This month’s book: Collecting Courage

Edited by Nneka Allen, Camila Vital Nunes Pereira, and Nicole Salmon

Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love is a collection of stories documenting racism and survival by 14 accomplished Black fundraisers working in charities across North America. With searing and intimate detail, they write about their experiences with anti-Black racism—about coping with being last hired, first fired, overlooked for promotion to outright hostility in toxic workplaces. Their testimony chips away at the idea of the inherent goodness of the charitable sector. 

“First and foremost, this book is the start of a process to systematically document our experiences, so our voices are the ones that shape the narrative,” say the editors. “Secondly, for those whom our stories resonate, we hope they give you the courage to voice your own experience. 

“Finally, for those committed to being allies and accomplices in dismantling barriers and championing a sector culture of belonging and reciprocity, we hope the book illuminates a path to action.” 

Join us at this month’s book club for a lively conversation with nonprofit leaders and fundraisers. We'll discuss what we've learned from the book and how we're applying it to our day-to-day lives. 

Here's a link to order the book. 

Note: This will be an interactive, small-group event. Don't have time to read the book? No worries! Join us anyway to share your experiences and learn from others. 

Join the Aperio book club.

Join the Aperio book club to meet and share ideas with other nonprofit leaders and fundraisers! Each month, we’ll meet (virtually) to discuss our book of the month and takeaways for our work and lives.