The Giving Black Podcast

Giving Black Family,

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Giving Black Podcast with Queen Jade, your Host of The Producers Series: Gleaux & Tell. 

Queen Jade speaks with an inspiring Black social entrepreneur,  Jason Teeters. He's a visionary innovator, emergent strategist, and founder of Jet Set State (JSS) — a people-centered design company reimagining leadership for the modern world.

Through his work, Jason helps organizations break silos, nurture creativity, and drive systemic change rooted in empathy and intention. His approach draws on principles of human-centered design, challenging leaders to decenter ego, honor interdependence, and build systems where rest and reflection are as vital as action.

From boardrooms to grassroots initiatives, Jason’s work reminds us that innovation is born from stillness, and true leadership begins with self-restoration. Jason’s reminder is both simple and profound — that rest is design. It’s how we restore balance, resist systems that demand constant motion, and reclaim our right to breathe, build, and belong.

The world will always ask for more. But we have the power to redefine what “enough” looks like — to lead from fullness, not fatigue.

Queen Jade reminds us, Rest is Resistance. Stillness is strength. And in your quietest moments — you gleaux!

Giving Black Family

It's the time of year when I find myself listening more intently to my body and my mind. Both of which are telling me it is time to take a break. 

It has been a long and arduous six months that I have devoted to producing Series Two of The Giving Black Podcast, planning and delivering The Giving Conference, organizing The Giving Black Soirée, and researching and releasing the Fundraising While Black report.

I am taking time to replenish. Rather than put away the podcast mic, as I have done in the past, I am passing it on. The very first person who came to my mind to receive the mic was, Queen Jade - a dear Sister-Friend, a dynamic social-entrepreneur, and an incredible advocate for Afrocentric philanthropy. Queen Jade first joined us in Series One, Episode 11 of The Giving Black Podcast and also co-hosted The Giving Black Conference in 2024. She's not a  stranger to Giving Black and most importantly, she has a lot to share about Black philanthropy.

In this Episode of the Giving Black Podcast, Queen Jade speaks about coalescing within Black community, reminding us to value ourselves and each as a form of honouring our ancestors and their work in resisting oppression and seeking freedom. 

Queen Jade and her guests will Gleaux & Tell about Black Philanthropy for the next three episodes of The Giving Black Podcast.

Hey Giving Black Family

Here is the closing interview of Series Two of The Giving Black Podcast. 

This conversation is with Christal M. Cherry Founder of Board Pro a consulting firm that supports non-profit governance boards to adopt new skills and tools for non-profit leadership. 

Christal is a nationally recognized nonprofit consultant, speaker, fellow co-author of Collecting Courage, and board leadership expert with almost three decades of experience igniting change across higher education, human services, and faith-based organizations. 

Christal serves on the boards of several Atlanta-based nonprofits and is the proud Founder and Chair of F3: Fabulous Female Fundraisers Inc., a collective that supports Women of Colour in fundraising to achieve personal and professional support. 

Christal was a guest on this year's Giving Black Conference, as we spoke about agentsC's latest research, Fundraising While Black.  I learned so much about the ins-and-outs of board governance from Christal and I hope you will too. My key takeaway was an intriguing question for boards and frankly, all gatherings - the question: "What are you carrying into this space that we need to honour?" 

As well as our richly engaging conversation, this question still sits with me in relation to what I bring to gatherings that I believe need to be honoured, and how I honour those who contribute to my gatherings.

#givingblack

Greetings, Giving Black Family,

In this episode of The Giving Black Podcast, we return to our archives to share a previously unreleased conversation originally recorded for the Black Canadian Fundraisers Collective Capacity Building Academy. We bring it forward now to celebrate The Giving Black Conference 2025, as we continue to spotlight the power and impact of Black philanthropy.

This recording is supported by a special essay I’ve written on Black Immigrant Philanthropy in the Global North, which will be published in the Giving Black Conference Program on October 9, 2025.

I am joined by my friend, church brother, and philanthropist, Jason Glover. Jason is an active alumnus of the University of Toronto Scarborough, where he serves on the University Council. In 2024, he was appointed to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board. He also holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Before beginning his post-secondary education, Jason served as an Armoured Crewman with the Canadian Forces Primary Reserve.

Like many Black people who engage in philanthropy, Jason does not view himself as a “philanthropist.” As he puts it: “I feel I’m just a member of the community giving back to the community in ways that benefit other people.” Together, Jason and I reflect on how the word “philanthropist”, equally belongs to everyday people like him, as well as multi-millionaires like his friend, Sam Ibrahim, who made a $25 million donation to UofT Scarborough.

