Report: Nonprofit Boards Are Overwhelmingly White

KJZZ (Nov. 27, 2017)
BoardSource data that shows that many organizations fail to make a real effort to become more inclusive…
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The Nonprofit Sector’s Board Diversity Problem

Dave Biemesderfer, Center for Effective Philanthropy, (Nov. 9, 2017)
The nonprofit sector has a board diversity problem. A recent BoardSource report showed that nonprofit boards are no more racially and ethnically diverse than they were two decades ago and thatœcurrent recruitment priorities indicate this is unlikely to change.

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Board Management Workshop: Is Your Board Structured for Impact?

The Editors, Nonprofit Quarterly (Oct 13, 2017)
There are some real insights in BoardSource’s 2017 “Leading with Intent” study about what is happening in the structures of boards and what effect these changes are having.
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Board Diversity: Continually Seeking the Best and Brightest

Priscilla Rosenwald, Penn LPS (November 6, 2017)
What is it about boards that make them so challenging? Is it the frustrating conflict and controversy or the lack of big picture thinking? When there is a lack of experience and expertise on a non-profit board, the range of ideas and information is limited. Large nonprofits, like hospitals and academic institutions, know this and create a corporate governance structure that brings the best practices to the table.

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Race Matters: Bringing a DEI Focus to the Boardroom

Makiyah Moody, La Piana Consulting (Nov. 2, 2017)
Makiyah Moody, Senior Consultant at La Piana Consulting, writes how diversity, equity and inclusion is hard work requiring self-reflection, courage and action.
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The First Contemporary Art Museum in Africa Is Run by White Men

Cyndi Suarez, Nonprofit Quarterly (Sept. 19, 2017)
NPQ has written about the lack of diversity on the boards of U.S. nonprofits, a problem that is getting worse, according to the latest BoardSource report.
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Podcast: The Evolution of the Barr Foundation

Nonprofit Quarterly (Sept. 22, 2017)
In this interview with the Business of Giving, Jim Canales, president of the Barr Foundation and former Board member at BoardSource, discusses the organization’s evolution from an anonymous giving entity to a family foundation to a leading grant maker in New England with a focus on arts, energy and education.
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The Goldilocks Approach to Nonprofit Board Size: What Is “Just Right”?

Ruth McCambridge, Nonprofit Quarterly (Sept. 18, 2017)

Among many interesting findings in BoardSource’s “Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices” report is a simple one on board size. Average board size has steadily declined over the past 20 years, as the chart below shows. It’s not clear whether this is due to a distinct set of beliefs, but BoardSource has some thoughts on the trend.

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The Declining Diversity of Nonprofit Boards and What to Do about It

The Editors, Nonprofit Quarterly (Sept. 14, 2017)
With all the talk in recent years about diversity on nonprofit boards, you would think that nonprofits across the country might be prioritizing this issue, and by now we might see boards that are more representative of the populations they serve.
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Why aren’t there more leaders of color in the nonprofit sector?

Tamara Lucas Copeland, President, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers, writes of how the reason for a lack of diverse leadership in nonprofit organizations may be due to unconscious bias and much more entrenched than we think.

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