The nonprofit sector is inevitably a cornerstone of these discussions. Nonprofits are a common thread through communities across the country, often focused on the problems that can lead to crime: joblessness, poverty, a lack of affordable housing, educational disparities, substance abuse, and so on; they also commonly combat racism, which perpetuates systems of inequality and leads to the breakdown of trust in communities.

At a time when nonprofits are under more strain than they have been in a long time, their services have never been more necessary. Tavan Pechet is the president of Pechet Advisors, and he has a thorough understanding of both the importance of capacity-building and how nonprofits and grantors can do it as effectively as possible. He was kind enough to take some to chat with us about these issues, as well as how organizations are coping with COVID-19 and other trends we should be looking out for in the nonprofit sector in 2021.

In celebration of Black History Month, we’re highlighting a handful of Black philanthropists who have impacted their communities, cities, and country over the centuries through dedicated giving. While it’s easy to cite modern day, household names like Oprah and Lebron James—both of whom offer wonderful examples of philanthropy done right—we decided to take a deeper look to unearth little known facts about Black philanthropists who may have been forgotten or left out of the conversation entirely. We certainly learned something new and were equally inspired by their stories...and we hope you are too:

Bob Swaney is the founder and CEO of Robert Swaney Consulting, Inc., and we recently had a wonderful conversation with him about the move toward accountability, increasing collaboration, and emerging entrepreneurialism in the nonprofit sector. He reminded us that, even though COVID-19 has presented some of the most significant obstacles nonprofits have faced in many years, it has also been an engine of creativity and innovation in the sector.

As 2020 came to a close, several key trends emerged in the nonprofit sector: 1) many nonprofits were able to adapt to unforeseen and rapidly changing circumstances, 2) many donors stepped up to meet the challenges of COVID-19, and 3) the nonprofit sector has become even more integral to the health of communities around the country.

Marta Ferro is the founder of Starfish Impact, a partner at Social Venture Partners, a managing director at Angeles Investments, and co-founder of Angeles Art Fund. With her extensive experience in both the nonprofit and private sectors, she is one of the most insightful voices to help us navigate this tumultuous but exciting time for nonprofits and grantors. We recently sat down with her to get her take on philanthropy and what she thinks will shift in 2021, if anything.