All Together Now:
Discovering Your Nonprofit’s True Potential
Discovering Your Nonprofit’s True Potential
Allow me a few minutes of your imagination. Let’s imagine we can squeeze your entire community into one giant stadium. This is just an exercise so relax about the logistics.
So you have every single person , Rich and poor , every neighborhood in one place and your allowed to address them with a microphone, your website on some giant screen everyone can see. Your allowed to ask everyone for financial support for your nonprofit! Wouldn't that be excellent?
Problem is your community is diverse and your organization likely is not. Your designed: Your staff, board, materials, language, website to reach middle to upper class white people. Your organization isn’t even aware of this. This visualization would make it stunningly clear. The wealthy Latino tech entrepreneur, the Asian immigrant businessman, the African American clothing designer. All wealthy and potentially philanthropic to your cause have never heard of your organization. They don’t operate in the same circles your Board does. You don’t invite them to events because they are invisible to your staff and Board.
As you might have guessed I am making a case for diversity in nonprofits. The crisis is chronic and real. 90% of Board Members, 85% of Staff leaders , 73% donors are white people.
Diversity isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about truly working with your whole community. Giving, volunteering, serving on a Board is empowerment of the whole community not just the one you know.
In my consulting practice helping nonprofits truly, fully diversify internally I find people surprised I consider donors as part of the diversity equation. Ideas that demographic groups “ aren’t philanthropic” comes from ignorance of those groups. Overwhelmingly people of color are under solicited , especially in the Major Gifts area.
As I challenge my clients, stop thinking of Diversity as something you have to be pressured and guilted into doing. It’s not. I have found that clients have discovered a “ new world” in their own backyard. There is also a powerful case to be made for programs and diversity. For example, If your in disease prevention nonprofit and you need to find a way to do major outreach to a hard to engage diverse community. Perfect opportunity for fundraising! Especially identifying a major donor who comes from that demographic.
The horrendous nonprofit diversity gap in the US hasn’t budged despite lots of concern, hand wringing and good intentions.
Perhaps it will help if we redefine “ Diversity “ to include donors and redefine it as powerful growth for our organization, advancement of mission. Let’s get it done !
So you have every single person , Rich and poor , every neighborhood in one place and your allowed to address them with a microphone, your website on some giant screen everyone can see. Your allowed to ask everyone for financial support for your nonprofit! Wouldn't that be excellent?
Problem is your community is diverse and your organization likely is not. Your designed: Your staff, board, materials, language, website to reach middle to upper class white people. Your organization isn’t even aware of this. This visualization would make it stunningly clear. The wealthy Latino tech entrepreneur, the Asian immigrant businessman, the African American clothing designer. All wealthy and potentially philanthropic to your cause have never heard of your organization. They don’t operate in the same circles your Board does. You don’t invite them to events because they are invisible to your staff and Board.
As you might have guessed I am making a case for diversity in nonprofits. The crisis is chronic and real. 90% of Board Members, 85% of Staff leaders , 73% donors are white people.
Diversity isn’t about being politically correct. It’s about truly working with your whole community. Giving, volunteering, serving on a Board is empowerment of the whole community not just the one you know.
In my consulting practice helping nonprofits truly, fully diversify internally I find people surprised I consider donors as part of the diversity equation. Ideas that demographic groups “ aren’t philanthropic” comes from ignorance of those groups. Overwhelmingly people of color are under solicited , especially in the Major Gifts area.
As I challenge my clients, stop thinking of Diversity as something you have to be pressured and guilted into doing. It’s not. I have found that clients have discovered a “ new world” in their own backyard. There is also a powerful case to be made for programs and diversity. For example, If your in disease prevention nonprofit and you need to find a way to do major outreach to a hard to engage diverse community. Perfect opportunity for fundraising! Especially identifying a major donor who comes from that demographic.
The horrendous nonprofit diversity gap in the US hasn’t budged despite lots of concern, hand wringing and good intentions.
Perhaps it will help if we redefine “ Diversity “ to include donors and redefine it as powerful growth for our organization, advancement of mission. Let’s get it done !