Giving Compass' Take:
- There is more work to be done on board diversity, which includes defining diversity goals and conducting board assessments.
- How can diversifying boards help honor lived experience? Why should nonprofit boards represent the communities they serve?
- Read more about boards and leadership.
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As nonprofit organizations become more racially, culturally, and socioeconomically diverse, are nonprofit boards lagging behind? Though often a tough question to engage with, it is an important one, for in order to meet their missions, nonprofits must create diverse, equitable, and inclusive boards that align with the lived experiences of the people they serve.
Fortunately, in recent years, some nonprofits have successfully diversified their boards, recruiting members with lived experiences that align with the communities being served by paying attention to demographics such as age, race, socioeconomic status, education, religion, disability, and diversity in thought and professional experience.
And while there are nonprofits out there that have done the intentional work, like conducting board assessments on what diversity means and establishing goals and timelines for achieving board diversity, more work remains to be done.
A diverse board helps strengthen the trust between a nonprofit and the people they aim to serve, which is necessary for achieving an organization’s mission. For example, I currently serve as a board member for Educational Opportunities, a nonprofit dedicated to assisting youth who have the academic ability to attend college but not the financial means. Through the organization, I interviewed high school seniors who applied for a $36,000 college scholarship. Most of our scholarship applicants and recipients are talented young people of color, and seeing me on the board, in a position of power, creates a bridge between the organization and these potential scholarship recipients.
A 2021 BoardSource study, Leading with Intent: Reviewing the State of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion on Nonprofit Boards, asked nonprofit CEOs whether they had the right individuals on their board. Nearly half—49 percent—stated they did not have the right board members to “establish trust with the communities they serve.” This reveals that the sector is becoming aware of this trust gap—but how are nonprofits responding?
To be sure, the sector is making some progress—particularly with respect to gender and age. In a recent study, The Lilly School of Philanthropy, Johnson Grossnickle & Associates, and BoardSource noted that the gender gap is closing, with more women-identified leaders serving on boards. In 2018, women made up 48 percent of nonprofit boards. The number increased to 53 percent in the 2021 Leading with Intent BoardSource study.
Read the full article about nonprofit board diversity by Aracely Muñoz at Nonprofit Quarterly.