Many individuals and groups rely on the kindness of strangers to help them rebuild their lives after natural catastrophes. People in desperate need might benefit significantly from donations to charities, food and diaper banks nearby, and disaster relief efforts. But, while philanthropy creates a pathway to do good, there are still inequities with the way grants are awarded to organizations led by black and brown leaders and the level of engagement with influential communities of color. For this reason, Dr. Dameon V. Alexander (AKA: Dr. D) created the Imprint Global to encourage and support more donors and, in particular, donors of color in their aim of authentic giving.
Dr. Alexander is the Co-founder and visionary behind Imprint Global, a non-profit 501c3 organization that aims to make a difference to benefit undervalued and marginalized communities.
He based his organization’s concepts on his own doctoral study and developed an ecosystem of different influences in business, professional sports, entertainment, and organizations. Imprint is seeking to radically transform how philanthropy interacts with nonprofit leaders who have proximity to the most pressing social issues affecting communities of color in areas such as education, economy, culture, family, and mental health.
Imprint focuses on bringing together both majority and minority philanthropists along with corporate leaders to provide a space to develop meaningful partnerships for community impact. In that space, different spheres of influence can collaborate with social change agents and exchange ideas, business, and genuine giving.
During his doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge, Dr. Dameon conducted a cross-disciplinary experiment involving education, economics, and corporate social responsibility. That study would begin his career in community and social impact. As a result of his studies, he started a volunteer project with British educational institutions, which turned into a successful independent consulting practice.
Dr. D’s personal story is inspiring. Growing up in both poor working class white and black neighborhoods, raised by a single mother with a father plagued with addiction issues and recurring incarceration, he successfully transcended his surroundings from Southeast Washington, D.C. to eventually become an academic, university senior leader, and consultant working projects located domestically and, in the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Africa, gaining extensive knowledge from his exposure to all kinds of cultures. He has directed strategic alliances for large venture philanthropy groups. He initiated and developed key partnerships with high profile professional athletes of color and their foundations for Stand Together, a Koch Industries philanthropic network, and now, he serves as Partner and Senior Philanthropic Advisor for New Profit where his work focuses on issues of equity. He has advised donors, conducted due diligence, awarded grants, managed portfolios, measured results, coached nonprofit leaders, and formed partnerships over the years, making him a force to be reckoned with in philanthropy and social impact work.
Imprint is his entrepreneurial platform that is committed to helping underfunded organizations get the support they need to sustain and grow their efforts. The team believes that unsung heroes abound in marginalized communities. That’s why Imprint provides mentoring and financial assistance to undervalued nonprofit programs. Imprint deliberately looks for organizations with high-quality impact standards, street-level community influence, and significant social effects but receive little to no support from larger philanthropy groups.
People want to know that their donations are making an impact when it comes to charitable giving. This fact is emphasized by several studies in the field, along with the potential mechanisms by which donors may perceive the effects of their contributions differently. People also remain content with their choice to donate when they know more about where their money will go.
Imprint seeks to establish a culture of what they call “Invalment” (investors adding value to communities in need). By putting money, talent, and time to work as a compassionate gift with the intent to produce long term gainful results for those in need. The organization maintains that one must have a sincere desire to learn and immerse oneself in the cultural context of communities to donate with high impact. In effect, Imprint believes in respecting the points of view of our most vulnerable people, those who Dr. D refers to as the true MVPs of society. Moreover, he doesn’t call it philanthropy, but instead, “authentic giving” from the “inside-out,” hence, his community-first approach.
In a bold and innovative approach, Dr. D forged a partnership with The Giving Block, the largest crypto philanthropic platform for crypto currency gifts as tax deductible donations to social impact causes. While there are some bad actors in the crypto currency space, Dr. D is both a crypto instructor and trader promoting the development of digital communities and tokens to support underfunded nonprofit programs. In his view, digital economics such as crypto and blockchain solutions can help lift the narrative of communities of color and expand new economy networks.
Some people might view their approach to support underfunded groups and promote crypto philanthropy as high-risk. But this type of social investment to support effective solutions is why Imprint is seeking to partner with diverse power groups of fearless donors, investors, companies, and influencers that don’t shy away from the challenge. Dr. Alexander makes it his objective to activate brave and innovative social change efforts for the benefit of local and influential nonprofit groups by partnering with underleveraged circles of influence.
Imprint Global is the parent 501c3 nonprofit for the Imprint Fund. To donate cryptocurrency or stocks to support their efforts and/or specific initiatives please visit the following link: https://thegivingblock.com/donate/imprint-fund/. You can also visit their website www.imprintfund.org (password: imprintfund23!) or email: dva@imprintfund.org.
