Key Findings From Leading With Intent

This week we explored nonprofit diversity and reflected on personal biases while discussing the board's strengths and challenges. We studied the board's fundraising role, diverse giving patterns, motivations, and strategies for inclusive organizational funding. Defining diversity is similar to variety in a professional environment, with some additional considerations specific to the nonprofit sector. In this context, diversity refers to the presence and inclusion of individuals from diverse backgrounds, experiences, identities, and perspectives within the organization. Organizations often work to address social issues and serve diverse communities. By embracing diversity, organizations can better understand and meet the needs of the communities

It is crucial to foster an inclusive culture that values and respects diversity, implement diverse hiring and recruitment practices, and provide equal opportunities for advancement and leadership roles. It is also vital to ensure that all individuals feel welcome, valued, and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives to the program. It is also essential to actively engage with diverse communities and stakeholders, forming partnerships and collaborations that reflect the organization's commitment to diversity and inclusion. Key 3 of the Key Findings From Leading with Intent, states that boards that include people of color are more likely to have adopted diversity, equity, and inclusion practices than boards that do not include people of color. (BoardSource, 2021) This key point explains that executives and board chairs recognize the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion work, but report lower engagement beyond the initial phases. This shows a need to commit to raising awareness of how racial inequity is relevant to the organization's mission. By talking about program results, identify differences in results by demographics and address any disparities in outcomes based on demographics. (BoardSource, 2021) By doing so one has to be aware of any implicit biases that may get in the way of addressing those

Implicit bias refers to the unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that individuals hold, which can affect their perceptions, decisions, and behaviors. Implicit bias can shape the fundraising strategies nonprofits employ based on assumptions about donor preferences. This can cause an unintentional tailor to tailor their messaging, events, and activities to appeal to a specific demographic or social group that aligns with prevailing biases, inadvertently excluding or overlooking potential donors from other backgrounds. Fundraising often relies on personal networks and relationships as well. Implicit biases may lead to primarily tapping into existing networks that are predominantly composed of individuals from certain racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic backgrounds. This can perpetuate a lack of diversity among donors and limit opportunities for reaching new supporters. Organizations might inadvertently reinforce stereotypes or inadvertently reinforce a narrow narrative that may not accurately reflect the diverse populations they serve. This can impact fundraising efforts by limiting the appeal and resonance of their mission with a broader range of