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…