Nonprofits have long focused on white donors and overlooked donors of color who would give more if asked, experts say. Research by the fundraising software company Blackbaud found that white people make up roughly three-quarters of American supporters. That stands in sharp contrast to the country’s population, which is now 60 percent white and is expected to become majority minority around 2045.
While many fundraisers understand the need to do a better job of including people of color in their strategies, they often don’t know how to improve.
To explore ways nonprofits can be more welcoming to people of color, the Chronicle invited three experts to share their advice: Armando Castellano, trustee for the Castellano Family Foundation, which supports Latinx causes in Silicon Valley; Tashion Macon, executive consultant at Bridge Philanthropic Consulting, a Black-owned fundraising consultancy; and Ashindi Maxton, co-founder of the Donors of Color Network, an affinity group for philanthropists of color. Here are a few of their recommendations.
‘Rebuild Your DNA’
Nonprofits whose staffs and boards lack diversity are not “throwing the right party” to attract donors of color, Maxton said. “If you have white folks running your development and leading your team and board, you are not going to find this set of people.”
If your nonprofit truly wants to be more inclusive, she said, you almost need to start over and “rebuild your DNA.” It isn’t enough to simply make “superficial” changes such as increasing the appearance of diversity in your marketing materials, adding one person of color to your board, or boosting diversity among the ranks of lower-level employees, she said. “Do the real work, and I believe you can change an organization profoundly.”
For Castellano, the demographic makeup of a nonprofit’s executive leaders and board is “top of mind” when assessing potential grantees. His family’s foundation asks nonprofits about the diversity of their leaders as part of its grant-application process, he said, because too often there is a “disconnect” between a charity’s leaders and its community.
Castellano said he also takes leadership diversity into account when considering whether to join a nonprofit’s board. “I want to see the pictures and the diversity of the executive leadership because I know that’s going to tell me who has power in that organization,” he said. “It’s really about wielding power and having the cultural competency to speak to their constituency.”
Make the Case for Prioritizing Diversity
Lower- and midlevel employees who want to advocate for a greater focus on diversity should use language that resonates with their nonprofits’ leaders, Macon said. For example, the word “justice” may make some people uncomfortable, she said, because of the implications for those who hold power now. Try to find a way to communicate the necessary change in a way that your leaders can understand and respond to.
Figure out how advancing inclusion could benefit your organization’s bottom line, Maxton suggested, and build your case from there.
Castellano recommends finding an ally with power, often a white male, who will support efforts to diversify and amplify your voice and your message.
Let Donors ‘Self-Identify’
When gathering demographic information on your supporters, ask questions about race and ethnicity in a sensitive way, Macon said. Be clear that you are seeking the data to advance diversity and equity, she said, and show that you see the donors as individuals, which includes letting them “self-identify.”
Focus on Opportunity
Wealthy people of color are more likely than their white counterparts to have earned their wealth, rather than inherited it, Maxton said. As a result, advancing opportunity for others is a “big driving force” for donors of color across racial and ethnic groups. “If you’re out there in the audience thinking about how do I begin a conversation with a donor of color, the word ‘opportunity’ is the closest you have to a magic word,” she said.
In addition, people of color often help support their friends and families, she said, which means fundraisers seeking money from them are not necessarily competing with other charities. “You’re competing with my mom, my neighbor, my uncle who I grew up with,” she said. To win gifts from these supporters, she said, emphasize how your organization can create opportunities for people like their friends and family.
Commit to Racial Justice
To make real progress on advancing racial justice, Maxton said, nonprofits should start by taking an honest look at their internal diversity, including the makeup of their staffs, boards, and donors. She said that “2020 is a really great time to just say we didn’t do it right. Have a truth-and-reconciliation moment about what your numbers are right now, publicly talk about them, and then commit to measuring them every year.
“Because if you don’t actually continue to measure it, I think that summer 2020 will be the flick of a moment in which we thought about racial justice and then did not actually institutionalize that commitment,” she said.
