https://bloomerang.co/resources/webinars/ Christal M. Cherry will show how boards can learn how to work with the CEO and staff to ground organizational values and practices so that they are inclusive.

1. SILENCE IS
NOT
GOLDEN!
TRAINING THE WOKE BOARD ABOUT
RACIAL INEQUALITY

2. Christal M.
Cherry
 FUNDRAISER
 BOARD CONSULTANT
 BOARD MEMBER
 VOLUNTEER
 TOASTMASTERS
 SUPER MOM

3. AGENDA
 Shifting The Balance of Power
 Applying A Racial Equity Lens
 Building a Pipeline For People of Color
 Sources To Recruit People of Color
 Questions to Ask Before Joining A Board
 Ways to Enhance Cultural Sensitivity on
Boards
 Doing The Work Inside The Organization
 Diversity Factors that Impact Fundraising
 Embracing The Value of Collective Networks
 Recap For The Woke Board

4. QUESTION?
WHAT ARE SOME
ACTIONABLE WAYS
TO CHANGE OUR
THINKING ABOUT
BOARD CULTURE?

5. Engage in
Honest Dialogue
Create safe spaces for
honest dialogue and
encourage board
members to speak the
truth about a situation.
This will help board
members to understand
one another and build
trust and accountability.

6. Shift the Balance
Of Power
Imbalances of power create
opportunities for the people
who have historically called
the shots to abuse their
authority, whether that means
excluding people of color on
boards or inviting just one to
satisfy a statistic or being
insensitive to the needs and
voices of nonwhite board
members and staff.

7. Doing The Work
APPLY A RACE EQUITY LENS:
 Learn about structural and
institutional barriers to equity
on boards and within
organizations
 Confront personal and
professional biases
 Develop systems of
accountability that address
inequities with real
consequences
 Recognize the role
unconscious bias plays in the
selection of new board
members
 Undo racism in the overall
culture of board work; recruit
diverse members, make
leadership roles attainable,
hear voices of the “other”

8. “Despite reporting high levels
of dissatisfaction with current
board demographics —
particularly racial and ethnic
diversity — boards are not
prioritizing demographics in
their recruitment practices.”

9. PEOPLE OF COLOR MUST
BE AT THE TABLE
 84% of nonprofits board
members are white
 90% of nonprofit board chairs
are white
 Women of color are the most
underrepresented of all groups
to serve on corporate boards,
holding 4% of seats
 A diverse board models the
creation of a diverse talent
pipeline

10. Make Room – How
To Build A Pipeline
For People Of Color
 Set intentional, deliberate, and calculated
targets for gender, race, and ethnicity to
drive results within a given time period
 Track promising professionals of color
earlier in their careers and devote
resources to their development
 Channel professionals of color into line
functions where revenue and P&L
responsibilities lead to executive roles that
will qualify them for board consideration
 Appoint people of color to advisory
boards to build their skills and experience
 Cast a wider net to board-eligible
professionals of color. They are plentiful!

11. CONSIDER BLACK
WOMEN
 By 2050 women of color will be the majority of
women in the United States
 In 2018 there were 2.4 million Black women-
owned businesses, ages 35-54
 Black women are the only racial or ethnic
group with more business ownership than their
male peers
 Women board directors bring diversity of
thought, a competitive advantage, essential
skills and better stakeholder representation
 Put women of color on the radar by
sponsoring/advocating for them for board
service

12. Sources To
Recruit People Of
Color
 Advertise in ethno-specific
publications
 Reach out to AADO, WOC, F3 or
other people of color affinity groups
 Target individuals who are active
within Black and Brown communities
 Build links to services that search for
or match boards and qualified
board members like BoardNet USA
 Reach out to civic organizations; 100
Black Men, Jack and Jill, fraternities
and sororities
 Publish board vacancies on websites
like Bridgespan.org, AFP, United Way
VIP, Atlanta Women’s Foundation
 Mobilize board members to recruit
through their networks

14. Questions
You Should
Ask B4
Joining A
Board
 Who is the Board chair?
 What is the racial and gender
composition of the board?
 How will I be onboarded?
 Is the board culture welcoming of
different cultures, opinions and
ideas?
 How is confrontation handled?
 Who is the ED/CEO?
 What is the racial composition of
staff? Representation of clients
served?
 Is there a culture of philanthropy
inside the organization? How are
donors of color engaged?
 Are there opportunities to engage
with clients?
 Does the organization/board issue
public statements addressing
inequities in the communities they
serve?

15. Ways to Include People of Color in Board Culture
Surface level
Environment is
inclusive of Black
and brown
people. Written
materials have
inclusive images
Espoused values
Goals and strategies
are developed that
address the assets and
needs of people of
color at operational
and programmatic
levels
Basic assumptions
Core values are
instilled that include
a belief that people
of color have a
powerful
contribution to
make within and for
the organization

16. Board Retreat – Bring in an outside consultant to
lead sensitivity training
Attend Cultural Events – Plays, museum exhibits,
concerts
Social time – Happy Hours, Birthday and Holiday
gatherings
Board Day of Service in the Community they
serve or others
Buddy System - Board members matched with
board members different than themselves
Board to attend Diversity and Sensitivity Training
Workshops
WAYS TO
ENHANCE
CULTURAL
SENSITIVITY
ON BOARDS

17. Conduct Board Meetings
That Foster Inclusivity
 Hold meetings at times that are convenient
for board members with care-giving
responsibilities.
 Hold meetings in locations that are
wheelchair or public transportation
accessible.
 Plan cultural activities that include music,
artwork, books, and other interests of people
of color
 Ensure that foods served meet cultural and
personal preferences of all board members

18. Add board
policies on
diversity in
By-Laws
ABC organization strives to build a Board of
Directors that reflects the community it serves
in regard to race, gender, and ethnicity.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the
community we serve is comprised of 79%
Blacks, 10% Latinos, 10% percent Whites,
and1% other. The program team has reported
that 64% of our clients are female and 36% are
male. Therefore ABC organization will strive for
similar representation in the make up of the
Board of Directors. As demographic changes
occur, we will make adjustments to our Board
composition accordingly.”

