At the annual conference of the leading international academic trade association for the study of nonprofits, a group of panelists, including NPQ’s Ruth McCambridge, took a hard look at why nonprofit governance in the US remains white-dominated and what to do about that.
Week 14 Group A Original Content Posted: 11/25/2018 (Late)
I found this article particularly interesting because it connects many of the experiences I am having in my professional life. The one issue with this article is it completely omitted the discussion of disability as part of diversity. The BoardSource report noted disability diversity as the area where nonprofit governance is lacking most. (Note: The BoardSource report discussed in this article is part of my Literature Review for this class.)
I am in the process of being installed onto a state council that oversees funding for nonprofit disability centers throughout the state, and there is a history of systemic racism in the way the funding has been distributed. A known weakness of the board is its lack of diversity and efforts to diversify it have had limited success so far. The current leadership understands the importance of diversity, equity, and culture change. However, they are still struggling to undo the effects of institutionalized racism.
Of particular interest is the discussion of how the selection of board members based on “financial capacity” often leads to the exclusion of minorities. Since minorities experience poverty at higher rates, this creates a disparate impact for minorities in relation to participation in nonprofit governance. The community capitals framework seems to be an especially valuable tool for nonprofits looking to increase their board diversity.
What do you find to be the most important ideas presented in this article? Do you agree or disagree that board members should be considered independent of their ability to contribute financially to an organization? How would you address issues of equity within your own nonprofit organization?










