ABOUT US
#InvestBLK was founded by Dennis Maurice Dumpson in January 2020 just before our collective worlds changed due to the pandemics of COVID-19 and racism's extremities. Dennis leverages nearly 20 years of experience working across the country in community with Black folk and people over-indexed by marginalization in this society as a fundraiser, strategist, and consultant. #InvestBLK's goal continues to be to improve cultural competence and racial equity living in organizational cultures, policies, practices, hiring, and narratives.
The Team
Dennis Maurice Dumpson is an author, thought leader, strategic consultant, and racial equity practitioner. He is the Founder and CEO of #InvestBLK, a boutique racial equity & strategic planning consulting firm specializing in strategy development, training, and coaching for nonprofits and leaders. In addition, Dennis is also the Chief External Affairs Officer for Let’s Get Ready, a national college access and success organization that facilitates peer-to-peer coaching for high school and college students. Before #InvestBLK, Dennis served as a Diversity Teaching Fellow & Lecturer with Community College of Philadelphia.
Previously, he served as the first Director of Community Engagement & Outreach at the Philadelphia International Airport; Managing Director of Development & External Impact at KIPP Philadelphia Schools; and Vice President of Development at Opportunity Finance Network. Currently, Dennis’ client list (past and current) includes Philadelphia250, Arts & Business Council of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, La Salle University, Lincoln University, Montgomery Child Advocacy Project, Living Beyond Breast Cancer, CORA Services, KIPP Philadelphia Schools, Philadelphia Parks Alliance, and others.
As a thought leader, Dennis has been consulted and published widely on the topics of racial equity, justice, and anti-Blackness, including articles in the Washington Post, Socialist Worker, and CBS Money, as well as his books: What My Colored Eyes See (2009) and Black Washed: A Collection of Essays, Poems, Dreams, and Letters Addressed to Black Folk (2021). He will soon release his forthcoming book, Other Side of Soil: Our Journey through Mud and Magic (Very Black Books, 2023). Dennis is a member of the Board of Trustees & fundraising chair for EdducationWorks and the Boundless Freedom Project, Co-Chair of the Abortion Liberation Fund of Pennsylvania’s board of directors, and a board member of PHL Pride Collective. Previously, he served on the Board of Directors for the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, YMCA — Columbia North, and Arch Street Preschool.
Dennis holds a BA in Philosophy (concentration in English Literature) from the nation’s first degree-granting HBCU, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, and earned an MBA in Global Finance with fellowship & residency in Santiago, Chile, and São Paulo, Brazil, from Saint Joseph’s University. He is a Ph.D. student studying Social Justice Education at the University of San Diego.
Alanna is an accomplished leader with more than 25 years of nonprofit, corporate, and media corporation experience. Her career began in public & media relations, and she spent many years leading internal communications and external affairs for organizations and initiatives. Today, Alanna is focused on employees' experience, especially those marginalized in society and the workplace. To #InvestBLK, she brings her experience managing culturally competent employee engagement. Alanna offers our clients a studied, committed approach to internal strategic thinking that include team engagement, DEI-centered staff initiatives, and leadership development at all organizational levels. When asked what she is excited to bring to #InvestBLK clients, Alanna shared, "I create an environment where employees from diverse backgrounds can succeed and truly be included in an organization's framework. As a business leader, I have been without on-site HR teams' support, which has propelled me to develop core skills in culturally competent leadership development and performance management." Before joining #InvestBLK, Alanna was a consultant specializing in community engagement, Human Resources, and internal & external communications strategies. She was also a consultant for PHILADELPHIA250, one of #InvestBLK's clients. Before that, Alanna led stakeholder relations, communications, in-school programs, information technology, and development for nonprofit organizations and managed teams of as many as 50 people.
Alanna earned her bachelor's degree from Temple University in Public Relations & Journalism, an MBA in Organizational Leadership from Eastern University, and she has a certificate in nonprofit executive leadership from Bryn Mawr College. And because she is an over-achiever, she also found time to obtain a culinary degree from Walnut Hill College and studied to be a chef in Paris, France!
#InvestBLK creates impact through two core areas:
#InvestBLK is dedicated to seeing a world beyond capitalism and uses it's annual profits to invest in the lives of Black people and communities marginalized within and by society. We offer modest mutual aid funding (between $500 - $2500) and technical assistance to people, movements, and neighbors with unmet dreams and needs.
#InvestBLK consults with leaders, nonprofits, government, and small businesses to develop strategic plans to vitiate anti-Blackness, othering, racism, and cultures of inequities in their business. Our consultancy is currently leading DEIA for national/citywide events, nonprofit organizations, cultural institutions, and universities.
Our consultancy supports organizations in the following ways:
Culturally Competent Strategic Planning: #InvestBLK provides a proven, effective strategic planning process that leans into race, culture, and community to build strategies that grow organizations and leaders.
Facilitations, Workshops, and Coaching: #InvestBLK is adept at facilitating conversations with internal, external, and tangential community members and we offer customized workshops and intimate, action-oriented leadership team discussions and coaching.
Audits, Assessments, and Analysis: Our team conducts audits of Racial Equity and Cultural Competence that touch all fibers of a business, including internal culture and policies, external narratives, fundraising, programming, research, and board relationships.