Black History Month’s campaign, ‘Proud To Be’, invites Black and Brown people throughout the UK to share what they are Proud To Be. The campaign’s focus centres around the importance of Black History, how we’re all constantly making history in our own ways and celebrating the achievements of Black and Brown people. 

 

My name is Bethany and for just over six months, I’ve been working as the Partnerships Executive here at the Big Give. With a degree in History and Creative Writing, reading and writing are some of my favourite things to do. Therefore, this blog has become somewhat of a passion project for me within my role. To celebrate Black History Month, I made up my own list of what I was proud to be, in response to the viral campaign.

 

1. Firstly, I am proud to be a representative of the growing number of young Black people working within the nonprofit sector. 

Black History Month presents a perfect opportunity for the charity sector to focus on longstanding issues such as confronting inequality, discrimination and the disproportionate gap in the amount of people with BAME backgrounds who make up leadership positions within charitable organisations. As the Thirdsector’s 2020 Diversity Study presents, whilst there has been some change since 2017, there is still a pressing need for the voluntary and not-for-profit sector to create genuine change in these areas.

As a young black woman striving to succeed within the charity sector, I am proud to represent one of many stories of black success. Moreover, as I continue to grow and develop within my role, I hope to see that diversity and inclusion continue to be recognised as essential in improving the workplace culture.

 

2. I am proud to see a range of leading Trusts and Foundations supporting BAME-led charitable organisations.

Last month, I was fortunate to attend Money4YOU’s 2021 Dragon’s Den event.

The Money4YOU charity exists to tackle inequality by teaching people how to make money, helping organisations to raise funds and supporting everyone to make the most of their resources.

The event included six Black, Asian, multi-ethnic and refugee (BAMER) led charities and social enterprises. The purpose of the event was to give those charities the opportunity to pitch to GrantMakers for a chance to win up to £5,000. 

I was delighted to see such a broad range of diverse, BAME-led charities aiming to serve the most disadvantaged people in our society and equip them with the skills and resources needed to develop and thrive. 

 

3. I am proud that the organisation I work for is helping to support BAME charities.

Finally, I am proud to see my workplace supporting a wide range of crucial organisations. The UK’s biggest online match-funding campaign, the Christmas Challenge, is open to all UK registered charities. Through this campaign, for one week, the giving public has the opportunity to have their donation doubled, and I’m excited to see such a diverse range of charities joining us this year. Amongst them will be Money4You, The Chineke Foundation and the Renaissance Foundation, alongside many other charities working towards BAME futures and success.

The campaign starts from midday, Tuesday 30th November 2021 until noon, Tuesday 7th December 2021. In the meantime, you can check out the 2020 campaign and see some of the outstanding charitable organisations working to help BAME people succeed who took part in last year’s campaign. Click here.

 

So, what are you proud to be?

 

Until next time,

The Big Give Team

 

 

The Big Give is the UK’s #1 match funding platform. We specialise in bringing charities, philanthropists and the public together to multiply their impact. The Big Give has raised over £156m for thousands of great causes through the power of match funding. Find out more
Author: Bethany Duxbury-Campbell