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<\/p>\nIt was iconic, even memorable, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded: \u201cBecause it\u2019s 2015!\u201d to the question as to why his new cabinet was half-female. But fast-forward a couple of years later and take a look around. From government to the C-Suite and so much in between, there are many places where we still painfully lack diversity. For non-profits, it\u2019s no different as many board of directors do not reflect the diverse beneficiaries that their nonprofits serve.<\/p>\n
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Diversity in this context covers both identity diversity (i.e gender, race, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation) and cognitive diversity (i.e. skills, perspectives, thoughts, worldview).<\/p>\n
Nonprofits are a force for good because they work hard to solve the world\u2019s most complex challenges. So it is very important for nonprofits to get the right people on their boards. By recruiting board directors that reflect the diversity of a nonprofit’s beneficiaries, a board strengthens its leadership that is critical for the nonprofit to advance its mission and create meaningful social impact.<\/p>\n
According to the Boardsource\u2019s Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices<\/a><\/strong> report, the levels of board diversity in the United States have not changed. 84 percent of board directors are Caucasian and 27 percent of boards identify as all white. Minorities and People of Colour represent at most 18 percent of board membership. This is the case despite the volumes of research illustrating the positive correlation between a diverse board and an effective board.<\/p>\n In Canada, the Diversity in Governance<\/strong><\/a> 2010 report noted that Ontario\u2019s nonprofit sector had 386,000 volunteer board members. However, only 11.9 percent were visible minorities as juxtaposed to 49.5 percent visible minorities comprising the entire Ontario population. Also, only 28.6 percent of the charities and 33.3 percent of the foundations surveyed had boards that were all white, with no visible minorities whatsoever sitting on their boards. Similarly, in a 2005 study of Alberta\u2019s nonprofit sector, only 5 percent of senior management positions were held by visible minorities as compared to 11 percent visible minorities comprising the province\u2019s population.<\/p>\n So why is there still a lack of diversity in nonprofit boards? It\u2019s because boards fail to expressly identify diversity as a high priority in board recruitment. Though they understand the importance of diversity, boards continue to recruit in the same way they always have, by tapping potential candidates from the same personal network of connections of existing board directors. People who look, act, and think like them.<\/p>\n The diversity gap in nonprofit boards is undoubtedly a wasted opportunity. Why? Because a nonprofit board is the brains behind every nonprofit organization. This team of volunteer leaders wields the authority and influence to drive a nonprofit\u2019s strategic direction, effective performance, and social impacts. If the nonprofit board lacks diversity, it may succumb to groupthink, which stifles innovation and creativity and creates mediocre decisions at best.<\/p>\n According to the Conference Board of Canada’s<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0The Value of Diverse Leadership<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0report, there are many reasons why board diversity matters:<\/p>\n So, you want to diversify your board? BoardSource recommends three ways that a board can strengthen its current recruitment practices to mind the diversity gap.<\/p>\n Board diversity strengthens leadership, and as Jacqueline Woodson so eloquently expressed:\u00a0\u201cDiversity is about all of us, and about us having to figure out how to walk through this world together.\u201d<\/p>\n At Building Breakthrough Boards (B3) Canada<\/strong><\/a>, we are a purpose-driven social enterprise dedicated to increasing diversity and inclusion in corporations through nonprofit board service. B3 Canada acts as a matchmaker between corporations and nonprofit boards. We work with the Top 500 Best Employers in Canada, like Shell Canada<\/strong><\/a>, to provide programs that match and train their employees to serve on nonprofit boards in Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.<\/p>\n Our B3 Board Matching Programs are completely free of charge to nonprofits<\/strong><\/a>. We assist nonprofit boards in recruiting new board directors that bring diversity in skills, age, gender, ethnicity, perspectives, and networks of influence. We have a sizeable cohort of senior professionals from corporate Canada representing a highly skilled and diverse group of committed and talented professionals.<\/p>\nWhy Board Diversity Matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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3 Ways to Mind the Diversity Gap<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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About B3 Canada<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Interested in working with B3 to assist in your recruitment efforts completely free of charge? Complete this <\/strong>online registration form<\/a><\/strong> to get started! <\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"