Our conversation explores Jason’s motivations for making a major donation to his alma mater, where he established the Jason G. Glover Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Award, after SAm Ibrahim's donation. Jason's endowed fund supports Black and Indigenous students facing financial hardship. His journey started as a student who depended on loans to pay his university education. He then became a volunteer, then a donor at the university. During the Black Lives Matter movement and the Reconciliation movement for Indigenous communities, Jason then decided to establish his fund by making a major donation. 

Jason's story reminds us that Black philanthropy is not solely built on wealth—it’s about vision, responsibility, and a commitment to community that transforms lives. Jason quotes Jonathan Winters: "I couldn't wait for success, so I went ahead without it!".

Hello Giving Black Family, 

Here is our final series of conversations to honour Black Philanthropy Month 2025 and celebrate our theme: Sankofa: Remember, Reclaim, Rise! 

I sit down with my dear friend, Brother Christopher Beck, Associate Director of Individual and Planned Giving at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Georgia—one of a few Black male fundraisers that I know, and a Member Spotlight of African American Development Officers Network (AADO). 

As I often reflect, every time I speak with Brother Christopher, I never want the conversation to end. His knowledge is deep, his perspective wide, and his generosity and love for Black philanthropy is palpable. 

Brother Christopher shares powerful insights on Black philanthropy as both tradition and strategy. He highlights the need to recognize our everyday acts of generosity as philanthropy. Education about wealth-building tools, including investments and land ownership, combined with sophisticated philanthropic vehicles such as Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Lead Trusts are necessary and  important philanthropic resources and tools within the African American landscape of generosity.

Black philanthropy through the lens of Sankofa: is about building stronger communities.  Drawing from the example of his father’s daily acts of sharing, Brother Christopher reminds us that wealth is deeply connected to generosity: “We’ve gotta get dirt in our name" to be secure in our philanthropy. 

This conversation is both a celebration and a call to action—an inspiring close to our Sankofa series.

To Connect with Christopher Beck you can reach him on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/chrisbeckone/ 

Philanthropy Is The Heartbeat Of The World!

#blackphilanthropymonth #givingblack #backblack

Hello Giving Black Family,

In this episode of The Giving Black Podcast, we traveled—at least in spirit—to the home of the global philanthropic tradition of Sankofa: Ghana, West Africa.

We knew we had to include a Ghanaian perspective in this series, and I was introduced to exactly the right person. As fortune would have it, a close brother of mine, while holidaying in Ghana, told me about an incredible coach with an amazing program teaching children basketball skills, helping them grow as student-athletes, nurturing their physical, spiritual, and mental health—and making sure they had fun along the way.

I am pleased to share an inspiring conversation with Coach Ernest “Oxy” Koomson, Founder and Head Coach of The Charm Academy Basketball Program, in Accra Ghana.

This dynamic discussion continues our celebration of Black Philanthropy Month and our series on Sankofa: Remember, Reclaim, Rise. Coach Oxy brings a powerful message: Black faith is deeply intertwined with our destiny, and our destiny is to embody the spirit of Sankofa in all that we do.

There is a sacrificial and spiritual essence to what Coach Oxy is building at Charm Academy. It is more than a sports program—it is a calling to support Ghana’s youth to become future leaders. Whether or not they go on to play professional basketball is beside the point. The true spirit of Sankofa within Charm Academy lies in providing young people with the opportunities for growth and development that Coach Oxy himself did not have as a youth.

Giving Black family, I encourage you to learn more about Coach Oxy and his inspiring work through the following channels:

On email: [email protected]

and on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/charmbasketballacademy?igsh=ZjR3d3Iwa3RpdXdj&utm_source=qr

Philanthropy Is The Heartbeat Of The World!

#blackphilanthropymonth #givingblack #backblack

Hello Giving Black Family!

When I learned about the work of Dr. Mojúbàolú Olúfúnké Okome—Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, New York, and Co-Founder of Black Philanthropy Month—I knew we had to speak!

Dr. Okome, a fellow Nigerian, is both an academic and a powerful advocate for pan-Africanism. In this episode of The Giving Black Podcast, she and I explore the importance of a united global call to action around Black philanthropy in its many forms, traditions, and practices.

She highlights the significance and similarity of traditional acts of philanthropy in Black communities around the world: tithing to religious institutions, the history of rent parties that supported community members unable to pay rent, and the breadth of radical generosity, Ajo and SuSu, Pardner, a variety of rotational credit systems in Black communities—much of which goes unnoticed and unrecorded.

