Most organizations have a sense of their unique and pressing needs. But over the past two years, the single most common response among the nonprofits we speak to is:

“We want to have a board that better reflects the community we serve."

Each organization will define the community they serve differently. Some definitions may include the beneficiaries of the organization’s services, the larger geographic or ideological community that the organization operates within, the individuals who engage directly with the organization, and maybe even groups that intentionally choose not to be involved or are unaware of the organization’s presence. We find that broad definitions of community used to be more inclusive in our board development practices.

At Cause Strategy Partners, we maintain a board definition of diversity. Too often conversations around diversity are narrowed to speak exclusively to race and ethnicity. This is not to say that the lack of racial diversity in nonprofit boardrooms is not a problem to solve for – our nonprofit partners identify it as one of the greatest challenges they face in board development. But narrowing diversity to race and ethnicity can be hugely limiting. To fully embrace this value of diversity we need to consider all forms of identity.

SURVEY RESULTS

The following survey results represent 177 nonprofit organizations across the United States. Over 90% of respondents have participated in at least one round of BoardLead.

Cause Strategy Partners board placement specialists led a conversation around board development practices that strengthen an organization’s connection with the community through intentional board recruitment. Discussing recent survey data, the conversation peels apart the barriers boards face when thinking and planning for board diversification efforts – as expressed in the survey – with key attention to how boards can mitigate harm and tokenization of diverse candidates.