Wednesday, February 24, 2021
3:00 PM ET
Free for WOC Members - Log-in to RSVP
$20.00 for Non-Members
Celebrate Black History Month with WOC’s the Word! Join us for a powerhouse discussion with trailblazers in Black philanthropy and fundraising as our Founder, Yolanda F. Johnson, hosts WOC’s the Word, with Birgit Smith Burton, Dr. Tyrone McKinley Freeman and Dr. Angelique Grant. We’ll take a look at our important history, where we are now, and what the future holds for Black fundraisers and philanthropists.
Be sure to join us so that you can have this special opportunity to ask questions directly to our guests in this “Ask the Expert”- formatted vodcast!
RSVP is now closed.
Thank you for your interest in Episode 3 of WOC’s the WORD! We will be in touch with event details. We can’t wait to see you there.
Episode Guests
Birgit Smith Burton, Founder, AADO, African American Development Officers Network and WOC Advisory Committee Member
Birgit Smith Burton is a respected leader in the fundraising profession who has raised more than $500 million during her 33-year career. As the executive director of foundation relations at the Georgia Institute of Technology, she led her team in raising $309 million toward the Institute's most recent successful $1.8 billion capital campaign.
Birgit is a well-regarded speaker on the topics of fundraising and diversity. She has authored articles on diversity in the fundraising profession, co-authored the book, The Philanthropic Covenant with Black America, and contributed to the book Five Minutes for Fundraising, A Collection of Expert Advice. Birgit is honored to tell her personal story in the book Collecting Courage, which shares the lived experiences of Black women and men working in the nonprofit and charitable space (published fall 2020). She was proud to be selected by Georgia Tech leadership to participate in the first cohort of Leading Women @ Tech, which identified the next community of leaders who will guide the institution in the 21st century. Birgit also was chosen as one of the 2020 Faces of Inclusive Excellence, recognizing faculty, staff, and students who are committed to gender diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Tyrone McKinley Freeman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies; Director of Undergraduate Programs, Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy
Tyrone McKinley Freeman is an award-winning scholar and teacher who serves as Assistant Professor of Philanthropic Studies and Director of Undergraduate Programs at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy.
Previously, he was a professional fundraiser for social services, community development, and higher education organizations. He was also Associate Director of The Fund Raising School where he trained nonprofit leaders in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Europe. His research focuses on the history of African American philanthropy, philanthropy in communities of color, the history of American philanthropy, and philanthropy and fundraising in higher education.
His latest book is entitled, Madam C.J. Walker’s Gospel of Giving: Black Women’s Philanthropy during Jim Crow, (University of Illinois Press, 2020). It examines African American women’s history of charitable giving, activism, education, and social service provision through the life and example of Madam C.J. Walker, the early twentieth century black philanthropist and entrepreneur.
His work has appeared or been cited in O: The Oprah Magazine, USA Today, TIME, Newsweek, NewsOne, Blavity, The Conversation, Black Perspectives, Chronicle of Philanthropy, and the Stanford Social Innovations Review. He is co-author of Race, Gender and Leadership in Nonprofit Organizations (2011 Palgrave MacMillan). A proud HBCU grad, Tyrone earned a B.A. in English/Liberal Arts from Lincoln University (PA), a M.S. in Adult Education from Indiana University, a Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from Ball State University, and a Ph.D. in Philanthropic Studies from Indiana University.
Angelique S. C. Grant, Ph.D., Senior Consultant and Vice President, Aspen Leadership Group and WOC Advisory Committee member
Angelique S.C. Grant, Ph.D. is a senior consultant, vice president and certified diversity recruiter with Aspen Leadership Group. Dr. Grant provides counsel in diversity, equity and inclusion practices, fundraising, and nonprofit strategies. Her services include philanthropic strategic thought partnership, building and leading effective, diverse teams, recruitment and retention strategies, diversity audits and assessment, and cultural awareness trainings. She is a certified unconscious bias trainer and facilitator, has been an active speaker for countless industry associations over the years, and has chaired and served as faculty for several conferences across the country.
Throughout her 25-year career, Dr. Grant has successfully managed teams to meet fundraising goals in several multi-million dollar campaigns, and two separate billion dollar campaigns. Previously, she served as an Assistant Vice President of Development and Assistant Dean of Medical Advancement, Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University. Her extensive experience in higher education advancement has also included roles at Princeton University, Washington State University, and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine.
Our Host
Yolanda F. Johnson, Founder of WOC
With more than two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, Yolanda F. Johnson has successfully led fundraising operations for a wide range of non-profit organizations, launching creative event, sponsorship and marketing initiatives that produced new streams of both contributed and earned income. Her fundraising expertise includes securing foundation, corporate, and government funding and cultivating a diverse major gifts portfolio.
In addition to leading YFJ Consulting, LLC, Yolanda is the Founder of WOC, Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy® and President of Women In Development (WID), NY, the NYC area's premier professional organization for women in fundraising and philanthropy. Yolanda has also had an outstanding career as a performing artist, as a composer, as a producer, as an educator, and she has used her background as a performer to become a sought-after fundraising expert.