Diversity and Inclusion Initiative

2024 Fellowship Applications are Closed

Application Deadline: May 31, 2024

Want to be notified with the 2025 applications open?
Click Here to be contacted when the next cycle opens!

Who should apply?
We are looking for applicants who are:

  • Considered to be diverse by ethnicity, gender identity, race, religion or sexual orientation AND currently working, consulting or volunteering for a nonprofit OR:
  • Affiliated in planned giving as a consultant or professional advisor working in a variety of legal and financial settings AND someone whose life work is helping others leave a legacy through a planned gift to the charities they

Why you should apply?
Do you want to increase your knowledge of planned giving? Have a passion for improving our world through charitable endeavors? Want to network with helpful colleagues and contacts for exchanging ideas, services, and friendly professional support? If you answered yes to these questions, then the GCPGC is the right place for you!

The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council, with over 100 members, is a professional association for people whose work includes developing, marketing, and administering charitable planned gifts. Members include persons who raise funds for nonprofit institutions, consultants, and professional advisors who work in a variety of legal and financial settings. GCPGC sponsors monthly educational and networking meetings, virtual seminars, after work socials and the annual Voices of Giving event that honors planned giving donors.

In 2016, GCPGC launched the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative in partnership with the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) of Greater Cincinnati to foster more diversity in the planned giving field.  GCPGC followed in the footsteps of AFP’s New Faces in Fundraising program that was launched in 2013.

Planned giving is essential to an organization’s strategy to secure and ensure their future. Fundraisers are encouraged to include planned giving as a component in their fundraising repertoire.

The Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council (GCPGC) is pleased to be entering its eighth year of the Diversity and Inclusion Initiative in Planned Giving Program to foster more diversity in the fundraising profession.  We would like to offer you the opportunity to enhance your fundraising skills and invite you to apply to participate in Diversity and Inclusion Initiative in Planned Giving.

To broaden the ranks of volunteer and professional fundraisers who are knowledgeable about planned and legacy giving, we are seeking individuals from all historically marginalized communities, especially invite members of the BIPOC, AAPI, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and disability communities, to apply to be a Diversity Fellow.

We offer 3 fellowships to Planned Giving on the Run, our course on the fundamentals of planned giving, and 7 memberships to GCPGC.

Planned Giving on the Run is a comprehensive planned giving start-up with turn-key simplicity. Veteran facilitators, mentors and expert speakers convey the nuts and bolts of planned giving in 6 monthly, 2-hour sessions beginning in September. Click Here to view the Planned Giving on the Run web page.

Membership in GCPGC provides unlimited access to all educational and social programs including Conversation & Coffee monthly educational programs, virtual seminars, networking events, Voices of Giving- the annual community-wide celebration of planned giving donors and more.

Questions:
Contact Chair
Mary Kay Koehler at marykay.koehler@cincyplay.com

2024 Award Announcement

Congratulations to our 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Initiative Fellows!

Maurice Huey is the Executive Director of Boys Hope Girls Hope Cincinnati. As a longtime member of the nonprofit sector, Maurice has served in leadership roles with several local, national, and international nonprofit organizations, including the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, the American Diabetes Association, and the OneSight Foundation. He is a past recipient of the Michigan Nonprofit Association Emerging Leader Award, the Spirit of Detroit Award from the City of Detroit, Michigan and a member of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s Leadership Cincinnati Class 34.  A certified nonprofit program developer and fundraiser, he has a Bachelor degree from Wittenberg University, a Master’s in Business Administration from the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan and is currently a doctoral candidate at Liberty University. Maurice currently lives in Cincinnati with his wife Malaika and son Maurice Jr., and is the father of four adult children.

Martina Pineda (she/her) currently serves as Associate Director of Development on the National Development Team for the UC Foundation, the private fundraising organization for the University of Cincinnati and UC Health. Prior to her role at UC Foundation, she served as a Manager in the Non-Profit Services division at Ignite Philanthropy, where she was responsible for supporting fundraising campaign strategy and execution for a portfolio of nonprofit clients. Her broad nonprofit experience also includes a year of service as a CNCS AmeriCorps VISTA with Breakthrough Cincinnati, and several freelance contracts as a marketing and communications consultant for local organizations.

Martina participated in the Association of Fundraising Professionals – Greater Cincinnati Chapter’s “New Faces of Fundraising” program (Class 8, 2020) and is a three-time graduate from Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Leadership Center programs (Building Cultural Competence– Class 4, 2019; Cincy Lead – Class 1, 2022; Cincy Next– Class 10, 2023).

Martina states, “Cincinnati is home. This year will mark my tenth year here, and there is still so much I want to learn and do for this city! I am grateful to become more involved with the Greater Cincinnati Planned Giving Council and participate in GCPGC’s 2024 Diversity & Inclusion Initiative Fellowship. This opportunity strengthens my ties to the city, and this scholarship positively impacts my work, allowing me to continue learning and growing.”

Mahmoud Said is the Manager, Community Campaign and Engagement at ArtsWave, where he manages corporate workplace campaigns for the arts. Born and raised in Cincinnati, he received his Bachelor’s degree in trombone performance at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. He then went on to get his Master’s degree in Arts Administration from Florida State University before starting at ArtsWave. He is passionate about DEIA, and aspires to make the arts and culture sector not only thrive, but to also make it a welcoming and accepting place for all.