#181 | What does it mean to be a Black woman in fundraising today?

Dominique Calixte is the Associate Director of Annual Giving and Special Events at YW Boston, the oldest YWCA in the nation. For more than 150 years, YW Boston has been working to eliminate racism and empower women. Our conversation focused on answering the question of what it means to be a Black woman in fundraising today and how our sector can create more opportunities for women like Dominique as well as other POC who desire to work in our space. 

Dominique and I covered a lot of territory in this conversation, and neither of us were shy about our opinions. We discussed whether the sector’s aspirations for more diversity, equity and inclusion will resolve themselves as long as we rely on arms-length fundraising and practices that minimize meaningful engagement between us and the donor. I appreciated our agreement that POC who aspire to be most successful in this field should seek out and insist upon donor-facing opportunities as opposed to those who are behind the scenes. 

If you are interested in partnering with a member of our team at Responsive Fundraising, reach out today. We will be happy to volunteer the time to explore how we might partner together. 

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