Marissa Mahoney

✨ Discover the Power of Storytelling for Innovation! ✨ On the first day of the Virginia Housing Alliance’s (Brian Koziol, Arley Bell) inaugural BIPOC Leadership Institute (BLI) cohort,  where I’m a co-facilitator along with Ebony Walden, we had the privilege of walking the historic streets of Jackson Ward in Richmond, VA, with a remarkable group of housing leaders (Justin Ferguson), as Gary Flowers a fifth-generation Jackson Ward resident shared powerful stories of this community, known as one of the Black Wall Streets of the South, and highlighted stories of vision, determination and resilience from leaders such as: 🌟 Maggie L. Walker: The first African American woman to charter a bank, breaking barriers and inspiring us to think beyond limitations. 🌟 William "Bojangles" Robinson: A philanthropist and entertainer who invested in the safety, education, and future of Black children, teaching us persistence in the face of challenges. 🌟 John Mitchell Jr.: The iconic editor of the Richmond Planet, using his words to inspire and influence the community towards advocacy and change. Their stories inspire and remind us of storytelling's profound impact on innovation. How can we use storytelling to inspire new ideas and grow as leaders?  Here are three ways in which I believe stories can influence innovation: 🚀 Inspiring Vision: Stories help us dream big and think creatively. 🚀 Learning from Challenges: Narratives of perseverance teach us resilience about overcoming challenges we will encounter. 🚀 Building Empathy: Shared experiences foster connection and collaboration. 🔗 Check out the full article, "A Lesson from Jackson Ward: How Our Stories Can Inspire Innovation", on Jordansydnor.com to explore how we can use storytelling to innovate and grow as leaders. Let's transform our communities by embracing the lessons from Jackson Ward. What stories from your past inspire your innovative thinking? Share in the comments below! 👇🏾 #Innovation #Leadership #Storytelling #JacksonWard #Inspiration #Community

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Dive into the transformative power of philanthropy! At KCIC Consulting's PSD department, we believe in giving back. Did you know? In 2023 alone, corporate giving in Africa increased by 9.8%, supporting education, healthcare, and community development. Explore how we amplify impact through strategic philanthropy. Learn more: kcicconsulting.com. #Philanthropy #SocialImpact

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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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Conversations between funders and nonprofit organizations are an opportunity to have holistic conversations about supporting the financial health of an organization. Our updated Full Cost Communication Guide includes tips and scenarios to these topics from a more generative perspective. Topics include: 💥 Discussing deficits 💥 Reduced funding 💥 Surpluses and reserves 💥 Negotiating Funding Terms Check it out along with more full cost resources at: https://nff.org/full-cost

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As a proud member of National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG), we recommend participating in this ten-minute survey to inform the 2024 Philanthropy Benchmark Survey: Insights on the Role of Consultants and Advisors in Advancing Giving. Link to survey here: https://lnkd.in/ggYjtX-H The results will help assess the practice of philanthropy by understanding the behavior and attitudes of grantmakers and the consultants and advisors who serve them. #philanthropy #funding #grantmakers

