Enhancing Diversity in the Boards of Non-Profit Organizations

Most non-profit organizations lack diversity in their boards, which is concerning, as the task of developing a diverse leadership team, hiring and retaining a varied staff, as well as serving a community with different needs and backgrounds becomes challenging in the presence of a non-diverse board.

According to a study conducted by BoardSource titled “The 2017 National Nonprofit Board Practices Survey,” the composition of board members in non-profit organizations achieved full gender equality, but there was a significant imbalance regarding race and age, with 84% of board members in non-profit organizations being white and 83% having surpassed the age of 40. Furthermore, the boards remained largely the same over two decades and did not diversify at all during the past two years.

In the current political and social climate, the pursuit of non-profit organizations to provide services to target groups and create initiatives for the development and sustainability of their missions has become more important than ever before. Therefore, developing diverse and inclusive boards is a critical step towards achieving these goals.

Why are Diverse Boards Essential for Greater Impact?

Diverse boards are an important factor in achieving greater impact at the level of target groups, as the board of directors is largely responsible for the strategic direction of the organization. A non-profit organization with a homogeneous board may suffer from tactical short-sightedness. In this context, the executive director of BoardSource clearly stated this when she said: “If the board lacks racial diversity in the charitable sector, it is likely to face difficulties in understanding issues important to the organization and the target groups.”

In fact, a homogeneous board lacks a diversity of perspectives and ideas, which in turn leads to missed opportunities to serve target groups. Therefore, if your board's composition is drastically different from the makeup of the community it serves, it is likely that it will fail to recognize the real needs of the group your organization aims to help.

Additionally, having a diverse board is a key contributing factor to the overall organizational and leadership diversity of the organization. Your organization may miss opportunities to develop diverse leaders who can provide fresh perspectives and have a positive impact on the organization if the board lacks diversity.

How Can Non-Profit Organizations Diversify Their Boards?

  1. Prepare an official document for diversifying the board of directors

Before you can successfully diversify your organization's board of directors, you need to gain the support of current board members. To begin increasing the focus on the diversity factor for your current members, gather demographic and psychographic data about the target groups, then identify the gaps between that group and your board members.

Next, present new recommendations that encourage greater diversity, such as making changes to the hiring strategies for the board. Subsequently, explain the tangible benefits of these recommendations for your organization and its core goals, which include providing better service to team members and achieving more impact on target groups.

  1. Ensure that various individuals feel like part of your board

Your organization's culture should be inclusive of individuals from different backgrounds, as new board members should not simply be expected to understand what the culture of an organization and a board that does not provide an accommodating environment for different members is like. Integrating new board members who do not "fit" the current demographic and psychographic makeup of your board may require your current board members to change their cultural perceptions. The responsibility of fostering a more inclusive environment falls on each member of the organization.

Engaging younger individuals can pose a significant challenge for non-profit boards due to their lack of experience. To address this issue, the organization should establish a group of young professionals and new leaders within its current team and welcome the contributions and skills of new members to encourage them to provide a new perspective to its initiatives.

  1. Broaden your board search beyond usual circles

When the organization hires potential new board members, it should strive to recruit them from varied backgrounds, perspectives, races, professions, age groups, and socioeconomic statuses. Since many boards appoint new members exclusively through direct conversations, it may be necessary to implement a comprehensive change in recruitment methods and adopt modern approaches, such as social media.

  1. Reconsider financial requirements for board members

Your organization may have a policy that requires board members to contribute a certain amount in donations each year. Although this policy is an effective way to fundraise, it can also represent a significant barrier to younger members and those from low-income backgrounds joining the board. Therefore, you might exempt part of your board from making financial contributions to help the organization maintain a large number of members.

  1. Consider setting tangible goals to achieve diversity

If your organization chooses to promote diversity initiatives within the board, you can draft official goals based on the demographic makeup of the communities your organization aims to serve. From this perspective, the organization should strive to develop a board that reflects the diversity of the community it serves racially.

Source: Nonprofit HR