Alia McCants

This article is not wrong. But it is infuriating to read. Many, many, many people have been saying this for a long time. Vu Le comes to mind. The Trust Based Philanthropy Project comes to mind. Community Centric Fundraising comes to mind. And on, and on, and on… I am glad these authors and those around them are now understanding that "...Poverty, for instance, is the direct result of government policy and corporate behavior shaped by a history of structural racism that no nonprofit program can redress"...but COME ON. Exhausted folx from communities that have been systemically left behind have been saying this for YEARS. Building enough wealth that you are able to give it away requires a system where some win, and some don't. That is why can't program your way out of poverty. That is also way those who win cannot possibly have insight into how to fix the conditions created by the systems or the systems themselves (if they even want to). So now that its in a fancy publication (which I get, some people only get their news this way, that's fine) has written this long article, can we PLEASE start funding (with significant multi-year, unrestricted donations) organizations that are doing this very work? If you want some in St. Louis, WEPOWER and Forward Through Ferguson are really great places to start. #ssir #philanthropy #communitycentricfundraising #trustbasedphilanthropy #nonprofits #systemschange

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Lifting up our brilliant Public Service Scholar, Blayne Fergus' insights piece about her experience attending FOTH with Philanthropy New York. Thank you, Blayne, for sharing your wisdom and joyful spirit with us!: "And we're at a time where advocacy is necessary on all fronts. The policy space is one that I find fitting and necessary but with Affirmative Action being overturned and attacks on DEI becoming so prevalent in southern states, the average young academic of color may be slowly disappearing from the policy space. There is even a fear within youth that career growth will be stunted due to all these forms of suppression in the U.S., especially those who are aiming for careers in the non-profit sector. While Gen Z is one of the most active and outspoken generations of all time, there is a looming idea that our voices will be removed, especially when there have been continuous attacks on the spaces where voices are heard the loudest." Read more: https://lnkd.in/eHAT9fzQ

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 ⭐ Reflecting on Impact This month, my colleague Anne Lufkin-Riaño, our board member Murray Dalziel, and I had the pleasure of attending the Total Impact Summit, hosted by ImpactPHL. The experience provided valuable time for reflection, leading to three key insights about our work at WeavingImpact: 1. Community-Centric Focus: The work we do with our partners means we need to know how they measure success. We need to move at the pace of the community because, after all, it's about them, not us. 2. Local Talent: We know there are valuable assets in communities; there are innovators on every street corner, which enables us to over-index on talent. 3. Shared Success Metrics: Understanding how our partners measure success is essential for meaningful collaboration. As Q2 comes to a close, I’d love to hear about your Q2 learnings and insights. Let’s continue to enhance and develop our impact together. #ImpactPHL #WeavingImpact #CommunityFirst #NonprofitLeadership #Q2Reflections

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Proud moments: last week's White House roundtable. I had the honor of participating in crucial discussions with administrative officials, LGBTQ investors, founders, entrepreneurs, and activists from across the venture capital and entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our goal? To shape policies that empower LGBTQ entrepreneurs and capital allocators in the venture capital economy. Three reflections came out of this experience: 1. Awareness is key. The administration has numerous programs to support LGBTQ entrepreneurs, but many remain underutilized due to lack of awareness. We must bridge this information gap. 2. Visibility is power. Being part of this roundtable reinforced the importance of creating visibility for LGBTQ investors and entrepreneurs. Our stories and experiences can drive meaningful change. 3. More work lies ahead. While progress has been made, there's still a pressing need for policies that offer the LGBTQ community the same level of support as other underrepresented groups. This "meeting of the minds" was a pivotal step towards a more inclusive entrepreneurial landscape.  By fostering stronger connections between the LGBTQ business community and policymakers, we're paving the way for new opportunities, increased access to capital, and a more vibrant, diverse venture capital ecosystem. As we move forward, I'm committed to amplifying our community's voice and working towards policies that ensure equal opportunities for all entrepreneurs, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Together, we can build a future where innovation knows no boundaries.

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Major and groundbreaking investment in the creative economy!! I’m at ease and empowered to keep this momentum rolling. Let’s go! Way to go Upstart Co-Lab, Skoll Foundation, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, and all the funders splitting the deal 🏁 #impactinvesting #creativeeconomy #venturephilanthropy #missionrelatedinvestments

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In New York City, around 1,000 young adults age out of foster care each year, and about 20% of them become immediately homeless. Communities like Homeward Central Harlem -- a supportive housing development in Harlem with services for LGBTQ+ young adults -- provide on-site supportive services such as counseling, case management for residents to access financial and health care benefits, connections to community resources, group activities, and skills-building programs. Here's the thing. We know how to end homelessness. It's to provide supportive housing that benefits individuals and families, provides the stability they need, and also ends up costing less than cycling individuals through jail and emergency rooms. This is the model for moving forward. And it's why nearly a fifth of our tax credit investments are in permanent supportive housing at Enterprise Community Partners. Because we know it works. https://lnkd.in/eDsA_jzt

