‘Shocking’ Lack of Diversity Among Fundraising Leaders at Big Nonprofits

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July 27, 2022

From: Philanthropy Today

Subject: ‘Shocking’ Lack of Diversity Among Fundraising Leaders at Big Nonprofits

On the Cover: Toward a More Just Nonprofit World

We profile 15 professionals whose ideas, writing, activism, and work are driving conversations about equity. Read about thinkers and doers, Twitter pros and essayists, philanthropy outsiders and insiders, and more.

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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Fundraising Leadership at the Biggest Groups Still Has a ‘Shocking’ Lack of Diversity Despite Racial Reckoning

By Drew Lindsay

America’s nonprofits have promised to make their staffs look like America itself. Yet diversity remains elusive in the ranks of top fundraisers at the biggest organizations, despite significant turnover.
Opinion

Post-'Roe’ Digital-Privacy Concerns Should Send a Signal to Nonprofits: Take Online Security Seriously

By Lucy Bernholz

As people seeking abortions struggle to hide their digital trails, nonprofits and foundations should look deeply at their own tech practices and how they may be harming those they aim to help.
Grants Roundup

IKEA Foundation Pledges $25 Million to Cut Greenhouse Gases From Cooling Appliances

By M.J. Prest

Also, the MetLife Foundation has awarded $25 million through its first round of giving from its $150 million pledge for charities that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. Plus, PetSmart Charities will give $15 million to expand access to veterinary care for pets in need.

Webinars

Today: Tactics to Maximize Results at Year’s End

The key to year-end fundraising in 2022 is staying relevant amid economic woes and a pandemic that won’t end. Join us on demand or live today, August 11, to learn from veteran fundraisers which tactics and messages are working, tips for thanking — and keeping — big and small donors, and smart ways to stay connected so donors will give more at year’s end. Plus, you’ll get advice for using donor data to improve your year-end results. Register now.

BRIEFINGS & FORUMS

Today: Women Philanthropists: Charting a Course for Change

As wealthy women in America make more multimillion-dollar gifts, they are reshaping philanthropy — giving with fewer strings attached to groups often overlooked in the past. Join us to hear from three women philanthropists who are giving more general-operating and multi-year grants. We’ll delve into causes they care about, why they give, and their visions for the future of philanthropy. This free event will include announcement of the recipients of the 2022 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy. Register now and join us today at 2 p.m.

NONPROFIT NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE

Some current and former employees of the Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on preventing suicide among LGBTQ youths, say the CEO should resign after revelations that he advised opioid maker Purdue Pharma in a previous job. The disaffected staffers say Amit Paley’s work with Purdue while a consultant at McKinsey & Co. is antithetical to the mission of the Trevor Project, which earlier this year released research linking the misuse of prescription drugs to a significant jump in suicide attempts among LGBTQ people. In an email to the nonprofit’s staff, Paley said that he didn’t know about the gravity of the opioid crisis during his consultancy. Trevor Project employees scoffed at that account, with one noting that Paley had once been an investigative reporter nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. A McKinsey spokesman said Paley had played a brief, junior part in the Purdue contract, although papers from McKinsey at the time put him on a three-person “core leadership team” for the account. Gina Muñoz, chairwoman of the Trevor Project’s Board of Directors, said the board has “full confidence” in Paley, and his defenders say the organization has expanded to reach more people in need during his five years at the helm. (Teen Vogue)

More News

Seattle Audubon Will Change Its Name, Severing Ties to Slave Owner (Seattle Times)
Diddy and MacKenzie Scott Among Donors Boosting Howard U.'s Bond Rating (Bloomberg)
How Jewish Philanthropies Deal With Climate Change (Jerusalem Post)
When Care Costs Dearly: N.Y. Nonprofit Hospitals Garnish Patient Wages to Right Medical Debts, Report Finds (Fierce Healthcare)
The Collapse of Greensgrow, Philly’s Nonprofit Farm, Exposes Years of Worker Allegations (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Federal District Judge Rules Suburban Baltimore Private School’s Nonprofit Status Comes With Title IX Requirements (Baltimore Sun)
Bezos Foundation Linked to $34 Million Mansion Purchase in Coral Gables (South Florida Business Journal)

Russia and Nonprofits

A Maestro and His Musicians Face Scrutiny Over Ties to Russia (New York Times)
Israel Aims to Stop Russian Move Against Jewish Nonprofit (Associated Press)

EDITOR'S PICKS

Fundraising

Inflation and the Possibility of a Recession Have Fundraisers Worried

By Emily Haynes

There haven’t been big shifts in behavior yet, but development professionals are already thinking about how they’ll change their approaches if they start to see a drop in giving.
Opinion

Why Must I Relive My Deepest Trauma to Persuade Donors to Fund My Organization?

By Damion J. Cooper

The head of a Baltimore nonprofit implores grant makers to stop asking him to tell his story about the night he was shot and nearly died. When, he asks, will Black nonprofit leaders no longer need to recount their near-death experiences to be deemed worthy of funding?
Fundraising

Heifer International’s Crypto Move and What It Might Mean for Everyday Donors

By Drew Lindsay

As cryptocurrency values plunge and some groups pull back on digital-cash giving programs, the development group doubles down with a crowdfunding platform it believes has lessons for all fundraising.
Opinion

What Made Congress Finally Do Something About Gun Violence? Philanthropy-Backed Evidence.

By Ellen S. Alberding

The data produced by nonprofits was central to passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. But increased funding is needed to make the evidence case for more expansive gun policy.
FROM THE ARCHIVE: EDITOR’S PICK

We Committed to Paying Our Staff More Than a Living Wage. Your Nonprofit Should Do the Same.

By Minor Sinclair

As inflation takes a toll on underpaid employees, nonprofit leaders need to recognize the seriousness of the problem and make sure their compensation policies align with their organizational missions.