Sankofa Now! Looking back and moving forward with Floyd Jones for Black Philanthropy Month

In August of 2022, Floyd Jones was excited and a little nervous as he sat down for an interview with Dr. Jacqueline Bouvier Copeland, the founder of Black Philanthropy Month. As Givebutter’s Director of Community and Partnerships, Floyd had just launched the first Givebutter Gives Back campaign for Black Philanthropy Month (BPM), and he couldn’t wait to speak with the originator of this international movement he had long admired. 

Fast forward three years, and Floyd now serves as the Global Chair of Black Philanthropy Month, housing the initiative under his own organization, BackBlack.  

We sat down for an interview with Floyd to celebrate this full circle moment, explore the meaning behind this year’s BPM theme—Sankofa Now!—and hear directly from Floyd how changemakers can take action now for greater equity in nonprofit fundraising. 

Feeling inspired?

Find resources and more ways to get involved this Black Philanthropy Month →

Building bridges for racial equity

The history of Black Philanthropy Month is interwoven with decades of work from Dr. Copeland, who partnered with dozens of women leaders and organizations across the Black Diaspora to launch the first BPM summit in 2011. Since then, more than 19 million people from 60 countries have joined the movement. 

As a longtime advocate for advancing racial equity in nonprofits, Floyd was delighted to discover the Black Philanthropy Month community during his tenure at Givebutter. He was drawn to how Dr. Copeland and the movement elevates the phenomenon of Black giving—Black families donate a higher percentage of their wealth than any other background—while also highlighting how Black communities and organizations continue to be disproportionately underfunded and left out of the mainstream opportunities for funding from philanthropic institutions and funders:

You can't erase this history, and also you can't erase the contributions of Black changemakers… that joy is worthy of celebration. But we're also highlighting how far we still need to go—how far the world still needs to go.

Floyd recognized the impact that major fundraising platforms like Givebutter could have in lifting up this narrative, elevating Black changemakers, and more intentionally contributing to Black-led organizations.  

Dive deeper

Watch Floyd’s original interview with Dr. Copeland →

From Givebutter Gives Back to Global Chair 

As the seventh hire at Givebutter, Floyd Jones played an enormous role in shaping the company’s values from the start. He envisioned how the platform could help to improve the larger ecosystem of nonprofit fundraising while meaningfully engaging the changemakers in Givebutter’s vibrant community of nonprofits. 

After a successful Giving Tuesday campaign in which Givebutter gave back by donating directly to nonprofits, he proposed a new initiative for Black Philanthropy Month 2022: 

I said, we have a massive platform… We can make a change, and we can do something different because that's what a changemaker does.

Givebutter committed $10K to Black-led organizations, and every year, more nonprofits apply to be one of the “Most Engaging Campaigns” and receive a donation from Givebutter to boost their fundraising efforts during Black Philanthropy Month and after. 

Floyd recognized the power of this model—not just talking about equity but actually moving funds into the hands of historically marginalized, continually underfunded nonprofits—and he decided to take it even further. 

With support from the Gates Foundation and other partners, he launched his own organization in 2023: BackBlack. With a mission of supporting Black changemakers, BackBlack has already moved $2 million in funding to Black-led organizations around the country. “And we’re just getting started,” he says. 

Everything came full circle the following year, when, thanks to Floyd’s leadership and impact, Dr. Copeland named Floyd Jones as the Global Chair of Black Philanthropy Month, moving the initiative under the BackBlack umbrella and beginning an exciting new chapter for the movement. 

A fitting theme for 2025: Sankofa Now! 

A Ghanaian term that means “go back and get it,” Sankofa is often represented by a bird with its head turned back and its body facing forward. As the theme for Black Philanthropy Month 2025, Sankofa Now! means “you have to look back at history in order to be able to move forward,” Floyd explains. 

For Floyd and BPM, looking back means engaging with the bad and the good, recognizing not only how Black communities have been marginalized and underfunded, but also how they have always innovated and worked collectively to survive and thrive. 

We have been here before… and we've made it through before. So now we're gonna make it through again, doing exactly what we're doing: community building, collective giving, collective resourcing, sharing our voices.

Changemakers of all stripes have been enormously impacted by federal policy changes in 2025—the erasure of DEI initiatives, funding freezes, budget cuts, the list goes on. But many organizations, Black-led nonprofits in particular, have been facing these challenges—and more—for generations. 

In the five years since the murder of George Floyd, Floyd points out, not even 5% of the $50 billion that was pledged to support Black communities has arrived, and many of the companies that made these commitments are now pulling back: “That's why this work is more important than ever. It didn't just start now. It is coming to the light now, and that's what we want to continue calling attention to.” 

What keeps a changemaker going?

This work isn’t easy. For Floyd, sustaining himself in this movement requires reflection, connecting with other changemakers, and, of course—we’re talking about Floyd Jones here!—music. 

At the end of the day, “it’s not about the campaign, the likes, the total amounts, the reports,” Floyd shares. “It’s about the individual impact.” 

Connecting with Black-led organizations across the country, like the Moda Dance Arts Collective, gives Floyd the opportunity to see how their programs and services breathe life into their communities, improving real people’s lives: 

It’s about listening to individuals’ stories and seeing their creativity come to life. That's what keeps me going. When things feel disheartening, I realize that there are people every single day just trying to survive. And we get to play a role in that.

Join the movement 

Individuals, nonprofits, funders—everyone has a role to play this Black Philanthropy Month and in the larger movement for racial and economic justice. Here are a few ways to take action today: 

• Give 🎁 Donate (monthly!) to Black-led organizations. “Give where you live,” says Floyd. “What are organizations working on in your actual backyard?” If you don’t know where to begin, we’ve compiled a list of inspiring Black-led nonprofits, businesses, and community organizations, and BackBlack even has a directory of organizations you can scroll through!
  
• Share 📣 Spread the word about the funding gap for Black-led organizations, and encourage others to learn more. Follow Floyd, BackBlack, and Black Philanthropy Month on social media, amplify their work and messaging, and do the same for Black-led organizations in your community. ‍
• Join 🤝 Foundations, companies, and other partners can get involved with BackBlack and commit resources to Black-led organizations all year long.‍
• Get funding 💛 Black-led nonprofits can find numerous funding opportunities on BackBlack (including $50K in August!). And don’t forget to apply for a slice of $10K via Givebutter Gives Back for Black Philanthropy Month until August 27. 

Here at Givebutter, we couldn’t be prouder of Floyd and all he has accomplished in a few short years. We can’t wait to see the impact BackBlack will make in the years to come, and we will continue to #GiveBlack, celebrate Black changemakers, and stand firm in our commitment to racial equity in nonprofit fundraising and beyond.