Board Strategies

As the decision-making body at the highest level of organizational leadership, boards play a critical role in creating an organization that prioritizes, supports, and invests in diversity, inclusion, and equity.

There’s little debate that driving diversity should continue to be an important priority for all organizational leaders; nevertheless, it is becoming increasingly evident that focusing on diversity without also focusing on inclusion is not a winning strategy. Management teams—have started to recognize this, and some have taken concrete action to develop and execute inclusion strategies that go beyond diversity to create inclusive cultures at their organizations.

We believe that embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion as organizational values is a way to intentionally make space for positive outcomes to flourish, whether in direct services or in the nonprofit capacity building or public policy spheres. We urge each nonprofit to articulate its own values and be guided by them. Let’s use our staff meetings and board meetings to examine our core values. How will our nonprofits apply those values in their daily operations? 

Though people often feel more comfortable with others like themselves, homogeneity can hamper the exchange of different ideas and stifle the intellectual workout that stems from disagreements. “Generally speaking, people would prefer to spend time with others who agree with them rather than disagree with them”. But this unbridled affirmation does not always produce the best results which is why promoting diversity is so vital to the success and growth of an organization

Read:

Below are topics and tools that can be used:

Cognizance

As a Board Member:

Be aware of personal biases and develop systems to mitigate the impact of those biases.

Bias is a leader’s Achilles’ heel

Curiosity

As a Board Member:

Ask questions to avoid assumptions. Wonder how the definition of “success” may be broadened.

Different ideas and experiences enable growth

Courage

As a Board Member:

Share with others your strengths and development areas to roll model humility

Talking about imperfections involves personal risk taking

Cultural Intelligence

As a Board Member:

Acknowledge differences of strength and make decisions through empathetic lens.

Not everyone sees the world through the same cultural frame.

Collaboration

As a Board Member:

Promote collaboration among diverse individuals across the organization.

A diverse thinking team is greater than the sum of its parts.

Commitment

As a Board Member:

Commit to demonstrating inclusive leadership personally and to holding fellow board members and organization accountable.

Because staying the course is hard.

The Benefits of Differently-abled Diversity in the Workplace

How Differently-abled Diversity in the Workplace Can Improve Productivity

Do Your DEI Efforts Include People with Differently-abled?

Examples of Bias Free Language

The 1 Critical Element missing from 92% of Diversity and Inclusion Strategies

Age Discrimination 

Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Workplace Incivility

Thrive as an LGBT+ executive or ally

Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, And Diversity In The Workplace

Watch

Why it’s so hard to talk about the N-word

Immaculate Perception 

Breaking Down Reparations & White Privilege

Ally or Co-Conspirator 

Age Diversity in the Workplace

Inclusion and Diversity: Generations

Age Diversity In The Workplace |  DisruptHR Talks

Age Diversity in the Workplace Presentation

Differently-abled Inclusion Matters for All

Inclusion starts with I

Differently abled and inclusion in the workplace 

Rethinking differently-abled in the workplace