If the demographics of your donors, board members, staff and clients don’t reflect the average make up of your community, your recruiting, hiring and fundraising practices may not be geared to include everyone.  Nonprofits can sometimes fall into a homogeneous trap.  Board members look and think the same.  Staff looks and thinks the same.  Donors look and think the same. And sometimes – without intention – the design of our services exclude rather than include. 

Being an inclusive organization that values diversity doesn’t “just happen”.  Like every other best practice, organizations must be committed and diligent to have good habits.  If you are intentionally an inclusive organization, you will naturally attract donations from a diverse population, your board will be diverse in skill set, education, race, income and culture and when you post positions, you will have a diverse set of applicants to interview.  If you don’t attract diversity, I suggest you examine your practices for any that may be exclusive. Invest in and prioritize strategies and practices that address inequities. Embrace diversity and inclusion.

Nonprofit Network strives to be a model of inclusion.  We believe that bringing diverse individuals together is essential to effectively address the issues that face current and prospective partners. 

by Regina Pinney - Executive Director

Want to explore more on this topic? Check out our webinar: Diversity and Inclusion Around the Board Table