Most nonprofit chief executives say diversity is an important goal, but their organizations are falling short of the mark, according to a study released today.
A survey conducted by the Center for Effective Philanthropy found that more than two-thirds of nonprofit leaders thought that having a diverse staff was very or extremely important. But only about one-third said their own staff met that goal. There was a similar disconnect between nonprofit leaders’ aspirations for diversity and the actual make-up of their boards and executive leaders, the survey found.
“They have a long way to go in terms of how diverse they want their staff and boards to be in order to meet their goals,” said Ellie Buteau, the center’s vice president of research.
A majority of nonprofit leaders reported that their organization was diverse based on race and ethnicity, gender identity, and the sexual orientation of members of their work force. But nearly 60 percent said their organization was “not very” or “not at all” diverse when accounting for employees with disabilities.
“The need for more attention to disabilities really stood out,” Buteau said.
Most nonprofit leaders said grant makers that support them collect demographic information. Nearly 90 percent said foundations ask for information on the populations they serve; 63 percent ask about the organization’s board of directors; 53 percent ask about the nonprofit’s full-time staff; and 44 percent ask about the senior leadership. But less than half said foundations that support them have discussed diversity with them, and only 21 percent say grant makers have explained how they use the data they collect.
Almost 90 percent of nonprofit CEOs said they were comfortable sharing demographic data, an indication, Buteau said, that they weren’t worried about losing out on funding based on a lack of diversity.
Hiring Practices
The survey also looked at nonprofits’ hiring practices. Ninety percent said they recruit candidates from a “wide range” of sources. But fewer (54 percent) said they ask search firms to provide a diverse pool of candidates to fill open positions. Nonprofits were even less likely to ask job candidates to complete anonymous demographic surveys (11 percent) or to redact information from resumes that could trigger biases among hiring managers (7 percent).
Buteau said foundations could assist nonprofits that want to modify their hiring practices to attract more diverse talent.
“That’s a place for improvement and a place funders could potentially help nonprofits if nonprofits don’t have the resources to get up to speed on best practices,” she said.
The Center for Effective Philanthropy study, which was supported by the Rita Allen and W.K. Kellogg foundations, is based on survey responses from 205 nonprofit leaders.
Gap Between Diversity Goals and Reality
Most CEOs believe diversity is important — but acknowledge that their nonprofits fall short.