LaDainian "LT" Tomlinson, NFL Hall of Famer and Founder of Tomlinson's Touching Lives Foundation, explains why he gives and how you can help pro athletes level up their giving. LT breaks down trust gaps, what NIL athletes must know to be effective philanthropists, and how an encounter with Emmitt Smith changed his life.

More tools and goodies at blackphilanthropypodcast.com.

Follow @blackphilanthropyourstories @michelle.renee.jackson (host) @lt_21official (guest)

***New Episodes Every Wednesday***

If you feel devalued in transactional philanthropy, you're facing a real threat to your purpose‑driven work. You need a new model now. Using Black giving traditions, Heather Infantry, CEO of Giving Gap, shows you how to reclaim your joy, dignity, and worth so you and your nonprofit can create meaningful, purpose‑driven change without sacrificing yourselves. Additional resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com.

If you feel powerless politically, you're not alone. This episode reveals how your giving can impact upcoming elections. Ludovic Blain, Director of the California Donor Table, explains how the wealthiest donors use non‑tax‑deductible political giving to influence campaigns while nonprofits and most voters remain unaware. Discover how your philanthropy is political power, before it's too late. Additional resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com

On the eve of his last day with the Hewlett Foundation, Marcus McGrew shows you how to stop running yourself into the ground in philanthropy. Through his story, you learn to spot burnout, interrupt perfectionism, and rebuild healthier habits. This episode helps you claim work-life balance, protect your well‑being, and choose sustainability over self‑sacrifice.

More resources at blackphilanthropypodcast.com.

Follow @blackphilanthropyourstories & @michelle.renee.jackson (host)

Dr. Kimberlin Butler, Founder & Chief Possibility Catalyst of The L.E.A.D Agency, certified impact philanthropy advisor, and creator of Youth Possible Philanthropy™ shares why young people are essential partners in systems change, philanthropic leadership, and community investment, and how intentional listening strengthens equitable grantmaking.

Butler challenges the youth as tokens model prevalent in many philanthropic spaces arguing that partnering with young people is obligatory if philanthropy is going to fulfill its promise of transformation.

***New Episodes Released Every Wednesday

Resources courtesy of Dr. Butler

Engaging Youth in Philanthropic Practice: Field-Building Strategies and the Promise of Youth-Possible Philanthropy™ (The Foundation Review, Volume 17, Issue 1)

Power Shared, Possibility Realized: Youth-Possible Philanthropy™ (Grantmakers for Effective Organizations)

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Produced by: Simuel + Murray, MWBE Certified

In this episode, host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv speaks with Karen Isble, Vice President for College Advancement at Kalamazoo College about her work with the Collaborative for Respectful Workplaces in Higher Education Advancement.

Karen shares her journey from opera singer and prospect researcher to frontline fundraising executive, offering insight into the often‑unspoken challenges frontline staffers in philanthropy face when their physical and emotional safety is compromised, and bad donor behavior is excused, because of the size or importance of a donor's gift.

Karen and Michelle explore the "should I stay or go?" dilemma staffers experience when lines are crossed, the grey areas of philanthropy culture, cancel‑culture fears, and how institutions can walk away from charitable gifts to protect staff.

This is a conversation for every leader in philanthropy seeking safer workplaces, clearer boundaries, and the right questions to ask before accepting a job.

New episodes released every Wednesday.

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Produced by: Simuel + Murray, MWBE Certified

In this episode with host, Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv, Jessyca Dudley, CEO of Bold Ventures, shares why understanding reparative philanthropy's role in our increasingly disconnected and inequitable world is no longer optional. This is obligatory work.

We gain an understanding of how we can shift toward repair‑centered practices in philanthropy that address historic and ongoing harms impacting countless communities across the US and globally.

We learn why extraction‑based wealth creation, pay inequities, environmental damage, labor exploitation, and power imbalances demand a new philanthropic approach grounded in accountability, transparency, and community‑driven decision making.

We also receive practical guidance on transforming funding practices amid shrinking budgets and public mistrust, adopting participatory grantmaking, redefining accountability, and rebuilding trust with the communities we serve.

And if we're navigating disruptions to world economies, and who among us isn't, this episode gives us the strategic direction we need to help transform the $500B sector of philanthropy.

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Produced by: Simuel + Murray, MWBE Certified

When foundation and nonprofit board members stay an average of 3 to 5+ years longer than paid staff, their influence becomes decisive, undeniable, and lasting. They are the structural pillars on which nonprofits and foundations depend.

In this episode of Black Philanthropy: Our Stories, host Michelle Renee Jackson, MDiv sits down with foundation and nonprofit board leader, Morris Price, for a masterclass on foundation and nonprofit board governance, executive director leadership, and the power dynamics shaping philanthropy today.

Morris breaks down the core functions of effective boards, namely governance, fiduciary responsibility, and board recruitment, while explaining how to alleviate common tensions between paid staff and volunteer board leadership.

Morris offers practical strategies for fundraising training, building a culture of giving, navigating "give‑or‑get" expectations, and strengthening relationships between nonprofit and foundation leadership.

Morris speaks candidly about fear-based decision-making, organizational sustainability, and why donors remain essential to long‑term nonprofit health.

Whether you are a funder or fundraiser, this is a transformative conversation for any leader in philanthropy committed to community‑centered philanthropy.

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Follow Black Philanthropy: Our Stories on Linkedin, Instagram, Youtube, and Facebook.

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Donate to support this episode of black-female led storytelling

Produced by: Simuel + Murray, MWBE Certified