Words.

A New Episode.

Other Goings On.

Hi Reader ,

From "me" to "we"

that's been the story of my journey into activism.

Going from an intellectual understanding of concepts like "democracy" and "equity"

to getting out in these streets,

getting political,

and connecting with people from all walks of life to advocate for change.

What I didn't understand

as I dedicated my education to the study of social inequality

and then started my career as a professional do-gooder,

and then read the books, went to the talks, and discussed issues with my do-gooder colleagues and friends,

was that my aspirations of identifying with what Michael Gast, director of the multimedia project, Organize the Rich and my guest from Episode 28 - "Beyond Philanthropy", refers to as “the professional middle class”

which had guided my journey from working-class kid to college grad to upwardly mobile professional,

was leading me to a situation in which most of the people in my professional and social circles

became reflections of me, my aspirations, and my lifestyle.

In many ways, I lacked experience working and deeply engaging with people who weren't like me.

That’s experience that I’ve been gaining over the past nearly year and a half since I started diving into activism.

I'm still new to this.

Thankfully, I'm getting the chance to learn from folks like Christy McGillivray, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians, who've been at this a lot longer than I have!

I'm excited to share my conversation with her in Episode 29 – “Becoming an Activist” where we talk about activism, seeing the humanity in people across lines of difference, philanthropy, and more.

After you tune into the episode, I’d love to hear how/whether you felt seen, spoken to, or stirred by the conversation.

Peace,

Janai

A NEW EPISODE

Normally on the podcast, listeners hear me interviewing people. But in Episode 29, the tables have turned! I had the honor of being interviewed by Christy McGillivray, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians (VNP), a Michigan-based nonpartisan advocacy organization.

Even though in our conversation Christy was the one asking questions to learn from me, I definitely felt like a student! While I’m pretty new to activism, Christy has been in the game a long time. Even as a student, she was organizing, working to shift power to the people least cared for in our society. And that’s been a thread throughout her career, whether as an educator or organizer, or in her role today, leading an organization that engages thousands of volunteers (including me!) to effect structural and systemic democracy reform that restores political power back to the people.

Note: The conversation that you hear in the podcast is an edited version of a 45-minute video interview, Unpacking Power: Janai Gilmore on Philanthropy, Class, and Collective Action that I originally did for the VNP Substack channel.

After you listen to this interview and become excited to learn more about Christy and her work at Voters Not Politicians:

· Visit www.votersnotpoliticians.com and check out the VNP Substack at https://substack.com/@notpoliticians​

· Follow Christy on LinkedIN @Christy M

· Check out the VNP IG page to stay up to date on ways you can take action to strengthen democracy.

And, as you will have heard me mention ad nauseum in the episode, check out www.MopUpMichigan.org to learn how you can support the Michiganders for Money Out of Politics campaign!

Connect with me, too!

· LinkedIN @Janai Gilmore

· Subscribe to my newsletter: https://janai-gilmore.kit.com/​

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Don't forget to rate, review, and share the podcast :-)

Other Goings On

#1 Help Get $$ Out of MI Politics!

1. Sign the petition. Go to www.MopUpMichigan.org or contact me directly to learn where you can sign. Sign again if you signed it before November 15th.
2. Ask your family and friends to sign! The reality is, they're more likely to sign the petition if you ask than if I approach them with my clipboard at Eastern Market. Sign up to be a micro-circulator to help us reach them.
3. Come talk to strangers with me. If you're ready to get out of your comfort zone and help us make even more progress towards our goal, come circulate at an event with me!

#2 My firm is hosting a webinar!

If you're a professional do gooder, this may be of interest:

“As an intermediary, you sit in this weird purgatory between the nonprofit sector and the philanthropic sector, right?”

Having spent a decade of my career at an intermediary, I can tell you the answer is “YES!”

That’s why I was so intrigued when my firm, Foresight Collective, was hired to conduct a national scan of nonprofit intermediaries. Through our conversations with these organizations uniquely positioned as the connective tissue between philanthropy, nonprofits, and communities, we found that while they face challenges across funding and sustainability, they also offer models of resilience and innovation.

We’re hosting a free webinar to share the noteworthy challenges and emerging approaches we observed, and to share implications for intermediaries and their funders.

Join us for:

🗓️ “Nonprofit Intermediaries—What’s Not Working, What Is, and What Could?” Wednesday, May 6th 12 pm - 1:15 pm ET

We’ll cover:

• The core roles intermediaries play in the nonprofit ecosystem;
• Common challenges across funding and sustainability;
• Emerging resilience strategies from across the country;
• What this means for funders and intermediary leaders moving forward.

This is the first installment of Foresight Collective’s RESPONDING TO THE MOMENT series)