Giving Black family, it’s not often we are blessed with such deep academic insight into Black philanthropy. This is a rich, contextual, and flavourful conversation about what philanthropy looks like from a continental, multi-generational, diasporic, and a contemporary African migratory perspective—all of which combine into a wonderful recognition of the unifying power of Sankofa: a principle that binds all Black people together despite the distance of time and space.

Dr. Okome is, in one word, amazing. I am proud to have hosted her—not only did I learn new dimensions of Black philanthropy, but I also gained a new friend and elder in this important movement of generostiy.

You can connect with Dr. Okome via LinkedIn:

 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mojubaolu

Philanthropy Is The Heartbeat Of The World!

#blackphilanthropymonth #givingblack #backblack

Giving Black Family, here is another great conversation for you to listen to! 

Nasra Ayub is a young activist, philanthropist, and human and civil rights campaigner. She works at the UK's Global Fund for Children, supporting the Phoenix Way initiative, which is a philanthropic fund for Black and racially diverse grassroots community organizations.  

In this episode, Nasra speaks passionately about the importance of hope and the legacy of Black activism in shaping and sustaining community. While at times it feels like radical progress is being made, there are also forces that seek to push Black communities back. Hope is what keeps us moving forward.

Together, Nasra and I reflect on the complexities of philanthropy, especially when resources are limited compared to the scale of need. We engage in an important discussion about why Black philanthropy must support and sustain grassroots initiatives.

Nasra closes our conversation with a compelling call to action: the need for self-care as we work to create solutions within our community. This, too, embodies the spirit of our celebratory series, Sankofa: Remember. Reclaim. Rise.

You'll be able to hear more from Nasra. She'll be returning to The  Giving Black Virtual Conference on October 9, 2025 (10:00am -12:00pm EST).

You can also connect with Nasra via LinkedIn: 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nasra-ayub-320b7a128/

and on Instagram:

 @nasra.ayub

Philanthropy Is The Heartbeat Of The World!

#blackphilanthropymonth #givingblack #backblack

Hello Giving Black Family! 

Here's another episode of The Giving Black Podcast. Today we are joined by a friend to the podcast and my Sister-Friend, Nneka Allen, Activist, Mother, Stone Catcher, Freedom Fighter, Founder and CEO of The Empathy Agency  and Author of Collecting Courage.

Together we continue in our celebrations of Black Philanthropy Month (August), in honour of our theme Sankofa: Remember, Reclaim, Rise. Sister Nneka discusses the significance of Sankofa in relation to her philanthropic heritage as an Afro Indigenous woman. The spirit of Sankofa was passed on to her through her parents, across the many generations who continued the tradition of generosity:

• There's something familial, spiritual, and perpetual about Black Philanthropy expressed in Sankofa - moving forward, staying still, looking back, elevating, evolving with the times.
• We say that charity first of all begins at home. This is not an exclusionary stance, meaning we take care only of our own. It's an inclusive posture indicating that we learn most about the spirit of Sankofa, in our families, through our parents, among our relatives,  through our stories, and in our communities. This empowers us to be powerful advocates for generosity outside of our homes.
• Sankofa is also unifying.  It's principles can be seen and practiced across the races and the cultures of our world. 

To hear more of more about Sister Nneka Allen, listen to Season One Episodes, 6, and 11 of The Giving Black Podcast.

#GivingBlack2025 #BlackPhilanthropyMonth #Sankofa #RememberReclaimRise

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August 1, 2025 marks Emancipation Day and the beginning of Black Philanthropy Month. 

We begin this important season with a special podcast series dedicated to pioneering people engaged in building on the rich culture and deep heritage of Black philanthropy. Our Sankofa Series pays deference to the Akan people of Ghana, West Africa, who encourage us to learn from the past to build a better future - going forward without leaving anybody behind.

Kicking off this special series of conversations, this episode features Floyd Jones, Chair of Black Philanthropy Month, founder of BackBlack, a multi-platform initiative focused on supporting Black-led nonprofits, and CEO of Floyd Jones Enterprises, which helps social impact leaders grow their work through community-led strategies.

In this animated thought provoking conversation, Floyd reflects on the meaning of Sankofa through his heritage as an African American man and the work that inspires him to collaborate with and support our communities. We connect on several levels as African men engaged in increasing the awareness about Black Philanthropy, and as people passionate about community. 

Floyd's passion resonates throughout our discussion, calling us all to Remember, Reclaim and Rise in response to those who are most marginalized and unseen.    

As we celebrate Black philanthropy month we hope you are inspired by this conversation and will share it with your friends, colleagues and family.  

Philanthropy Is The Heartbeat Of The World

#GivingBlack2025 #BlackPhilanthropyMonth #Sankofa #RememberReclaimRise