66. Friendraising: Building Corporate Partnerships & Getting Black-Led Nonprofits the Funding They Deserve with Monique Parker

Faced with the death of her beloved brother, Monique Parker, my guest on this episode of What the Fundraising, reinvented herself and enlivened her purpose. She launched a candle-making business whose revenue she funneled into philanthropies that honored the spirit of her brother. And now she’s taking her nonprofit support one step further.

Leveraging her corporate experience in the tech sector, where she was responsible for granting funds to nonprofits, Monique has launched A Little Bit of Good, a capacity-building accelerator program, to close the gap in funding for Black-led nonprofits. Monique is uniquely positioned to deconstruct institutional giving and highlight the ways in which nonprofits can best work with corporate partners to build long-term, sustainable strategic partnerships. You are not going to want to miss these takeaways!

Monique’s program is designed to equip Black nonprofit leaders with the strategy, resources, and capital necessary to create sustainable and scalable impact within their communities. “If you don’t have a focus on diversity, your initiatives will always be a Band-aid,” says Monique, who believes real healing lies in demographics, data, and other concrete measures for demonstrable change. 

Listen now for all of the takeaways for nonprofits, corporate partners, and the sector alike! And if you want to see your dollars at work in a hands-on, targeted way, consider clicking here to support Monique’s work. Here is the link to help support A Little Bit of Good.

Is your nonprofit ready to scale up? Our sponsor DonorPerfect has evolved a powerful platform to get you there. Click here to learn more about how this collaborative all-in-one fundraising hub can help your organization drive results, coordinate development, and foster donor engagement.

Episode Highlights:

(03:09) – Monique’s journey to creating Blow Candle Co. and working with nonprofits in her area.

(05:00) – A Little Bit of Good: Why Monique wants to focus on Black-led nonprofits

(07:25) – Using her skills to incubate, accelerate and connect resources 

(10:54) – Short-Term Vision v. Long-Term Priorities

(11:54) – From a corporate funder’s perspective

(13:05) – Monique’s tips for positioning budgets for long-term corporate commitments 

(16:28) – Getting feedback from funders

(20:20) – What Monique noticed in nonprofit pitches to her company 

(22:13) – Donor-nonprofit relationships that are more than transactional.

(23:07) – Monique’s recommendations for reaching out to companies 

(27:21) – Trend Watch: Monique notes what a lot of companies are looking for right now 

(29:47) – What the most sustainable, successful nonprofit efforts offer 

(32:20) – Monique breaks down the difference between performative giving and impact investing

(34:07) – The huge discrepancy between white- and Black-led nonprofits 

(35:48) – Grantmaking processes often exclude small grass-roots organizations 

(37:00) – Antiracism, comfort, and shifting funding structures 

(40:08) – Not all diversity hiring is equally impactful

(41:47) – The difference between a Band-aid and real systemic change

(44:21) – Learn more about Monique and Little Bit of Good 

Is your nonprofit ready to scale up? Our sponsor DonorPerfect has evolved a powerful platform to get you there. Click here to learn more about how this collaborative all-in-one fundraising hub can help your organization drive results, coordinate development, and foster donor engagement.