Aug 8, 2017
Race to Lead: Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap
The nonprofit sector is experiencing a racial leadership gap. Studies show the percentage of people of color in the executive director/CEO role has remained under 20% for the last 15 years even as the country becomes more diverse.
To increase the number of people of color leading nonprofits, the sector needs a new narrative about the problem and new strategies to address it. Nonprofits have to transfer the responsibility for the racial leadership gap from those who are targeted by it (aspiring leaders of color), to those governing organizations.
Building Movement Project conducted the Nonprofits, Leadership, and Race survey. Over 4,000 respondents answered questions about their current nonprofit job, interest in leading a nonprofit, training/supports, views of leadership, and personal background. They were also asked about their views on race and the nonprofit sector. This report, the first in a series to be released over the next two years, will compare people of color and white respondents’ background, aspirations to be leaders, training, and attitudes towards leadership.
The findings from the survey challenge the way the nonprofit sector has been approaching the racial leadership gap. The prevailing theory of change has been that there needs to be more attention on finding or convincing people of color to consider leadership positions, keeping those who are qualified from leaving the sector, and offering training to the others to prepare them for taking on the top job. Underlying this logic are the assumptions that people of color are less interested in nonprofit leadership than their white counterparts, that qualified leaders of color will leave the nonprofit sector, and that those who stay do not have the skills to be competitive (without help) for top leadership jobs.
The results tell a different story. They show more similarities than differences in the background and preparation between white and POC respondents. In addition, people of color are more likely to aspire to be leaders than white respondents.
The findings point to a new narrative. To increase the number of people of color leaders, the nonprofit sector needs to address the practices and biases of those governing nonprofit organizations.
Rather than focus on the perceived deficits of potential leaders of color, the sector should concentrate on educating nonprofit decision-makers on the issues of race equity and implicit bias accompanied by changes in action leading to measurable results.
This new narrative transfers the responsibility for the racial leadership gap from those who are targeted (people of color) to those who oversee organizations as well as the sector overall, which needs to embrace systems change work to ensure that its policies, practices and culture are aligned with the values of diversity, inclusion and equity.
Download the Race to Lead Executive Summary and full report. Visit the Race to Lead website at www.racetolead.org.
Join Building Movement Project co-directors, Sean Thomas-Breitfeld and Frances Kunreuther, on July 18th for a public briefing on this survey at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Albuquerque. RSVP for the free event.
Working at the Intersections: LGBTQ Nonprofit Staff and the Racial Leadership Gap
Twenty one percent of nonprofit staff that responded to the Nonprofits, Leadership, and Race Survey self-identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ). The first report on the overall survey results - Race to Lead: Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap - showed that people of color have similar backgrounds and qualifications to lead as their white counterparts, and even report more interest in taking on leadership positions, but that structures and systems limit access and opportunity for aspiring leaders of color. The findings [from the LGBTQ sample] are equally compelling as those explored in Race to Lead.
LGBTQ staff in nonprofits report similar rates of discrimination based on their sexuality as are reported in surveys on the workforce overall. However, LGBTQ people of color are negotiating an even more treacherous landscape. LGBTQ staff of color reported facing adverse effects of racism in their attempts to advance in the nonprofit sector, which were compounded by barriers related to their sexuality.
The findings also point to the importance of balancing the intersecting factors of race, sexuality, and gender identity. Nonprofit organizations and the sector can shift toward greater acceptance and affirmation of the full diversity of nonprofit staff.
Download the LGBTQ Executive Summary and full report.