Six Steps to Recruit Diverse Nonprofit Board Members and Embrace Equity and Inclusion
As a consulting firm that works on board governance and equity, one of the questions that we hear a lot is, “How do we build boards that encompass diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?”
Often, we refer them to this excellent post from Jim Taylor, former VP of Leadership Initiatives at Boardsource, “Recruiting for Board Diversity – Without Disrespecting People of Color.” Taylor shares his experience as a Black man – joining many boards due to a “mutual passion for the mission and shared understanding of alignment,” but also having experiences when he felt disrespected in the board recruitment process. As he describes, “I was being recruited because -- and seemingly only because -- I was Black and my board membership would support the organization’s board diversity goals.”
How can we make sure that all people who are recruited to boards feel respected and affirmed? Much of this goes back to readiness – to doing work ahead of time.
Here are six steps on the path to build a board that embraces diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging:
1. Build trust among board members, so that board members are able to have hard conversations about differences and inequity.
The Pacific Crest Trails Association (PCTA) recently brought five new members on to the board of directors. As their press release points out, each new director is a Person of Color. In their words, this group “offers fresh leadership perspectives in race, gender, outdoor experience, sexual and gender identity, professional expertise, vision, and much more…”
According to Acting Executive Director/CEO Megan Wargo, PCTA did significant preparation before starting the board recruitment process, including working with the Center for Diversity and the Environment for over a year: hosting Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) training, reviewing histories and policies with an equity lens, aligning on the importance of this work, and developing an organizational Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statement with staff, board, and community input.
Do you need help with your board recruitment plan? Check out our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training for Nonprofits.
2. Clarify your Why for recruiting diverse board members.
In our work leading conversations with boards, getting to the Why of this work is critical. Any organization that serves predominantly Black or Brown people or wants to serve a more diverse community of people should be asking who needs to be on the board in order to have the knowledge for decision making as well as build relationships in different communities. Given that we are a multiracial society, most boards should feel pressure that the board represents all of the community served.
In the case of the PCTA, people of all backgrounds use the Pacific Crest Trail. Wargo notes that, “we did hear from our community that representation matters and a call to see an increase of People of Color in leadership positions at both the staff and board of directors level.”
3. Representation: Fill out a board matrix and have a conversation about who is at the table and who is missing - in terms of race, disability, gender, age, etc.
As we have stated previously, embracing equity means that “the people closest to the problems are weighing in on the solutions.” This work involves being able to specify who is currently on your board, in terms of many characteristics, and who you would like to join.
4. Make sure that your board has a full understanding of the community served.
A component of board work is to weigh in on vision and strategy. So you need board members who understand the challenges of the community served. The board should conduct regular assessments to ensure that they shift with the organization.
5. Cast a wide net and go outside of your usual networks to identify Black, Indigenous or People of Color to serve on your board.
Sometimes we hear that “We don’t know anyone who is (Black, Latinx, etc.) to recruit for our board.” If that is the case, you have more work to do!
Some of us White people may live in segregated communities or neighborhoods. Sometime The Ross Collective leads an exercise on boundary crossing, encouraging board members with privileged identities to think expansively about networks that are more diverse.
Boards can also work with a consultant to bring on new members. For example, The Ross Collective affiliate consultant Christal Cherry offers a Board Search, Recruitment, and Onboarding service for boards.
6. Make sure that White board leaders are ready to shift the balance of power and empower others to lead.
As Martin Luther King, Jr., whose birthday we celebrated earlier this week, states, “The problems of racial injustice and economic injustice cannot be solved without a radical redistribution of political and economic power.”
This work is about shifting power. In order to move towards more equitable boards, board members should be open to that power shift. Some White board members may need to step back or exit. Admittedly, this is difficult to recognize, and some long-standing board members may express resistance to this idea.
As boards move towards equity, some board members may not feel aligned with this direction, and may “get off the train.” The organization is going through a process of identity change and it is natural that some individuals will not embrace these changes.
The board of any organization is a focal point of determining the most important things they take on. All members of the board should uphold the best interest of the organization, which should include an alignment of the board with the mission and values of the organization.
We encourage you to reflect on these steps to ascertain where board members are in terms of readiness for potential shifts in the seats of the board. We acknowledge that these are challenging - and energizing -- conversations and we are here to help you work through these issues.