AFP-Minnesota: The History of White Supremacy in Fundraising

12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (CT)
1.00 CFRE Credit for attending this Education Session.

Philanthropy and development has been a tool used by societies to both address community problems and meet needs; however, it has also been used by white dominant culture to gain and maintain power and control. This presentation outlines the history of white supremacy in philanthropy and development; recognizes the ways in which it shows up in contemporary fundraising; and focuses on ways in which we can begin to dismantle it for the future. This presentation examines the history, methods and systems that exist within these professions and tangible ways to address and ultimately dismantle these harmful practices.

Presenter
Aaron Zimmerman, M.A., CFRE is a non-profit fundraiser with more than 10 years of non-profit development and management experience, having raised millions of dollars for a number of LGBTQ and social justice organizations around the Twin Cities. He is currently serving as PFund Foundation’s Interim Executive Director.

Previously, Aaron has provided leadership during transition as the Interim Executive Director of the Red Ribbon Ride and supported the expansion of grant and individual funding at organizations such as Domestic Abuse Project, Family Tree Clinic, and Twin Cities Public Television. He currently serves as a board member of Twin Cities Quorum, North Star Roller Derby, and CloseKnit as Board Chair.

He is active in the LGBTQ community, has received his MA in Philanthropy and Development from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, and was born and raised in Wisconsin. He is passionate about reimagining the field of development and philanthropy, the focus of his Master’s Thesis, Unexempt: White Supremacy in Non-profit Philanthropy and Development.