Black Canadian Fundraisers' Collective

Black Opportunity Fund (BOF), is hosting the 2nd event in our 2024 national Black Health Townhall Series. This virtual event will showcase successful models being led by organizations focused on improving health outcomes for Black people in Canada, promising practices to improve Black people's health and the key considerations in integrating these practices into a National Black Health Strategy. Objectives: - To bring to light successful models being used by Canadian Black Health focused organizations in addressing Black people’s health. - To discuss the challenges faced by Black health organizations, and proven strategies to successfully navigate them. - To discuss how these successful models can be replicated in communities across Canada by other health organizations to improve health outcomes for Black people. Panel 1 will delve into strategies employed by Black-led, Black-serving health organizations to improve health outcomes for Black people in Canada. Panel 2 will focus on Black Health Clinics and Centres. Panelists: Angela Carter, Reverend Debbie Simmonds, Liz Arnason, Sharon Davis-Murdoch, Brieanne Olibris, Dee Adekugbe, Anthony Henry We are grateful to the Canadian Race Relations Foundation for their sponsorship support for the BOF Black Health Townhall Series. To register and for more information please visit our website https://lnkd.in/gXWFuKff #BlackHealthMatters #HealthEquityCanada #BOFHealthTownhall #InclusiveHealthcare #BlackHealthDialogue

“For what good is knowing unless it is coupled with caring? Science can give us knowing, but caring comes from someplace else.” ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer Birgit Smith Burton is the embodiment of caring! Anyone who has spent any time with her knows that this is true. Birgit is a giant in the fundraising profession and she is a cornerstone for so many fundraisers of colour. Her legacy is full of grateful folx who were helped, supported, defended or uplifted by Birgit or through her influence. In my November 2023 blog, I wrote this about Birgit's influence on me... "In the race toward racial justice, conscious Black women show up exceptionally. It almost defies words because it is our bodies that feel it most. Because we reside at the bottom of the North American caste system our survival dictates our connectedness. The justice we seek is never just for ourselves, we are the fibres in the fabric of our community. We don’t run alone. We run together, passing mile markers, achieved only through the skill of passing the baton frequently. We taste each other’s struggles and wrap ourselves up in each other's victories. And when we can deliver justice and healing to a sister, a brother, or any kinfolx, we do." You can't be a Black fundraiser and not be confronted and/or impacted by the dynamics of race and racism. These experiences in our careers are melded together and Birgit knows that. She has spent the bulk of her career forging a path of survival for fundraisers of colour, namely Black fundraisers through the African American Development Officers Network over the last 25 years. Birgit is an exceptional woman, mother, sister and leader. On May 3rd we are celebrating Birgit's birthday. Every May, we invite folx to honour Birgit and her legacy by donating to the Birgit Smith Burton RISE Fund. The RISE Fund is another example of Birigt's legacy of love, it has supported the education and professional development of women of colour in fundraising. Over the last 4 years, 12 women have received $2,000 each to invest in their professional development. Through your support this year we want to again invest in the lives of women fundraisers. And NEW this year we plan to award one man of colour in fundraising through AADO's Men of Color in Development. We are excited to extend professional development support to our brothers! We invite you to honour Birgit by supporting women and men of colour in fundraising by donating to the Birgit Smith Burton RISE Fund here https://lnkd.in/gUjdf9v4. If you are planning to join us by donating, comment with a ♥️ below. Happy Birthday, Birgit Smith Burton. We love you!

Get those applications in! The deadline for applications of the BOF & BCFC Grant and B3 Capacity Building Program is fast approaching! The portal to apply closes on April 24th, 2024 at 11:59pm EST, and we strongly encourage applications from Canadian Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused non-profits and charities. To apply please visit our website https://lnkd.in/gnJ6pgdv This 8-month program is designed to provide Black-focused, Black-led, Black-serving non-profits and charities, with funding and capacity development support that positions them to collaborate, lead and deliver community-determined solutions that effectively address identified community priorities and needs. This pilot initiative is made possible through funding commitments from the TD Ready Commitment and the RBC Foundation. BOF is pleased to be partnering with BCFC and delivery partners Imagine Canada, Management Advisory Services (MAS) and the International Coaching Federation, Vancouver Chapter. This BOF/BCFC grant and Capacity Building Program is national in scope, involving the selection of twenty-five B3 organizations from across Canada, delivering initiatives in one or more of BOF priority areas. The program funding has been secured from philanthropic organizations – United Way Halifax, and The Toronto Foundation, to prioritize the participation of fifteen B3 organizations selected specifically from three communities (Halifax Regional Municipality and East Hants; the Greater Toronto Area; and Windsor-Essex County) in the pilot. All organizations selected will receive $20,000 in funding to allocate according to their charitable purposes, operational and program needs. In addition, organizations selected to participate in the pilot will receive coaching support from certified professional Black coaches and access to mandatory training in key areas of non-profit management. All applicants will have access to specifically curated online resources covering relevant topics critical in building and maintaining healthy, adaptable, and community-responsive organizations. #BOFGrant #B3CapacityBuilding #BlackLedNonprofits #BlackServingCharities #CanadianBlackCommunity #NonprofitFunding #CapacityDevelopment #CommunitySolutions #GrantOpportunities #ApplyNow