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📣I'm so excited about ENG(INE), a philanthropic program working with America’s leading nonprofits on their most mission-critical tech priorities to 10X their impact. Founded and funded by AlleyCorp, ENG(INE) will deliver $1M in awards to eligible nonprofits to build cutting-edge technology that advances social & economic opportunity. Full details here: nonprofitengine.org. Leveraging AlleyCorp’s 70+ person engineering team, ENG(INE) pairs nonprofits with a team of engineers over 6 months to deliver major, strategic technological builds. At a time when corporations and startups are rapidly deploying advanced data, AI, and design tools, we believe that the greatest technologies must also be available to the best social innovators. US-based nonprofits focusing on workforce, financial security, or women & girls are encouraged to apply by Friday 7/26/2024! Interested? Start an application today: apply.nonprofitengine.org.

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A recent study from Early Learning Nation reveals that investing in childcare is good for business. “Overall, 59% of respondents said they’d be likely to stay with their employer for at least four years if they had backup or subsidized childcare,” says Early Learning Nation. That’s a lot of workers who could benefit from parent-friendly workplace offerings and resources–and many employers who could benefit from boosted employee retention and productivity. Businesses that adapt to the holistic needs of their employees set the tone for a well-equipped, inclusive workplace where parents and caregivers can excel. To keep driving our workforce forward, we must deploy all the tools necessary to ensure childcare is a benefit that American workers can easily plug into. EdSource has more on the findings.

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Looking forward to this self care conversation that is so needed given unprecedented and unprovoked attacks on anyone who is a DEIA practitioner and the challenges associated with keeping this important work progressing that enables organizations to reach innovation and productivity goals. A friend asked me recently if we have made any DEIA progress over past 40 years and my response was we have, and that is why those who do not agree that inclusion, equity and accessibility matter - or because they feel threatened and afraid of change - have been trying to discredit and dismantle. Yes, self care is needed as we double down on integrating DEIA principles and practices into our organizational strategies. #equitymatters #inclusionmatters #a11ymatters

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It's been obvious to many of us in the nonprofit sector based on our own direct experience that #BIPOC individuals, individuals younger than 44, individuals with a #disability, and #LGBTQ+ individuals have long been underrepresented on boards, and these gaps are also borne out by concrete data. An especially illuminating graph, which appeared in a recent Cause Strategy Partners presentation using BoardSource figures, compares U.S. population demographics with board demographics. Clearly, there's lots to be done in narrowing these gaps. In this graph, the gap appears widest for individuals with disabilities, underscoring that disability is not only heavily stigmatized but also frequently overlooked in DEI initiatives. The presentation noted that for LGBTQ+ individuals, the gap between the percentage of the general population and the percentage of board members is likely to be far wider than what's pictured here because LGBTQ+ identities remain significantly underreported given the serious negative repercussions that can result from disclosure. The gaps highlighted in this graph are obviously even wider for individuals who identify with more than one of these characteristics. Research shows that diverse boards can result in better decision-making, broader networks, deeper connections, greater adaptability, and keener insight -- in short, higher performance overall. Let's build stronger, more resilient boards and make sure this graph looks considerably different when it's next updated! [Image description: Graph from Cause Strategy Partners using BoardSource figures shows U.S. population vs. nonprofit board composition for four identity groups. People of color represent about 40% of the U.S. population but less than 24% of boards; people aged 24-44 represent about 30% of the U.S. population but only 27% of boards; people with disabilities represent about 25% of the U.S. population but only 5% of boards; and people from the LGBTQ+ community represent about 7% of the U.S. population but only 5% of boards.]

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It’s been such a privilege to help research, design, and release the latest report from Alliance for Entrepreneurial Equity: The State of Black Business. This is a foundational report for our joint initiative between Third Way & National Urban League. We dove into publicly-available data from the Federal Reserve, US Census Bureau, and other various sources to focus on Black-owned employer businesses with at least two employees. And we took an expansive look at their attributes, performance, and challenges. The State of Black Business uncovers a dozen insights that illustrate significant disparities in access to capital, market opportunities, and resources. For example, we found that Black-owned businesses are: * Growing…Slowly: Seeing year-over-year growth but are still drastically underrepresented. * Small: 97% have less than 20 employees, and 3-in-4 have fewer than five employees. *Young: Likely to have been in existence under two years. *Flying under $100k: Taking in less revenue than other businesses. *Often Shut Out of Financing: Far more likely to experience pervasive barriers to accessing capital. *Infrequent Contract Recipients: Inadequately represented among government contract awardees. Report can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e588SMwS It’s been wonderful working with Imani Augustus Rachel Evans Madeline Burke Stephanie DeVane Tara Murray Dennis G. Serrette on this vital research.

