African American Giving

Marybeth Gasman University of Pennsylvania

&Nelson Bowman III

Prairie View A&M University

African American Wealth

•Investment in stock market is up 30%

•48% own their own home

•$1.1 trillion in buying power (2015)

•18.5% of African American families earn $75,000+

•8.5% of African American families earn $100,000+

What are We Losing?

• Donors• Volunteers• Advocates

Diversity in Fundraising

“Black philanthropy is based on a communal notion of philanthropy.”

-National Center on Black Philanthropy

• Beginning in 1600s,a history of self-help and volunteerism

• By the late 1700s, organized philanthropy takes shape with mutual aid societies

• By the 1800s, Black church in full swing• Sororities, fraternities, elite organizations• Civil Rights-oriented philanthropy• Today, African American Foundations

History

• Emergency assistance to family & friends• Religion• Education & Scholarships• Civil rights causes and social issues• Health-related causes, including sickle cell, cancer,

HIV/AIDS

Why African Americans Give and To What Causes

What Motivates African Americans to Give in General

• Racial uplift• Sense of obligation• Religious influence• Peer & family influence• Visible results

Best Approaches

• Appeals tied to “racial uplift”

• Personal approaches• Connections to clergy• Trust• Collaborative

fundraising

Racial Uplift

Personal Touch

Connecting to Clergy

Trust

Collaborative Fundraising

• Blacks give in small amounts over time, and for emergencies

• Tax benefits are not most important • A sense of obligation and commitment to

racial uplift drives Black alumni giving• Trust is absolutely essential to giving;

respond to concrete causes

What You Need to Know

Questions to Ask Yourself

• What percent of your constituients are represented by African Americans?

• What staff positions support your work targeting African American donors?

• Which African American affinity groups do you currently target through your fundraising efforts?

• What have you done so far to reach and engage African American donors?

Contact Information:

Marybeth Gasman

mgasman@upenn.edu

Nelson Bowman III

nebowman!@pvamu.edu