Black Investments in Greensboro – Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro

Congratulations to Mae Douglas, BIG Equity Fund Steering Committee Chair

Holly Holliday on July 27, 2023

North Carolina for Community and Justice (NCCJ) will honor community leaders Mae Douglas and Dr. Patrick Harman with the Brotherhood/Sisterhood Citation Award at their 57^th annual Citation Award Dinner on Wednesday, November 8, chaired by Leslie Dunne Ketner and Robert C. Ketner.

“NCCJ is delighted to honor Mae and Patrick,” says Ivan Canada, NCCJ’s executive director. “These two remarkable people are both multi-hyphenate community leaders. Mae and Patrick are volunteers – and mentors – and philanthropists. They make generous investments, but they don’t stop there. They then roll up their sleeves and do the work of creating the change they want to see for our communities. They’re using every resource they can to break down barriers, foster collaboration and partnership, and set our Triad community on the path toward a future that’s good for all of us – not just some of us.”

“Robert and I are proud and excited to chair this important event,” says Leslie Dunne Ketner. “In a polarized world, love is the only hope – and NCCJ is dedicated to bringing people together in understanding, acceptance, and love. We can’t wait to gather with our community this fall to celebrate Mae and Patrick and shine a spotlight on some of the incredible work these leaders are doing to uplift and strengthen our community.”

ABOUT OUR HONOREES

Greensboro native Mae Douglas is a lifelong advocate for racial and social justice. After a distinguished career as a corporate business leader and human resources executive, Mae came home to Greensboro – and got to work. Driven by her belief in the promise Greensboro embodies, calling it “a place of diversity, compassion, vision, and collaboration,” Mae is working to build a better city for future generations growing up in our community.

Since retirement, Mae has invested her time, talents, and resources as a volunteer, mentor, and philanthropist. She is dedicated to advancing the policy and systemic changes necessary to achieve full equity and accessibility in education, health care, business development, and all facets of life for those in our community. Her efforts are often focused in predominantly Black areas like those in East Greensboro where she grew up, since investments in the city’s growth historically left out neighborhoods like hers.

Mae currently serves with organizations such as Cone Health, UNC-Greensboro, and the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. She previously served with several others, including NCCJ. Most recently, she played a key role in establishing the Black Investments in Greensboro (BIG) Equity Fund, a permanent endowment with a vision to transform the well-being of Greensboro’s Black communities.

During Mae’s career, she was nationally recognized for her significant contributions to diversity efforts and leadership development across the telecommunications industry. Mae has been honored many times for her work in the Triad, including the 2020 Athena Award by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce; the 2022 Outstanding Greensboro Philanthropist by the Association of Fundraising Professionals – NC Triad Chapter; and the 2022 Thomas Z. Osborne Distinguished Citizen Award by the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, and the 2023 Black Business Ink Power 100 Award.

Dr. Patrick Harman works tirelessly to improve the quality of life for all people in his hometown of High Point. For more than 20 years, he has leveraged his Hayden-Harman Foundation to bring about positive, lasting change in our community. Patrick’s impact is both deep and wide; he quietly plays a key role in many aspects of High Point’s civic life and community development.

Much of Patrick’s work has focused on revitalizing the Washington Street area, High Point’s historic Black Main Street, through commercial and residential building renovation, business and economic development, and youth education and leadership initiatives. He founded Growing High Point to address healthy food access through comprehensive and sustainable food systems through the creation of urban farms, a food hub, and a mobile grocery store.

Seeking to grow the capacity of all nonprofits to respond to community trauma, Patrick founded Resilience High Point, a nonprofit that encourages public, private, and nonprofits to collaborate on building systems for a compassionate community. Patrick also launched the Bridge project that will serve as a comprehensive community-based hub of support to address healthy food access, health services access, job skill training, agribusiness development, and youth development.

Patrick has worked closely with organizations including D-Up, Elon University, Forward High Point, Greater High Point Food Alliance, Growing High Point, the John Coltrane International Jazz Festival, the Washington Street Community Association, United Way of High Point, and others.

