Giving Compass' Take:

• A report from BoardSource finds that not only are boards not that diverse, but they do not have plans to be. 

• If you are on a board, do you see the inclusion and diversity that is discussed in the article below. If not, this post offers a way to achieve this diversity. Do you think these expectations or recommendations are achievable for boards? How can you bring a diversity of opinions into your own groups and circles?

• More detailed statistics on the board diversity problem can be found in another BoardSource report. 

A new research report published by BoardSource titled Foundation Board Leadership: A Closer Look at Foundation Board Responses to Leading with Intent 2017.  The report demonstrates that foundation boards are insufficiently diverse in terms of race and ethnicity and that we as a sector do not plan to do much about it.

I’d like to lift up five straightforward recommendations for breaking out of the current reality. These recommendations are based mostly on my experience since 2008 as president and CEO of the Northwest Area Foundation, a private foundation based in Minnesota and active in an eight-state region that includes 75 Native nations.

  • Be intentional. Experience has taught me that intentionality is the key. The norms that Leading with Intent documents are tenacious.
  • Expect abundance, not scarcity. A frequent comment I hear when the lack of board diversity comes up at foundation gatherings is, “But we can’t find good candidates of color who have the right stuff to serve on this board,”  I would argue it’s not a matter of can’t but a matter of don’t and is thus fixable.
  • Defy the law of tiny numbers. Bringing a single person of color onto an all-white board is better than nothing, but it’s not the right solution.
  • Be inclusive, not just diverse. Once you’ve defied the law of tiny numbers, be sure all board voices are heard, and that the boardroom is a space where real engagement across lines of difference is the norm.
  • Then tell your story.  I’ve come to understand that if organizations that are committed to this journey don’t speak up and celebrate progress, we’re missing an opportunity to shift the perspectives of our peers.

Read the full article about recommendations for board diversity by Kevin Walker at BoardSource.