#BAMEOnline shows us why the charity sector should celebrate BAME talent
#BAMEOnline will once again showcase the best POC talent in the charity sector, get your tickets now!
On Wednesday 28th July 12pm #BAMEOnline – the fundraising conference – returns for it’s second year, and we are so excited! In a sector where BAME talent is often overlooked, #BAMEOnline showed the white charity world exactly what people of colour are capable of when we create our own spaces. It was more than just an antidote to all white conference panels, it built a community and a joyful space where we could be our authentic selves. It dared to show just why anti-racism is the key to being better fundraisers.
Martha Awojobi, former #CharitySoWhite organiser and all round charity sector ICON, created and launched this conference to build something that was accessible to organisations led by people of colour. Orgs that are often excluded from fundraising conference due to prohibitive costs, but also excluded by the lack of representation and not being able to see themselves reflected in the programmes and the audiences. That alone makes #BAMEOnline an excellent example of people of colour building our own tables and creating our own spaces. But it was so much more than that!
#BAMEOnline brought together 45 of the most talented POC speakers in the sector. It brought together POC fundraisers and charity workers across the country. It was a place where we could be ourselves, talk about the things that never get talked about, tackle institutional racism and white supremacy culture in our workplaces, and just let down our barriers. It did this by centring the voices and stories of people of colour. By centring our joy, making space for our pain, and feeding our souls. The outpouring of joy and emotion at the end of the day showed just how special this had been for so many of us that don’t see ourselves reflected in the work that we do and in the places we work.
It was also a moment of reckoning for the many white people that works in the sector. It showed white leaders exactly why we need to talk about how racism impacts our work, and how anti-racism is a key part of the future of fundraising. For the many organisations that bought tickets for their fundraising staff, the programme presented many challenges to the way that the sector operates and the way we do our work. In a year where the BLM movement has pushed us all to have conversations around racial justice and confront the systemic racism all around us, #BAMEOnline presented a vibrant vision for a future where we have built racial equity and justice into our work and into our workplaces.
Which is why we are so happy to see it return bigger, badder, and better for 2021. Martha has taken full control of the conference this year, running it with her own company JMB Consulting. Once again she has brought together some of the most exciting people of colour working in the UK, American and Canadian charity sector for some real talk on the biggest issues facing us today. Talking about how we change the system to build an anti-racist approach to fundraising and philanthropy, how we build our own tables and do our own thing, celebrating Black and Brown success, talking career progression, and giving practical tips on how we do better fundraising.
Trust us, this is one not to miss! It’s such an exciting mix of deep conversation, community vibes, and pure joy.
So what are you waiting for, get your ticket now - Tickets are pay what you can, and the content is available on demand for 30 days so there really is now excuse!
Accessible programme available here
