Building Diverse, Inclusive, and Equitable Organizations: New Tools for Your Nonprofit

Nonprofit leaders know that creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace is critical for building productive, dynamic organizations and for advancing their organization’s mission.  Research has shown that diverse organizations perform better—that diverse teams are more innovative, are more effective problem-solvers, and make better decisions.  A lack of diversity and inclusion can also put organizations at legal risk by fostering conditions for harassment and discrimination.

Nevertheless, people of color continue to be significantly underrepresented at the senior, executive, and board levels of nonprofit leadership, a situation that undermines the sector’s effectiveness and that puts organizations at odds with their core mission and values.

A 2018 report by Equity in the Center, Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture, provides a framework for making nonprofits “more committed, more knowledgeable, and more skilled in analyzing race, racism, and race equity, and in placing these issues at the forefront of organizational and operational strategy.”  The report outlines a “Race Equity Cycle” that nonprofits move through in their journey to become more diverse, inclusive, and equity-driven organizations, along with seven strategic “levers”—including people, processes, and systems—that can be leveraged to build a race equity culture within organizations.  

The full report, including a useful glossary and links to additional resources, can be found here:  Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture.