The importance of building diversity among boards, staff

• Published date: 01 September 2020
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/ban.31157
• Date: 01 September 2020
• Author: Nicholas King

6 Board & Administrator

DOI 10.1002/ban © 2020 Wiley Periodicals LLC • All rights reserved

The importance of building diversity among

boards, staff

BY NICHOLAS KING

While there’s a strong, stated interest in bolster-

ing diversity among leadership, boards and staff at

the nation’s nonprofits, that interest hasn’t neces-

sarily found its way into practice at many organi-

zations, according to a recent survey conducted

by Nonprofit HR. The most recent data shows that

barely half of nonprofits have the basics in place—

such as a formal diversity statement, providing

diversity training for staff or having formal policies

in place to promote diversity in their organizations.

We recently spoke with Lisa Brown Alexander,

president and CEO of Nonprofit HR, about the vari-

ous tools available to help nonprofits on this front,

and what benefits they can expect to see from such

efforts.

Q: Nearly half of nonprofit organizations have no

formal diversity statement. What should it cover?

A: A diversity statement is the first formal ex-

pression of an organization’s commitment of inten-

tionally recruiting, hiring, developing and retaining

employees who may have differing backgrounds,

educations and experiences. In addition to our

recently published Nonprofit Diversity Practices

Survey, 39% of respondents to the 2019 Nonprofit

Talent Management Priorities Survey indicate

that attracting and hiring diverse talent is their

top talent-acquisition priority. The elements of a

strong diversity statement and the overall messag-

ing these statements provide continue to be a very

necessary, timely consideration in any diversity

initiative.

A well-written statement includes race and

ethnicity, physical appearance, gender, national

origin, religious and political beliefs, education,

age, mental and physical abilities, and sexual ori-

entation, but also offers an opportunity to include

messaging about specific affinity groups that may

be central to an organization’s mission and com-

munity. Whether writing a statement for the first

time or refreshing a current one, organizations

should make sure their statement is clear and

succinct, creative, simple rather than complex,

and inspiring, and ties directly back to its mission,

vision and values.

Q: What are the results of a lack of diversity

among a nonprofit’s staff and board?

A: In today’s competitive marketplace, organiza-

tions must understand the needs of the communi-

ties they serve in order to serve them effectively.

Forty-three percent of diversity survey respon-

dents said their organization does not reflect the

community it serves. And 20% indicate that their

organization created a diversity strategy because

it lacked diversity at the leadership level. Board

makeup should reflect an organization’s constitu-

ency, especially in our current political and social

climate. It is more important now than ever that

nonprofit organizations step up to serve those in

need and innovate for the health and sustainabil-

ity of their missions. Developing truly diverse and

inclusive boards is a critical step toward achieving

these goals.

Q: Why is it important to have a “diversity cham-

pion” for the organization? Who should this be in

the organization?

A: While diversity is ultimately everybody’s job

in an organization, having an internal champion or

group of champions can be very helpful to advanc-

ing diversity goals and objectives. The ultimate

diversity champion for any organization is its CEO,

as they set the example and drive the message of

its importance to its mission and culture.

There has never been a more timely opportu-

nity for social impact leaders to demonstrate their

commitment to diversity, as failure to demonstrate

commitment to diversity erodes a mission’s ability

to attract and retain the best talent.

As your organization considers the results from

this survey and the state of your organization’s di-

versity efforts, challenge who owns it, ensure that

their role is clear and concise and empower them

to lead.

The Nonprofit Diversity Practices Survey can be

found online at https://www.nonprofithr.com. ■