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[NEW PODCAST] Trends in direct #fundraising: keeping it real with Erica Waasdorp Erica is President of A Direct Solution and a guru on direct fundraising and especially monthly giving for nonprofits and NGOs. I am on a journey to deepen my understanding of resource mobilization and fundraising - including public fundraising. Erica was the logical person to ask. ﹖How do I know whether my organization has a culture of philanthropy? What do I *see*, when such a culture is in place? (I've seen it lacking in some cases, which makes you wonder where those staff think their salary comes from) A pretty critical question for many social sector orgs that depend significantly on public engagement and fundraising from the broader public.   In this #NGOSoulAndStrategy podcast episode, the arc of my interview with Erica goes something like this: 🎤 How has the field of direct giving by small donors, and monthly giving as a donor practice in particular changed in the last 10-20 years? 🎤 There is much discussion about the need for a shift towards ethical storytelling, with local program participants in the driver's seat, and a focus on local persons' agency. The raison d'etre for this is clear. However, to what extent can we align this with what motivates small donors (at least in traditional fundraising 'markets') to give? And what about fundraising in new middle/high-income countries where public fundraising is growing? 🎤 Is child sponsorship on life support as a fundraising strategy - or not quite? 🎤 At a more practical level, what hurdles do nonprofits need to overcome in persuading donors to shift their practice to monthly giving? Erica, who also happens to be a 'Dutchie' (like myself) and who has lived in the United States for decades (like myself), is keeping it real in our interview! Listen in! Podcast Audio: https://lnkd.in/ebjV2ea3 Podcast Video: https://lnkd.in/esranCYQ   What does your experience with resource mobilization, especially direct public giving, tell you? PS: Misty McLaughlin, another specialist-extraordinaire on resource mobilization, Kim Goldsmith-N'Diaye and I will host two mini-masterclasses as well as two conference sessions on the role of team structures and team operating models in effective nonprofit/NGO fundraising performance at #IFC2024 (International Fundraising Congress, organized by the The Resource Alliance) in October of this year. DM us if you plan to attend and want to learn more about our sessions. #nonprofits #podcast #NGOPodcast #NGOInsights #PodcastInterview #NGOCulture #NonprofitManagement #PodcastDiscussion #NGOStrategies #5OaksConsulting #PodcastEpisode #resourcemobilization #nonprofit #fundraising

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The attack on the Fearless Fund is an attack on everyone working on social impact. At The Skillman Foundation we believe everyone has the right to invest in social impact in the ways they deem important, especially when so much evidence underscores the need to implement racial equity as an invaluable engine toward a more just and prosperous society. Detroit (90% black and brown), working on creating excellent and equitable public schools (97% black and brown locally), it is not only important to have a racialized lens, it is necessary in order to deepen our impact. We are proud of our thoughtful approach, and we are ready to resist as stated in the article below. https://lnkd.in/eRz48tWm

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Educational opportunity and literacy equity are facilitated, or frustrated, by broad and complicated systems of public financing. Andrew Kahrl's work, _The Black Tax: 150 Years of Theft, Exploitation, and Dispossession in America_ presents a story to be reckoned with, and some thinking about how these systems can be improved toward the goals they ought to serve. Recommended reading. https://lnkd.in/g_z8m_9V

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Nonprofit Quarterly's Spring Issue on the state of Black women in nonprofit leadership is a must read. It’s the alarm, in a long series of alarms, we need to take seriously if we wish to secure our collective vision of an equitable and regenerative society. The series also grounds us in hope and possibility with stories of Black women leadership is paving a pathway for new futures. My colleague, Jennifer Swayne Njuguna, Esq. SHRM-SCP contributed to this collection in her piece “It isn’t Lonely at the Top - It’s Downright Scary: The Reckoning Needed for Black Women Leaders.” She writes: “Society has always relied on Black women’s labor but harbored deep fear and resistance to our power. There is an underlying assumption that our power will mean the same kind of power over, domination, and harm reflected in our country’s founding and current existence. Instead, Black women have shown that power can be with, it can be shared, and it is not based on a single, patriarchal hero. It is found in community and it can also be influential and used to get things done—things that would fundamentally change our world into one we have yet to know.” If we want to see the leaders featured in this collection and more find and stay in positions where they are able to shape the outcomes of a world we seek to all thrive in - we need to deeply invest in their leadership, as well as trust and amplify their power. https://lnkd.in/g7xKVE-N

