Let’s Not Defend The Lack of Diversity In Philanthropy and Universities: Don’t Try — Diversify
Make room at the table
Update July 7, 2021
In light of UNC’s tenure scandal, I needed to highlight the lack of diversity in college and university boards. UNC’s initial denial of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ well-deserved tenure put a spotlight on how nonprofits, universities and their boards operate. This is a serious, deep-rooted issue that’s created highly toxic work and academic environments for Black and brown professors, professionals and scholars across the country.
Inside Higher Ed reports that college and university boards are 75–85% white and Chronicle says only 2.1% of tenured professors in America are Black women. As of 2019, UNC-Chapel Hill was only slightly higher with 31 Black women out of their 998 tenured faculty.
Yet, I’m sure almost every college or university has a “diversity statement”. I speak from personal and professional experience that education and employment without representation is exhausting at best, but most often traumatic and compromise our mental and physical health and careers at its worse.
Black and brown people are tired of fighting for seats at tables where we’re not welcome, forced to fight or protest, and told to wait or begrudgingly given scraps.
UNC lost Nikole Hannah-Jones to Howard University as a result of the highly politicized racism that surrounded her tenure process. She is one of many who are still suffering — this needs to change.
Marc Gunther, the author of Who Rules Philanthropy? faced backlash which isn’t surprising considering the current political climate. However, when a reader accused him of “cherry-picking” organizations to point out racial disparities in philanthropy, I felt compelled to respond.
If the accusation is true, perhaps all the philanthropy and nonprofit journals and data are wrong, too. Sadly, according to a Bridgespan Study and the New York Times, 92% of foundation leaders and 83% of their full-time staff are white and a 2018 Impact Of Diversity Study by Indiana University revealed that 87% of nonprofit organizations have white executive directors (ED’s).
Consequently, if there is any cherry picking- it would be with the all or predominately white board members or search committees that keep the status quo.
Being that the reader based his comments on his knowledge and experiences, not facts — I’ll share mine: I’ve worked in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years. In the last 5 years, I’ve worked with over 30 nonprofit partners and funders in higher and K-12 education, STEM, criminal and juvenile justice, housing and food insecurity, and other social service organizations and I’ve only met 2 Black executive directors (ED) and 2 Hispanic. Yet, ALL of these organizations serve predominately Black and other communities of color. I’ve met countless employees of color and heard concerns about the lack of representation in leadership and management. The lack of diversity and cultural competency negatively impacts how employees, faculty, clients and students are treated, overall performance, and outcomes.
In my lifetime, I’ve only met 2 Black executive directors of a major nonprofit or philanthropic organization, with very little diversity in upper and middle management. In contrast, most of these organizations’ lower level, low-wage direct service providers are Black and other people of color.
Unfortunately, as an older African American woman, I’ve found working for nonprofits and higher education some of the most hostile, toxic and biased working environments. Some are riddled with unchecked, blatant racism, sexism, ableism, elitism, and lots of cronyism and nepotism. The old boys' network and the mean girls club aren’t just in corporate America. Their liberal family and friends are thriving in nonprofits and philanthropy when they finish graduate school or return from mission trips in Africa, Asia, or South America, or retire from corporate America and just want to “give back”.
I’ve witnessed numerous highly credentialed, well-traveled, culturally incompetent EDs and management profit off the same injustices they claim to fight by perpetuating gender, race, class, age, and wage discrimination. I’ve been one of the many Black and brown employees who are micromanaged and paid significantly less than white colleagues. I’ve even sat at a hiring conference and watched a white male administrator push for another white male candidate to get more money than a woman of color with the same credentials - for similar positions. When asked why he was advocating for this white male candidate, he literally said, “he seemed like the kind of guy I’d like to get a beer with…”
I’ve seen a lot of white EDs and managers receive generous salaries and perks because they’ve mastered how to pontificate, and peddle poverty stories in glossy reports filled with staged, “diverse” photo ops from the few times they leave their offices (or homes) to meet with donors “in the field”. It’s really bad and the only people who don’t know it are the people at the top and the donors.
To the readers who attacked Marc or might be inclined to challenge my experiences, please stop defending things based on your discomfort with the truth. Don’t deny — diversify your organizations from the front desk to the board and everywhere in between.
Facts and an easy fix
Fact: Philanthropy and nonprofits are predominately run by well compensated white people
Instead of trying to justify or dismiss it by pointing out a few Black and brown people “who made it”; accept it and sit with your discomfort. After all, that’s what Black and brown people do every day. We have no other choice but to face our realities and find ways to adapt. Change comes with discomfort.
So, I ask all the naysayers, are you going to help change this or keep telling everyone they’re wrong because you can’t handle the truth?
Fact: There isn’t a shortage of Black talent — only a shortage of open minds, opportunities and people who are brave and honest enough to admit their biases and change the status quo.
It’s an easy fix: Make sure your organization has input, representation, and leadership from the communities you serve. In other words, #InvestInEquity, not the facade or performative activism.
Resources and solutions
If you’ve pledged to become “more diverse and inclusive” and would like to go beyond social justice statements and performative activism, you should reach out to organizations like The Association of Black Foundation Executives (ABFE) or DiverseForce for help. They are the answer to the question:
What If We Don’t Defend or Deny The Lack of Diversity In Philanthropy and Nonprofits and Just Try To Diversify?
DiverseForce offers a full menu of recruitment, development and consulting services including DiverseForce on Boards, a partnership with the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, funded by the William Penn Foundation, Knight Foundation and many others. This executive training program focuses on “board governance and leadership development for mid-to-senior level professionals of color”.
DiverseForce on Boards is training their 5th Cohort and they’ve helped add diverse board members to over 80 nonprofit boards, since 2017 including the boards at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, NFL Alumni Association, Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Mental Health Partnerships, Maternity Care Coalition, and countless other colleges, universities, and hospitals, etc.
80+ organizations made diversity a priority in the Philadelphia Tri-State area, imagine what could happen if the philanthropic and nonprofit community made this a national priority?
Let me be clear, this isn’t about pushing anyone out. Inclusion simply means making room at the table — for everyone (adding — not subtracting). It might be a little tight and uncomfortable at first, but you’ll quickly see how diversity brings a new perspective, approach and invaluable insight and representation increases trust and buy-in, access and opportunities to the communities you serve. It’s a win-win for everyone!
True dedication to diversity is seen, heard, valued and empowered!
I hope to see a day where “diversity” isn’t just a buzzword or uphill battle. Everybody wins when diverse views and voices are at the table. We all learn more, strategize and work better, help more people and solve more systemic problems to improve the quality of life for our fellow men, women and children… After all, isn’t that the whole point of nonprofits and philanthropy?
When we know better — we do better. Let’s do better — not because it looks or feels good — but because it’s the right thing to do for the organizations and the communities we serve.
Thank you for reading.