can be a smarter career move than playing safe. More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com. Follow @blackphilanthropyourstories & @michelle.renee.jackson (host)

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 (host)

You're overwhelmed by lapsed donors, expired pledges, and impossible fundraising goals. Steven Wallace of Aspen Leadership Group shows you how he revitalized a dormant six‑figure pledge into a fully funded seven‑figure gift. He also helps you ditch a "victim" mindset and choose an employer that aligns with your values. More help at blackphilanthropypodcast.com. Follow @blackphilanthropyourstories & @michelle.renee.jackson (host)

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)

"Black Philanthropy: Our Stories" explores the untold stories of professionals and philanthropists dedicated to black philanthropy. Join our host and award-winning storyteller, Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, as she interviews black leaders in philanthropy across the U.S. Each episode, features an interview with a trailblazer, like the foundation leader who has allocated over $90 million in grants to nonprofits, or the entrepreneur who teaches middle-class, black families how to start their own ...