Name: Joshua Humbert
Profession: Vice President of Individual Giving, National Urban League, / Founder, EnVest Foundation
Age: 35
One Word That Describes You: Philanthropic
For the past 105 years, the National Urban League (NUL) movement has provided critical social services to disadvantaged, impoverished people of color, and has advocated tirelessly for policies that promote social and economic equality. Today, life-saving and life-changing programs are available to more than 2.8 million people annually. Joshua E. Humbert, Vice President of Individual Giving, has made it his business to ensure that NUL continues to enable African Americans to achieve economic self-reliance, parity, power, and civil rights. Humbert is one of only five African American males to hold a Master’s Degree in Philanthropic Studies from the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. He’s also a certified advisor in philanthropy, and is dedicated to advancing philanthropic efforts throughout the U.S. and abroad.
Coming from humble beginnings, Humbert’s family and community often banded together in order to survive and make ends meet. “My childhood and upbringing, infused with deep roots in my faith, inspired me to take this path,” Humbert tells BE Modern Man. “I have been the recipient of overwhelming and consistent acts of kindness and charity. Knowingly and unknowingly, I am here now because of the people who have invested in my success.” Recalling the tough times he has endured, Humbert says: “The biggest obstacle I had to overcome in the past, and now, has always been coming to the realization that I’m internally bigger than my past, current situations, and fears.”
As Humbert strengthened his personal resolve and character, the life of many others would be strengthened too. He possesses a unique ability to discern and relate to what makes a person love, angry, care, and be charitable, which enables him to identify what motivates a person. Humbert believes that understanding “the currency of people allows you to better recognize how to serve.” He has more than a decade of experience in major gift fundraising and millennial strategies. As founder of the EnVest Foundation, Humbert
brings his exceptional understanding of development and academic thought to conversations about philanthropy. He is a national philanthropic powerbroker with an ability to approach the nonprofit sector in a way that drives, and highlights, the business elements of philanthropy.Humbert, a bold leader, oversees the organization’s advancement of major gifts and partnerships; this ensures that each year over 2.8 million people are served, across 94 Urban League offices in 35 states, including the District of Columbia, in over 300 urban communities.
Read more about what elements helped Joshua change the status quo…
With an annual enterprise-wide revenue budget of over $350 million, and a $1.06 billion economic impact, Humbert steps up to the table every day to lead his team. “I love being an integral part of the National Urban League movement, as we work hard every day to improve the lives of minorities with services free of charge,” he says. Two of the cornerstone programs at the National Urban League, education and workforce development, drives the organization’s passion to bring
minorities into the economic mainstream. Humbert’s efforts include “advancing and deepening the understanding of philanthropy,” and he emphasizes the importance of education. “I believe you should never grow out of having a student mindset.”Humbert believes that his peers respect him because of his openness. “The ability to be transparent with the truth has allowed me to challenge the status quo. For example, explaining, to many good-hearted people, that there is a thing such as bad philanthropy. My volunteer work at the EnVest Foundation allows me to educate, motivate, and inspire current and future philanthropists of the millennial generation to make informed, and meaningful, contributions to nonprofit organizations,” Humbert tells BE Modern Man. Smart philanthropy sometimes conflicts with learned philanthropic ideals and behaviors and, in his role, Humbert identifies, trains, and develops a consistent pipeline of smart donors to fulfill our nation’s civil society needs. This is why he created the National Capital Region’s 40under40 Recognition Awards, which celebrates the professional and philanthropic achievements of individuals. “I have given over 280 awards to highlight many overlooked working-wealth professionals, who are volunteering and giving back every day,” says Humbert.
Continuing to reach, influence, and guide people is what Humbert is focused on. “My goal in life is simple: continue my servant-leadership, and champion for the advancement of philanthropy and the role it, undoubtedly, plays in our daily lives and civil society issues at-large.”
So what does being a BE Modern Man mean to Joshua E. Humbert? “It means giving men of color a platform to take back and own our narrative. Especially in a time where our national character has come under fire, and is being defined by forces we have not yet learned to control.”
The BlackEnterprise.com team commends Joshua E. Humbert for his dedication and service to millions of people. We are standing with him as he challenges the status quo and pushes toward achieving new levels of personal and professional success.
It’s our normal to be extraordinary. Follow and join the BE Modern Man conversation at #BEModernMan and @blackenterprise