Patrick’s philanthropic and social change work is informed by his background in political science and policy, and educational research methodology and psychology. His honors include the 2014 Esther Award from the Welfare Reform Liaison Project and a 2015 Fulbright award for supporting work alongside social scientists at Durham University to identify neighborhood-rebuilding projects deemed most effective by politicians, nonprofits, and community members.

ABOUT THE CITATION AWARD DINNER

The Citation Award Dinner is the Triad’s largest annual event dedicated to diversity and inclusion. It is also NCCJ’s biggest community program and fundraiser. Honoring Mae Douglas and Dr. Patrick Harman and chaired by Leslie Dunne Ketner and Robert C. Ketner, the 2023 Citation Award Dinner will be held both in-person and virtually (live streaming) on Wednesday, November 10, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro. Doors to the Guilford Ballroom will open at 5:45 p.m. for the reception, with the dinner and program taking place from 6:45 to 9 p.m.

Visit NCCJ’s website, www.nccjtriad.org/citation to reserve your tickets or event sponsorship, or to make a gift in honor of Mae Douglas or Dr. Patrick Harman. All revenue from the dinner provides essential support for NCCJ’s work throughout the year.

MORE ABOUT NCCJ

NCCJ is a human relations organization working to create compassionate and just communities free of bias, bigotry, and racism. We promote understanding and respect among all cultures, races, and religions through advocacy, education, and dialogue.

While we work with people of all ages, NCCJ’s youth leadership work is our cornerstone. We support teens’ mental health and social and emotional development by building their confidence, self-esteem, and resilience; showing them firsthand the value of diversity and the importance of inclusion and equity; helping them see their own agency to create positive change; and facilitating social connections with peers and adult allies to grow and strengthen their support systems.

NCCJ’s best-known youth program is Anytown. Since the 1980s, thousands of local high school students have participated in this weeklong youth leadership and human relations summer camp. Thousands more have attended NCCJ’s in-school programs like Anyday and Break the Cycle: Be the Change, which focuses on teaching students to recognize and counteract the stereotypes and prejudices that lead to bullying and discrimination.

In addition to our youth-focused programs, NCCJ also offers community programs like The Reset and Open Minds, Respectful Voices, as well as diversity and inclusion training for educators and other adult professionals.

Contact nccj@nccjtriad.org to arrange an in-person or virtual NCCJ program or presentation for your school, workplace, or organization.

Black Investments in Greensboro (BIG) Equity Fund 1st Annual Celebration

Kabrina Shamburger on November 10, 2022

Donors and volunteers gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the fund’s official launch. Here are a few key facts about Big Equity Fund and Black philanthropy shared at the event: Black Philanthropy

Blacks give 25% more of their income than whites, according to a Kellogg Foundation report—a fact that is not well-known.
Black Investments in Greensboro (BIG) Equity Fund is a one-of-a-kind charitable fund led BY the Black community FOR the Black community in Greensboro.
BIG Equity Fund remains Black-led and Black-funded so that the wealth and assets of the Black community in Greensboro are recognized as key contributions to our community’s quality of life. BIG Equity Fund
BIG Equity Fund has raised $1.5M to date since its initial fundraising began in the winter of 2019-20.
BIG Equity Fund is a permanent “endowed” fund, which means that for as long as there are opportunities to strengthen the Black community in Greensboro, BIG Equity Fund will be there to lend a helping hand. It is a “forever” fund hosted by the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro.
The first $300,000 in contributions to the fund were from Black donors, and more than half of all contributions to date continue to flow from the Black community.

To learn more, visit www.bigequityfund.org

Michael Humphrey: Equitable Philanthropy

Holly Holliday on May 31, 2022

Over the years, equity has become a hot topic amongst nonprofit organizations, but what is equity? No matter what industry or cause an organization supports, equity should be at the forefront and a driving force of how an organization operates.

In this edition of The Conversation, CFGG’s Vice President of Operations and Equity, Michael Humphrey, highlights how CFGG implements equity philanthropy.

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1. What does philanthropy mean to you?

