The nonprofit sector has a board diversity problem. A recent BoardSource report showed that nonprofit boards are no more racially and ethnically diverse than they were two decades ago and that "current recruitment priorities indicate this is unlikely to change." The report found that people of color comprise just 16% of nonprofit board members, nearly identical to 1994 figures, even though they represent 39% of our country’s population.

United Philanthropy Forum recently took a look at the board diversity of our members, which are nonprofit regional and national philanthropy-serving organizations (PSOs) that connect funders around issues, identity, philanthropic practice and/or place. We found that 33% of PSO board members are people of color — more than double the percentage for all nonprofit boards in the BoardSource report but still lagging our country’s demographics. Moreover, BoardSource found that 27% of the nonprofit boards surveyed were 100% white, while only one responding PSO in the Forum survey reported having a board that identified exclusively as white. Our findings on PSO board diversity are in the newly released Forum "Key Metrics" report, which looks at PSOs’ governance, finances, membership, services and programs and operations.

The Forum’s report also revealed that most of our members are making concerted efforts to address issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in philanthropy. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of PSOs report having guiding principles or a strategic plan referencing diversity, equity, and/or inclusion (DEI), while a nearly equal number (68 percent) report having at least one staff member with job duties that include a focus on DEI.

Read the full article about nonprofit board diversity problems by David Biemesderfer at the United Philanthropy Forum.