Do you remember the repeated calls for board diversity in the past few decades?  The number of articles you read and the professional sessions you attended devoted to the topic?  The strategic plans your boards created that included goals around this topic?  The moment when foundations began to ask about board diversity as part of the grant application process?

I do, and I’m sure many of you do as well.  So, here’s something to consider:  according to a recently released report from BoardSource, since 1993 board composition has not changed at all.  In fact, the percentage of Black/African Americans serving on boards has actually declined from 9% to 7% during this time.

I read this statistic and thought, “how could this be?”  Every nonprofit I work with strives to recruit a diversity of board members, and while many feel their organizations are falling short of goal, they are focusing considerable resources and strategy on this effort.  BoardSource’s report, “Vital Voices:  Lessons Learned from Board Members of Color,” does an excellent job of shedding light on this subject, using direct experience and perspective from board members.

While BoardSource acknowledges that diversity is an umbrella term for a collection of attributes—including age, gender, sexual orientation, race, geographic location, etc., —this study focused solely on race.  Through the survey, BoardSource hoped to discern factors that create barriers to nonprofit board service, best practices for creating diversity, and useful strategies that can help move the needle on this issue.

The BoardSource report does a good job of outlining the issues involved and does not hesitate to reflect the variety of opinions and perspectives brought forward through the survey. You’ll find good feedback here that will help you think about how to strengthen your board recruitment and on-boarding processes, build inclusiveness, and a board culture that fosters and strengthens diversity.

Take the time this summer to read BoardSource’s twelve-page report on this topic, and send the link to your board chair and members.  As a sector, we are falling woefully short of leading this change, and this report provides a call to action and the beginnings of a road map.

Filed under: Boards by Kristin Barsness on August 5, 2010