This week on Givers, Doers, & Thinkers, Jeremy sits down with Ismael Hernandez, founder of the Freedom and Virtue Institute, to discuss how civil society can come together to promote or to undermine healthy self-reliance.
Before founding the Freedom and Virtue Institute, Ismael was the executive director of the African Caribbean American Catholic Center (AFCAAM). Ismael frequently lectures at Acton University and the American Enterprise Institute, and he is the author of Not Tragically Colored: Freedom, Personhood, and the Renewal of Black America.
After growing up in a communist household in the 1960s, Ismael was shocked to experience his “lungs filled with the air of freedom” once on American soil. His unique history and experience suffering with the poor, asks the question civil society often forgets to ask: Is it working? Ismael suggests that true charity is both intelligent giving and intelligent withholding. He suggests that we infantilize the poor and see them as victims of circumstances that are outside their control instead of active participants in their own freedom. This compelling conversation will have you questioning more than welfare public policy. You might find that the bigger problem is in fact one’s superficial resolve to do something about it.
You’ll also hear from American Philanthropic consultant, Jake Loel. If you’re a nonprofit looking for new donors—and who isn’t?—you’ll need a few research tools to find the right individual and foundation donors for your organization. Jake shares the three resources he suggests every nonprofit invest in to help identify prospective donors.
Are you a giver? A doer? Maybe a thinker? Join American Philanthropic and the Center for Civil Society on November 17th for a conference on Restoring American Community. You’ll hear from leading philanthropists, scholars, and nonprofit leaders, with ample opportunity for serious discussion of how concerned citizens might strengthen local communities, advance charity, and conserve the natural and cultural goods of our communities and our nation. Sign up by Wednesday, November 10th to secure your seat!
You can find Givers, Doers, & Thinkers here at Philanthropy Daily, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Buzzsprout, and wherever you listen to podcasts.
Center for Civil Society's YouTube Channel