19. STEP INTO THEIR SHOES -
THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE
 Being ignored or being the lone minority voice that is
constantly outvoted and not taken seriously; however
looks good in the photo ops
 Being treated as the ‘diversity member’ instead of
simply a member of the board. Being treated like a
token
 Having decisions made by a small group of ‘insiders.’
Not being heard
 Being treated with condescension or as though I am
invisible
 I remain the only one and feel isolated and alone
 The greatest negative influence is serving on a board
for too long with too few people of color

20. SOMETHING IS WRONG.
ITS PROBABLY YOU!
 It’s time to hold board
members accountable for
questionable statements and
behaviors that can cause harm
 If there’s tension in the room,
name it!
 Let others know when they
have been insensitive or
offensive
 Learn to speak out, consider
the risks, be uncomfortable but
know that change is coming

21. ROLE PLAY
JOHN
Board Chair for 4 years
Retired Physician
Well liked & charismatic
Great ambassador
Successful fundraiser
Caucasian (one of 12)
BETH
Board Member for 7 years
Very wealthy, largest board
contribution of $150k
EVP at Merrill Lynch who
matches her contribution of
$150k
Extremely connected, brings
lots of new donors and friends
to the annual gala
Caucasian (one of 12)
LESLIE
Board Member for 11
months
Partner, Local Law Firm that
recently made a $10k
donation and served meals
last month for the children
Submitted letter of
resignation to John due to
offensive comments and
actions of Beth
Black (one of 2)

22.  Support people of color in
leadership roles
 Don’t turn your back when
colleagues are being promoted
all around people of color who
are qualified for the same jobs or
when they are being low-balled
for salaries; or when white
subordinates are refusing to
accept direction from their
nonwhite bosses or CEOs
 Sponsor a black or brown leader,
serve as a mentor, offer support
and financial resources
 Honor Black and Brown
leadership, once you do, other
board members and executives
will follow

23. Do The Work Inside
The Organization
HOW THE BOARD CAN WORK WITH CEO TO
ADDRESS INTERNAL BIASES:
 Implement robust and equitable human
resources policies and systems that
ensure that racism, sexism, anti-trans
bias, etc., are not be tolerated, and are
enforced with real consequences for
staff who violate those expectations.
 Hire people of color for leadership roles
that can lead to promotion within and
outside of the organization
 Pay people of color fairly and create
transparency around pay scales to
expose discrimination.

24. Lean Into The Plight of People of
Color inside the organization
 Recognize overlapping
discrimination on the basis of race
and how they place particularly
acute burdens on people of color
 Understand that racial biases create
barriers to advancement
 Know that education and training
are not enough to help people of
color advance
 Change the social landscape within
nonprofit organizations that can
create conditions that undermine
the leadership of people of color
 Question the CEO about multiple
personnel changes or losses of
people of color on staff

25. Diversity
Factors That
Impact
Nonprofit
Fundraising
 Gender: Boards with higher
percentages of women more actively
participate in fundraising and are
graded higher by their CEOs for their
fundraising performance.
 Age: Boards with a higher percentage
of members age 39 or younger are
more likely to have board members
who ask others for donations.
 Ethnic and Racial: While there are no
significant findings among boards with
higher percentages of people of color
overall, boards that have a higher
percentage of Asians are rated higher
by their CEOs for their fundraising
performance.

26. THE VALUE OF
COLLECTIVE
NETWORKS
 Whites who serve on boards have
numerous opportunities to mentor
other nonwhite professionals or to be
mentored by them
 Punch above your weight class and
use your influence and networks to
support people of color
 Support organizations led by people
of color

27. RECAP FOR THE WOKE BOARD
Implement a formal process to assess board culture and identify barriers
to inclusion
Create communications that reflect the needs of communities of color
Beef up recruitment efforts that reach out to communities of color
Develop a process to identify and address discriminatory or non-
inclusive behaviors
Draft a detailed plan of action to become inclusive
Include a commitment to diversity and inclusion as an ongoing (not
short-term) initiative
Institutionalize organizational policies and procedures that address
diversity and inclusion
Get to know people of color with exposure to other cultures, customs,
and traditions

28. The Power To
Make Change
Happen
Speak change into existence
Stop trusting others to solve the
problems, its your turn!
Realize and share that failure
to embrace difference is no
longer acceptable
A commitment to social justice
is a commitment to support
people of color on boards and
who lead nonprofit
organizations

29. Resources for
this
presentation
 The Denver Project Inclusiveness Project,
http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness.org
 Black Women In Nonprofits Matter,
https://nonprofitquarterly.org/black-
women-in-nonprofits-matter/
 The Impact Of Diversity, Understanding
How Nonprofit Board Diversity Affects
Philanthropy, Leadership, and Board
Engagement,
https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstrea
m/handle/1805/15239/board-
diversity180220.pdf
 Too Few Women of Color on Boards:
Statistics and Solutions,
https://www.catalyst.org/research/wome
n-minorities-corporate-boards
 Vital Voices: Lessons Learned from Board
Members of
Colorhttps://www.racialequitytools.org/re
sourcefiles/boardsource.pdf

30. The Board Pro
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