Philanthropy to me is giving, caring, and playing an active role in the well-being of a community. It is defined as the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. Whether defined by me or by Merrian Webster, at its core philanthropy represents the good that can be attained for a community. The question for me came because I didn’t feel that philanthropy was a realm in which I could dwell as a person of color. My perception of philanthropy was that it was all ‘brick-and-mortar’ fundraising, reserved for very wealthy white people. I saw philanthropy as something that only families with names like Carnegie and Rockefeller, need bother with…and I could not have been more wrong, because I too am a philanthropist. While those wealthy American families utilized their wealth to help communities by building hospitals, colleges and universities, businesses, etc., that bear their names, it was their giving that directly impacted people, and that carries further with me.

It was not until my introduction to the Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro that I realized that philanthropy was within my reach, without being either wealthy or white. On the contrary, I am a Black man who isn’t wealthy, but as a native of Greensboro, I desire to witness, nurture, live, and create a better life in Greensboro for myself, my family and all citizens of this great city. I never imagined moving back to Greensboro, after nearly 25 years aways, and to be able to invoke change, and leverage my position as a platform to teach others about philanthropy is beyond my wildest dreams. This is also an opportunity to utilize various tools of philanthropy to not only raise money for important causes such as housing, workforce, and education, but to also see how it can be used to manifest change in public policy and give voice to issues of social justice. Philanthropy to me means greater opportunities for all.

2. What is CFGG’s role and responsibility in fostering diversity and equity?

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro bears the responsibility of servicing a community that is majority-minority, with a population that is approximately 52% ethnic minority and 48% white. So, when it states that CFGG’s vision is a city where people work together to enrich the lives of all, there is an expectation of CFGG to look representative of the community in its staff and Board of Directors, and for CFGG’s work to benefit everyone. We work hard to be an organization with diverse leadership, inclusiveness in our partnerships and with our volunteers, and equitable throughout all our work and various initiatives. The theme and principles of equity are infused throughout all aspects of our work.

We have incorporated a ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement’ which reads:

“Our communities are diverse. They include people of all ages and abilities, creeds and religions, cultures, ethnicities, gender identities, national origins, and socioeconomic backgrounds. To pursue our mission, we will embrace our diversity, create opportunities for equity, commit us to fairness, and promote inclusion of all people.”

3. How can CFGG leverage partnerships to have a greater impact?

The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro must use collaborative partnerships to achieve our vision of our city as a welcoming and thriving place where people work together to enrich the lives of all. The operative term in our vision is ‘enrich the lives of all’, not just some, but all! Through our role as fundraisers and granters, we can create financial resources to grant to local non-profits and help to finance the work of other organizations that do more of the programmatic grassroots work. We not only raise funds, but we also serve as convenors, pulling together key community stakeholders including local politicians, business leaders, civic and community leaders, and Greensboro residents, to create opportunities for all residents of Greensboro.

4. How does CFGG’s mission and values align with the needs of the community?

The mission of CFGG states: “The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro inspires giving, maximizes opportunities and strengthens communities for every resident.” Greensboro, like many cities across the country, has its great points but faces some challenges as well. With an initiative like Guilford Jobs 2030, we are working to tackle one of those challenges. The challenge is a local workforce not adequately trained to fill skilled roles that are available now, and even more to come. Our goal here is to reach 60% of the local workforce being adequately trained/certified to fill these roles by 2030. There is a local affordable housing shortage that we are addressing with the creation of a housing fund used to fund builders in this type of development. We are also working to nurture and further develop local entrepreneurs, especially considering that most of the employers in Greensboro are entrepreneurs. This entrepreneurial sector must get our continued support.

The CFGG values include: Diverse and inclusive leadership, Strong entrepreneurial spirit, and Access to meaningful opportunities for every resident. I’ve talked a bit about CFGG’s diversity in leadership, and it is fact that diverse groups have proven more creative than groups of people with no diversity. It’s important that Greensboro and CFGG both remain creative and innovative entities. Likewise, a strong entrepreneurial spirit is needed both internally and externally as we go about our work in and around the Triad region. And finally, communities can’t thrive in a disparity-filled have and have-not environment. People generally are not looking for a hand-out, but more-so a hand-up and that is the definition of equity itself. It’s leveling the playing field, so that all can play in this game called life, and its truly organizations like CFGG and so many others that must figure how to invest in Main Street versus Wall Street. Philanthropy to me is about people and what vehicles can be used to enhance the lives of all citizens alike.