For more than forty years, 100 Black Men of Indianapolis has been investing in young people in our community.
Through our programs—financial literacy, leadership development, history education, summer academy, entrepreneurship, The Beautillion, and reading initiatives—dedicated and consistent mentors, and college scholarships: we continue to invest in futures.
We have been investing in futures.
- In the Eagle Scout who opens his first investment account at sixteen.
- In the high school senior who earns nearly $20,000 in scholarships and is now headed to Indiana University.
- In the quiet sixth grader who walks into our summer academy reluctantly and walks out, years later, building a portfolio and preparing for college.
The stories of these young people continue to unfold. Behind every one of them is a network of mentors, families, volunteers, and supporters who refused to let them go through it alone. Today, we are inviting our community into the next chapter of that work.
Introducing The 100 Society
The 100 Society is a new recurring giving initiative built to sustain the programs, mentors, and futures that have defined this organization for four decades. Our goal is $100,000 in unrestricted annual support—given by individuals and families who believe, as we do, that young people deserve adults who show up consistently enough to change the trajectory of their lives. Membership begins at $20 a month, though it can be more. The level is not the point, the point is the commitment.
The point is becoming part of a community of supporters whose monthly investment makes it possible for The 100 to keep its promises: to the students currently in our programs, to the families who trust us with their children, and to the young people who haven’t walked through our doors yet but will.
We are calling this The 100 Society because membership is more than a transaction. It is an act of belonging—a way of saying I am part of this, and I am here for the long haul.
A Model Built for Sustainability
Aundre Hogue, President of 100 Black Men of Indianapolis, has been thinking about this approach for years. And when he speaks about why The 100 Society is necessary now, he reaches back to the men whose vision made this organization possible in the first place.
Bill Mays, a former member of The 100, was one of them.
A titan of Indianapolis business and one of the most influential Black entrepreneurs in the city’s history, Mays built a global chemical company from the ground up, and spent the rest of his life investing in the community that shaped him. He believed that success was not a personal achievement to be hoarded, but a responsibility to be returned. He gave generously. He mentored relentlessly. He helped lay the foundation for the very organization Aundre now leads.
The 100 was built by men like Bill Mays—men who understood that the measure of a leader is what he leaves behind. That is the legacy The 100 Society is built to extend.
“We have a real opportunity here,” Aundre says. “When we build something together—supporters, families, mentors, and the community—we get to keep our promises. To every student in our programs. To every family who trusts us with their child. To every young person still on their way to us. That is what The 100 Society is about.”
A recurring giving model is not just a funding strategy. It reflects something The 100 has always believed about how transformation actually happens—not in single moments, but in sustained commitment over time. The same logic that defines our mentorship now shapes how we are inviting the community to participate.
Why This, Why Now?
Joseph Eldridge, Director of Operations, has been with The 100 for over a decade. When asked what draws him to The 100, his answer is immediate:
“It’s the kids,” he says. “Every youth—whether we serve them or not—deserves an opportunity for success. The 100 provides them avenues, channels, programs to be successful in a variety of veins of life. And it’s part of my purpose to give back.”
That purpose has carried Joseph through years of conversations with families whose children have come through The 100’s programs and gone on to remarkable lives. Forty years of impact. Hundreds, if not thousands, of futures are shaped.
And yet, in all of those years, there has been one thing The 100 has rarely done.
“We haven’t always reached back to the people we’ve impacted,” Joseph says. “There are people who would love to give. We’ve just never asked them.”
The 100 Society is the ask. It is also a recognition that the moment calls for it.
“This is a challenging time for nonprofits,” Joseph says. “Federal funding is less stable than it has ever been. Corporate giving is shifting. People have more choices than ever about where their support goes. Organizations that are able to adapt and reimagine what support looks like—those are the ones that are going to be successful.”
The 100 is adapting, by turning toward the community that has been here all along.
Support that Fuels the Mission
Every contribution to The 100 Society goes toward unrestricted program sustainability, which means the organization can direct funds to the highest area of need at any given moment.
A $20 monthly gift can support the team mentoring program. A $50 monthly gift can contribute to summer academy scholarships. A $100 monthly gift can help underwrite financial literacy programming, leadership development, or the Beautillion’s rites-of-passage curriculum. Or, at any level, the contribution can simply remain flexible—given in trust that The 100 will direct it where it is needed most.
Leading by Example
Joseph will be among the first members of The 100 Society.
“I want to be the first one on this campaign,” he says. “My dedication to this organization is not just because this is my family. I want to make sure other people’s families, their children, their legacies have a chance to be successful too. I want people to see the investment come from me. Not because I’m talking about it—because I’m part of the society too.”
For Aundre, the call is just as direct.
“We are not just running programs,” Aundre says. “We are stewarding a promise—one that started long before any of us, and one that has to outlive us. Every generation that comes through these doors is a reminder that the work is bigger than us. The 100 Society is how we honor that.”
Give and Join the Mission
Calajah Miller is heading to Indiana University Bloomington in the fall. Garland Davenport Jr. is preparing for college to study interior architecture design. Malik Abdulrasheed is seventeen, holds three job offers and just opened his first investment account.
None of these futures happened by accident. They happened because mentors kept showing up. Because programs kept running. Because someone, somewhere, made sure the lights stayed on.
The 100 Society is how that legacy continues.
The work of the last forty years made this moment possible. The work of the next forty depends on you.
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By building something together with the families, mentors, community and donors we strengthen our commitment to the future of our youth. To every family who trusts us with their child. To every young person still on their way to us. That is what The 100 Society is about.”
@Kkinchen@100blackmenindy.org @aundrehogue@gmail.com adjusted per feedback—thoughts on this?