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"At the end of the day, I think it's kind of up to both sides of the equation, both the people creating the tools and the people consuming them to hold each other accountable." I had an enlightening conversation with Mary Jo Madda, Senior Program Manager at Google, this week on More Than A Test! We discussed the intersection of technology, education, and social impact. Mary Jo shared insights from her work at Google’s Code Next, a game-changing program empowering underrepresented high school students in tech. We touched on AI's role in classrooms, the importance of diversity, and groundbreaking books like "Algorithms of Oppression." If you’re passionate about the future of education and technology, you don’t want to miss this episode. Tune in now and let's shape the future together! Watch: https://lnkd.in/gkMC-ckB Listen: https://vist.ly/39q2k #education #leadership #AI #learning

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I’m especially energized by leading searches for inaugural roles because it allows me to serve as a thought partner from the ground up with clients.    Creating a new position and finding the right person for the job is a delicate, multi-layered process involving strategy, imagination, and internal diplomacy, coordination, and execution.    Key steps in the process include:    + Define the role and the expectations. The job description will largely depend on whether the person who steps into this role will build a program or augment existing functions.    + Socialize the role internally. Identify key stakeholders and communicate with them early and often about the purpose of the new position and how it fits into the organizational structure.   + Consider non-traditional candidates. While you may have specific criteria in mind, be open to candidates who might expand the boundaries of what's possible in this inaugural role.    + Provide structure but be flexible. Once your new hire arrives, give them plenty of support while welcoming the initiative they'll take in shaping the new role.    I had the opportunity to share my thoughts about inaugural searches on the Giving Institute's website. For details on how to navigate the process, you can access the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e-zAh57P

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When you’re looking to strengthen an idea, there are few things better than a good conversation. We’ve experimented over the last year with a discussion format that brings together #RFBellagio alumni and other leaders in our #network in a “Brain Trust” to share their wisdom on a specifically curated question. Find out what we learned in Sarah Troup Geisenheimer and my blog: https://lnkd.in/eZ3Krru6

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🚀 Calling all DisabilityTech Founders Worldwide! 🌟 Take 10 minutes to complete this survey and make your needs heard: https://lnkd.in/ehDSNGih We've launched an entrepreneur survey to better understand the resource gaps and challenges faced by founders in the #DisabilityTech sector. 🛠️ Your insights are crucial in shaping our resource and ecosystem development to better support entrepreneurs. 🌐 We've already received over 70 responses and are hoping to hear from hundreds more. If you are in the #DisabilityTech sector, comment below to amplify the survey's reach. Curious to learn more about Howe Innovation Center, the entrepreneur survey, or our resource development? Feel free to reach out to Kevin O'Reilly at kevin.oreilly@perkins.org. 📧 Let's work together to drive innovation and empowerment in the DisabilityTech sector! 💡 #DisabilityTech #Entrepreneurship #Innovation

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📣 As we head into the summer and hopefully have more space for moments of reflection, have you ever felt undervalued and overworked as a Black or POC leader in a nonprofit? ✋🏾 Trenia Parham and I discuss this and share our experiences with burnout in the latest episode of the Not 4 Prophets Podcast. We also get into the nuanced relationship between commitment to the work and mission with burnout. Check it out! ⭐ StrivEquity Consulting LLC

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Purpose. It’s something I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about over the past year in particular. Last week I attended a session hosted by Nonprofit Quarterly and featuring Tara Andrews Huffman, JD, Monika Kalra Varma, and Ginger Naylor. Tara and Monika spoke about the four principles of Purpose Driven Board Leadership, as defined by BoardSource. https://lnkd.in/gBciAZ7A They really got me with the Purpose Before Organization principle, which speaks to prioritizing the organization's purpose, versus the organization itself. As the new board treasurer of Joel Hall Dancers and Center, I realize I need to shift some of my thinking about my role. I'm super focused on the sustainability and longevity of the organization itself, but likely need to step back and consider community needs and voices, and how I can be accountable to them. How can my own purpose align with advancing the organization's purpose? How does our organizational strategy advance our collective purpose? The other principles are: Respect for Ecosystem, Equity Mindset, and Authorized Voice and Power. I’d love to hear other thoughts on these ideas!

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This piece is excellent and provides concrete changes to our governance structures so that a multiracial democracy can be realized. It’s more than a reliance on hope or goodwill using executive orders and calls upon real change to legal standards, how we analyze budget and legislative decisions and strong proactive and apparatus to deliver equal protection.

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