PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (March 17, 2020) – Three Prairie View A&M University alumni are out to transform philanthropy. The trio launched Give Black, an app that allows donors to give specifically to African-American nonprofits and other organizations.
David Hughes ’14
“A friend of mine was fundraising for a nonprofit they were involved in, and I was asked to donate,” said David Hughes, who graduated from “The Hill” in 2014 with a Master of Education. He started Give Black with fellow PVAMU alums Na’Shon Edwards, Sr. ’17 and Alexus A. Hall ‘16. “After I donated, I thought it would be easier, not only for this business but for other businesses, if we just had one app that was dedicated to black causes.”
Now available on both Apple and Android platforms, Give Black makes donating as easy as calling for a rideshare. Donors can find an organization that resonates with them and make a donation through the app, bypassing traditional methods of giving, such as writing a check or looking at individual websites to find their “give now” pages. Give Black not only connects donors with black organizations, but it also carefully curates the nonprofits listed on the app.
“Any organization with a historic mission statement to help black people or that currently helps the black community is eligible to be on the app,” said Hughes. “One of the most important aspects of creating the Give Black app is informing the public about services that are currently being offered that they might not know about. So imagine all the issues we face as black people that we think no one is even attempting to address. Now we can not only see the organizations that are addressing our issues, but we can support them.”
Na’Shon Edwards, Sr. ’17
The organizations pay an annual or monthly fee to be listed on the app, which Hughes said is the world’s first platform solely dedicated to the uplifting of black-owned nonprofits and businesses, HCBU’s, and other organizations that contribute positively to the black community. Since its inception, Give Black has garnered attention and praise. The app has been nominated in three categories by the BOLD Awards, which recognizes top companies, projects and individuals powering breakthroughs around the world.
“Whenever your peers honor you, it is a big deal. But to be honored within 90 days of launch just speaks to the necessity of the app and the hard work we put in behind the scenes,” said Hughes, who should receive his Ph.D. in educational leadership at PVAMU this fall, all while serving as a Capstone advisor at Georgetown University. “It took us three years to launch this app, so this is definitely not an overnight success story. “
Hughes says the team behind Give Black complements each other, in terms of skill set and background. Edwards has a degree in agricultural economics and a master’s in community development, both earned at PVAMU, and today works on a political campaign. Hall has a degree in computer engineering and works now as a community development researcher.
“Between my background in education, sales, and partnerships, Nashon’s background in economics and community development, and Alexus’s background in engineering and technology, we all fill a need within our business,” said Hughes.
He points to research that has proven that people who participate in philanthropy have an improved sense of well-being, lower stress levels, better physical health, enhanced emotional health, enriched sense of purpose in life, and increased happiness.
“Researchers at Harvard even measured an actual physiological response to being charitable – philanthropists’ experienced a boost to their immune systems,” he noted.
But, even as it is important to give – both for one’s sense of happiness and to help organizations succeed – Hughes stresses that African-American nonprofits face a particular challenge in the giving arena.
Alexus A. Hall ‘16
“African American nonprofits are more likely to serve the most challenged groups with the least amount of resources, are smaller in terms of staff and volunteers, have fewer cash reserves and depend more on government grants, — less than 33-percent have four or more months of cash reserves, which means they’re spending a lot of energy just keeping the lights on,” he said. “Black nonprofits have less access to certain social networks, such those connected to grant-making — thus, they also lack access to certain types of funding. But, having an app and website solely dedicated to increasing funds and making stakeholders aware of services provided in their community, can sojourn the negative trends and strengthen black businesses and nonprofits, and HBCU’s ability to receive donations while making a greater impact on the community.”
Hughes and his team are betting that Give Black can help make that impact. In addition to being a platform for giving, Give Black also offers merchandise for purchase that Hughes thinks will help more and more people see the important work the app is doing. That could be a win-win scenario for Give Black and the organizations it highlights.
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By Holly Beretto