Effective board leadership for nonprofits, foundations and charitable organizations requires bold decision-making with a focus on advancing the organization’s mission. “For nonprofits to perform optimally, research and our experience suggest that leadership must represent a broad range of perspectives and expertise,” says Dianne Bailey, national philanthropic strategy executive, Bank of America Private Bank. “Still, many nonprofit boards lack meaningful diversity.”
What’s holding nonprofits back? And what can be done to overcome the structural and cultural barriers to building diverse boards?
Encouragingly, there are a few high-impact strategies for removing obstacles and creating opportunities to diversify your foundation or charitable organization’s governing board, which are explored in detail below.