Hear: When was the last time you listened to a tree? This question may seem silly, but so often we do not view our surroundings as fellow beings, worthy of respect, compassion, and consideration. The language we use in many ways can grant us permission to undermine the dignity of other living things. Language has a powerful influence over how we perceive the world around us - it can foster empathy or embolden bad behaviour - we must constantly consider how we’re being influenced and taught by language. When we become open to the idea that a tree might have something to say, we can begin to HEAR what the Earth is trying to teach us. The R. and M. in TEA FARMERS stands for ‘Reciprocity Movement’. For us this means listening to and recognizing that there are things to be learned from the living lands and beings around us; and letting these learnings motivate us towards justice. What sustainable change can be found without first humbly listening? When we slow down and tune in to Earth’s collective, we begin to recognize the gracious gifts that nature offers us. Gifts are not transactions, they are invitations into a relationship and real relationships necessitate our investment and trust. In seeing the gift we move towards a mindset of gratitude and reciprocity wherein our collective flourishing is codependent and connected. Let’s not let those gifts go unhonoured. We’ve found as we grow in proximity to Earth’s creatures we return to our child-like state where the trees are our friends, and the birds are our relatives. These relationships foster reciprocity. “If a maple is an it, we can take up the chain saw. If a maple is a her, we think twice.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer P.S. In the lead-up to Earth Day, our blog post is out today: Seeds of Justice - Answering Change with Hope, go have a read! https://lnkd.in/gDvsCTrf #reciprocity #listening #relationships

We are here, patiently waiting for Nneka Allen, CFRE, COC, PCC to take the stage with Nikole Hannah-Jones for Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP Global)’s #ICON2024

B3 organizations, don’t miss your chance to apply for this funding! Details and deadlines below.

We invite you to view the recording of the informational webinar on the Black Opportunity Fund's grant and B3 capacity-building program. This initiative, supporting Canadian Black-led, Black-serving, and Black-focused not-for-profits and charities (B3s), is offered in partnership with the The Black Canadian Fundraisers' Collective (BCFC). The recorded webinar will provide potential applicants the opportunity to gain insights into the grant details, as members of the BOF and BCFC Program teams reviewed the program's eligibility and adjudication criteria and conducted an open Q&A session to address questions from prospective applicants. The BOF/BCFC grant and B3 Capacity Building Program is an 8-month program designed to provide Black-focused, Black-led, Black-serving non-profits and charities, with funding and capacity development support that positions them to collaborate, lead and deliver community-determined solutions that effectively address identified community priorities and needs. This initiative is made possible through funding commitments from the TD Ready Commitment and the RBC Foundation. Visit the link on our YouTube channel to see the full recording https://lnkd.in/dgiC-ZVt

On Monday, April 8 at 9:45 am, I will join Nneka Allen, CFRE, COC, PCC, Mide Akerewusi, B.Sc., M.Sc. (Econ), CSR-P, CDEP., Esther Saehyun L., Nicole Salmon, Nicole Jamrozinski, Cathy Barrick (she/her/hers), Scott Russell, Rickesh Lakhani, Mazarine Treyz, Julie Berthoud-Jury on stage to discuss combating anti-Black racism in AFP. As a white woman, I am working through how I have been a part of upholding white supremacy and white dominant culture inside our Association. I invite you to join us as we unpack what it means to act with intention and lean into the discomfort. If you want to show solidarity, please join is in donning white apparel on the day. This will be a powerful symbol and a spiritual experience. We look forward to this important conversation with anyone who wants to be a part of it. #RacialJustice #Solidarity #AFPICON #Fundraising #Change #StandTogether #BlackLiberation #BlackSolidarity