The current uprising for Black Lives has mobilized a vast majority of the country, in ways that we haven’t seen before. Some of the work I am most proud of is early backing of promising leaders who have gone on to positively impact the country, especially at this moment of racial reckoning.

Leaders such as Jessica Byrd (chief architect of the M4BL Electoral Justice Project), Stacey Abrams (founder of Fair Fight after running for Governor of Georgia),  Keith Ellison (Minnesota Attorney General), Michael Tubbs (Mayor of Stockton, California) and others. In reflecting on the kinds of support that helped support them on their journeys, I tried to distill some key lessons. While there is an outpouring of material support for Black equality at the current moment, in reflecting on this NYT article about the outpouring of financial support for the movement, here are some ideas about how to sustain this kind of support:

  • Make MULTI-YEAR commitments and make them NOW
  • Strengthen the back-end of groups and the movement
  • Back specific movement leaders
  • All individuals can help, or become investors
  • Become a voice for accountability
  • Intelligently channel massive volunteer energy

Read the full article about funding movements by Steve Phillips at Donors of Color Network.