Anne Yurasek, MBAMay 20, 2008FIO Partners, LLC

Welcome

• Welcome

• Introductions

• Overview of Tonight’s Agenda

Defining DiversityDefining Diversity

What is Diversity?

• “The state of being different or diverse. When used to describe people and population groups, diversity encompasses such factors as age, gender, race, ethnicity, ability, and religion, as well as education, professional background, and marital and parental status.” - Girl Scouts USA

• “Differences among people or peoples reflected in a variety of forms, including but not limited to race, culture, perspective, talent, interest, ability, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, language and socio-economic status.” - Dr. Percy Bates, University of Michigan

Trouble with Tokenism

Source: Flickr

Embracing Difference in All Forms…

...to create a healthy and effective

Board of Directors that can best

support the mission of the organization.

...to create a healthy and effective

Board of Directors that can best

support the mission of the organization.

Source: Flick - luxamartr

Diversity & Nonprofit Boards:The Challenge

Diversity & Nonprofit Boards:The Challenge

Some Good News…

• 64% believe “Our Board of Directors currently reflects the racial diversity of our service area.” and “Our Board of Directors currently reflects the racial diversity of the clients we serve.”

• 67% believe “It is the goal of our Board of Directors to reflect the racial diversity of our service area.”, while 60% believe “It is a goal of our Board of Directors to reflect the racial diversity of clients we serve.”

• 95% of respondents believe “It is important to have a racially diverse Board of Directors.”

Highlights from 2007 Survey on Racial Diversity of Boards in Middlesex County

Highlights from 2007 Survey on Racial Diversity of Boards in Middlesex County

What are some of the Challenges?

• “Network Recycling Effect”

• Time and travel requirements for attending meetings and events

• Over-commitment of those who may be interested in being board members

• Lack of board/organization values around diversity

• Finding skilled individuals interested in serving

• Others?

What is the Impact?

• No identification or common ground with populations served by the organization

• Limited networks

• Limited funding sources

• Difficulty in developing new ideas/concepts

• Worst case scenario – group think.

• Others?

A Framework for Creating Change on Your Board

A Framework for Creating Change on Your Board

Initiating a Conversation about Diversity

Mission Mission

BusinessBusiness

Responsible CorporationResponsible Corporation

Framework for Creating Change

Assess Current SituationAssess Current Situation

Define Diversity for Your OrganizationDefine Diversity for Your Organization

Recruit and Attract New Board MembersRecruit and Attract New Board Members

Retain Board MembersRetain Board Members

Define Diversity for Your Organization

• Agree and examine your reasons for seeking diversity

• Develop a Statement of Purpose

"We will strive to have two or more members

of our board be parents whose children are

residents in our treatment program."

"To help us reach and reach meaningfully the Latino population we want to serve, we are committed to a board that is 40% or more

from the Latino/Hispanic community."

Assess Current Situation

Source: King County United Way

What is the current composition of your

board?

Recruiting/Attracting New Board Members

• Evaluate Your Recruitment Plan

• Identify new activities/efforts to undertake

– Post your "Great Board Member Wanted" ad on free websites

– "One Hour Recruiting Task Force“

– Promote from the ranks

– Board Member Swap

• Assess your efforts quarterly and adjust as necessary

Other Ideas?

Retaining Board Members

• Involve your Board Members

• Be conscious of Board Member burnout

• Augment Board committees with additional volunteers

• Engage Board Members by sharing organization success stories

• Assess the health of your Board periodically and address concerns

• Other ideas?

First StepsFirst Steps

Q&AQ&A

Closing Comments Closing Comments