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What Is Black Philanthropy Month? - Black Philanthropy Month (BPM), held annually in August, was established by the African Women’s Development Fund USA (AWDF USA) in 2011 as a global celebration of Black American gift-giving in the form of education, mentoring, time, talent and more. BPM was created to inspire Black communities and their supporters to use the month to promote the power of giving. Keep reading for more ways you can get involved.  —  Dominique Zonyéé (Photo: Kali Nine LLC/Getty Images)

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Spark Conversations About Black Giving - The Harper-Roddey Society of the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture and New Generation of African-American Philanthropists (NGAAP) will host a Black philanthropy forum on Friday, Aug. 23, at 7:30 p.m.  Authors Valaida Fullwood (pictured above) and Charles Thomas will discuss their book, Giving Back: A Tribute to Generations of African-American Philanthropists, and participants will share their personal journey of philanthropy. (Photo: Courtesy of Valaida Fullwood)

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Spread the Word Via Social Media - Join Black Gives Back every Tuesday for tweet-ups at 2 p.m. The two-hour long Twitter conversations will focus on various topics of philanthropy and issues concerning the African and African-American communities. (Photo: Eric Audras/Getty Images)

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Donate Your Time - Use your time and skills to become a mentor for an afterschool program, church, local group. Reach out to national mentoring organizations such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters Of America, 100 Black Men in America or O.K. Program. Many organizations only require a few hours a week or month, but those few hours can mean all the difference for those in need. (Photo: Daniel H. Bailey/Getty Images)

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New York Harlem Mentoring Fair - The Harlem Mentoring Fair, sponsored by Total Equity Now and the Harlem Cares Mentoring Movement, will be hosted by NYC Mission Society on Aug. 13 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.  The event will pair mentors with mentees for the Fall 2013 program. For more information, check out the Total Equity Now Facebook page here. (Photo: Harlem Cares)

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Donate to Those in Need - Do an end of the summer cleaning and get rid of things that you do not use. Find a local toy, school supplies, or clothing drive and donate. Research your local Goodwill, Salvation Army or churches to find out where you can donate used goods. Most places accept nonperishable items that are in acceptable conditions. (Photo: Jupiterimages/Getty Images)

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D.C. Area: Supplies and Happy Hour - Friends of Ebonie, Black Benefactors and Black Gives Back are teaming up to host a month-long school supply drive and various school supply happy hour socials. For more information on the happy hour socials, go here. (Photo: Tim Boyle/Getty Images)

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D.C. Area: The Dream Drive - D.C.’s D.R.E.A.M. Life Inc., Endless Dreams Foundation and the Ward 7 Education Council team up for The Dream Drive to assist Ward 7 families in need of back-to-school supplies. To find out what supplies are needed for the Aug. 17 drive and where to drop them off, register here. (Photo: Yellow Dog Productions/Getty Images)

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Giving Circles Yield Bigger and Better Giving - Bolder Giving and the American Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP) are hosting a one-hour teleconference, Thursday, Aug. 15 from 12-1 p.m. EST on the power of giving circles, how to start a giving circle and the benefits of working as a group for the same cause. Click here to join the teleconference. (Photos from left: Bolder Giving, AAPIP)

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Back-to-School Drive in New Orleans - Education support is a perfect way to give back. The Dinerral Shavers Educational Fund (DSEF), in partnership with Tulane University and Ashé Cultural Arts Center, will sponsor a back-to-school extravaganza on Saturday, Aug. 31, in New Orleans. It’s a day of free food, school supplies, games and family fun for children. To donate supplies and participate in the event and the citywide drive Aug. 28, click here. (Photo: REUTERS/Eric Thayer)

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Take Charge - Want to take things into your own hands, organize your own charity event for the cause of your choice. You can reach out to friends, family, local organizations and businesses to see if they are willing to donate. Franchises such as Starbucks and Wendy’s often donate to charity events if presented with a proposal. For steps on how to organize a charity event, click here.(Photo: Blend Images/Hill Street Studios/Getty Images)

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Continue Giving Beyond Black Philanthropy Month - Black giving has been a part of African-American culture for centuries. There are nonprofits nationwide such as s  Be Someone, Inc., in Atlanta and Chicago African Americans in Philanthropy, which are dedicated to yearlong charitable efforts. Search here to find Black charities in your area. (Photo: JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images)

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Give the Gift of the Arts - The gift of art can go a long way. The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts and Culture & the Sankofa Circle will host the youth art and culture workshop on Sept. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The event gives children the platform to express creativity and to use critical thinking skills to form culturally inspired picture books. To RSVP, visit the website here. (Photo: Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

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Do a Charity Background Check - Make sure you research the charity or organization to ensure that you are donating funds, supplies or your time to reliable organization. Sites such as Charity Navigator or simply verifying your charity with the IRS could save you from linking with a faulty organization. (Photo: Fuse/Getty Images)