Giving Compass' Take:

• Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld speak with Independent Sector about what nonprofits can do to eliminate the racial leadership gap in their organization.

• What might bridging the racial leadership gap do to create more equitable change in communities supported by the nonprofit sector? What are you doing to ensure your organization is representative of all communities?

• Investigate further the racial leadership gap in the nonprofit sector.

Last month, Building Movement Project released a new report, Race to Lead Revisited: Obstacles and Opportunities in Addressing the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap. We recently interviewed Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, both co-directors of the Building Movement Project, about the latest report and dug into some nuanced questions about it. The latest report offers further recommendations about how the nonprofit sector broadly and the organizations within it can advance their work to make more significant progress towards racial equity.

Frances Kunreuther & Sean Thomas-Breitfeld (FK & STB): We understand and share the frustration about the pace of change within organizations. But we also want to acknowledge that change can be deeply uncomfortable, particularly for people who have found comfort at the top of organizational hierarchies. Anticipating the discomfort, resistance, and even undermining of change initiatives is a critical part of building a realistic internal equity transformation strategy. This is also why the buy-in of leadership is a particularly important competency for organizations that are trying to become more equitable workplaces. Organizations need leadership that is committed to a challenging and iterative process that may not always lead directly, quickly, or smoothly to a race equity culture.

Frances often says that “talking about change is not change.” So, while we do want everyone to take action by reading the report, sharing the report with colleagues and starting courageous conversations, we also don’t think that we can set aside issues of power and authority. It is incumbent on executive leaders, board members, and funders to start assuming that change must start with them.

Read the full discussion about the racial leadership gap with Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld at Independent Sector.