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🖤 Today is Black Women's Equal Pay Day. Here is the reality: For every $100 a white household holds, black households hold only $15. This stark disparity underscores the urgent need to address the broader implications of the racial wealth gap, especially when it comes to creating affordable and sustainable care solutions for Black women, mothers, and their families. The racial wealth gap is a serious barrier to accessing quality childcare and eldercare, both of which often come at a premium. Low-paying jobs, held disproportionately by Black families, cannot meet these costs. In the last decade alone, the price of childcare has surged by over 25%, further widening the gap. The impact of this disparity is profound: 🖤 Black women are paid 63 cents for every dollar paid to white, non-Hispanic men, leading to an average loss of nearly $24,110 per year. 🖤 Black families are less likely to have access to employer-sponsored childcare or eldercare benefits. 🖤 Black women are more likely to work in the care economy yet face some of the lowest wages in these sectors. We need structural solutions to close the racial care gap, including: 💵 Fair pay: Ensuring that Black women receive equal pay for equal work. 🇺🇸 Fair policies: Implementing policies that support affordable and accessible childcare and eldercare for all families. 🏣 Fair workplaces: Creating work environments that provide necessary support and benefits for Black women and their families. Addressing these issues is not just about equality but also about justice and economic sustainability. We must work together to ensure that Black women are not left behind in the fight for fair wages and equitable care solutions. Let's commit to taking actionable steps toward closing the racial care gap and ensuring a more equitable future for all. The Care Gap (by Mother Honestly) #BlackWomensEqualPayDay #EqualPay #RacialCareGap #CareEconomy #EquityInCare #FairWorkplaces

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Are you a donor or a grantmaker? Help our colleagues at 21/64 & the National Network of Consultants to Grantmakers (NNCG) gain valuable insights on how you engage philanthropy consultants or advisors to advance your giving. Click here to start the survey > https://bit.ly/49FGn76

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The innovative solution to “economic mobility for low-income communities” is this trick called “pay people more.” And if you’re really about it: universal basic income.

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💡 Calling all budget holders in nonprofit organizations! Want to assess your Digital Nonprofit Finance™ (DNF) Maturity? Join us in this quick 10-minute survey to benchmark your ICT and digital investment decision making. Your your input will contribute to actionable sector insights! The NetHope's Digital Nonprofit Finance project is here to empower nonprofits with tools to link digital investment with impact, influencing funding decisions effectively. 🚀 Let's accelerate your organization's digital transformation and optimize your funding! Take the survey now: https://lnkd.in/eds6e-dA   #NetHope #DigitalNonprofit #Finance #Impact #Survey #ICTInvestment #TechForGood

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Fundraising v.s. Fund Development 🤔🤔 Both are vital elements of an effective fundraising strategy, but…. Fundraising = tactics and strategies to raise money. Fund Development = tactics and strategies for relationship building. Now, which one is more likely to result in larger, sustainable and even transformative gifts? 👇 Drop a comment 👇 #KiaCroomFundraising #Nonprofit #Fundraiser #TheGoToBIPOCFundraiser #SocialJusticeFundraiseHer

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Edgar Villanueva, Roland K., and many others delivered powerful keynotes on cross-sector power dynamics, inequality in philanthropy, and how to create meaningful change with technology #ai #digitaltransformation https://lnkd.in/eQEMWYGs On systemic wealth inequality:  "Poverty is a product. Wealth extraction, it's in our DNA." "1.5 trillion in philanthropy is invested in private markets. Where is the money? Who controls it? Who benefits? 95% continues to build your wealth." On rethinking traditional philanthropy models: "Generosity is not enough. Systems of dependency to redistribution." "Reparations are needed, not just generosity." Successful models were highlighted: "Philanthropic partnerships that mobilize communities, nonprofits, corporations and governments can create lasting change." "The 'shared value' model partners corporations and philanthropy to directly address problems." On using unrestricted funding: "Liberated capital - trust community advisors to redistribute resources. Have real relationships with the community." The role of AI in social impact: "Amplification of human intent. Use AI for good intent to support human intelligence." "AI can personalize at scale and streamline processes." We all need to critically examine legacy systems, redistribute power and wealth more equitably, and embrace new models - including AI - to create meaningful social impact. Brandolon Barnett, Kate Behncken, Imani Dunbar, Aimée Eubanks Davis Meg Garlinghouse, Erin Lewellen, Ellen McClain, Aneesh Raman, Erin McHugh Saif, Devi Thomas, John P. Wiltshire, Kelly Fukai, C.M, M.B.A, Sal Khan

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On #FourthofJuly, we're revisiting this blog highlighting the creation of EF's Racial Equity and Democracy Fund, as we continue to work to address climate change together with advancing equity and protecting democracy for all. https://lnkd.in/gPm6VezM

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