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Maybe we’ve been going about it all wrong. Whenever people ask me the above question, they tend to want some action-oriented answers such as “publicize job postings in ethnic media,” “provide childcare and transportation for board meetings,” “have a clear equity and diversity statement,” “provide more than just hummus, baby carrots, and a few cans of La Croix at meetings, especially if it’s around dinner time!” etc. These technical things are necessary but they’re not sufficient. Diversity is complex, and making a few technical changes is not going to cut it. If you’ve been having trouble diversifying your board, staff, fundraising committee, conference planning team, or whatever, here are a few things to reflect on, based on conversations I’ve had with colleagues from various diverse backgrounds:..

https://nonprofitaf.com/2021/05/the-real-reasons-many-organizations-are-still-unable-to-diversify-their-board-staff-fundraising-committees-etc/ ;

Join Us and Take the Pledge:

In order to become more anti-racist, (Your Organization Name Here) pledges to make these changes:

CULTURE
To change our internal culture to one that actively amplifies BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) voices, encourages open and productive discourse on race and racism, and is aware of and addresses racism when it happens.

POLICY & PRACTICE
To review our policies to identify and dismantle any unjust policies and practices that create barriers for BIPOC; this involves recruiting, promoting, and empowering BIPOC for leadership roles in the body responsible for organizational oversight (i.e. board of directors), and committing to a JEDI statement (Justice, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion) around which to build policy and programming.

ART
To acknowledge the barriers that have led to BIPOC artists being vastly underrepresented in the arts; and to actively counter this by employing and presenting work(s) by more BIPOC artists.

SOCIAL JUSTICE: To acknowledge that there are diverse communities which have been untapped by our organization; and to actively counter this by seeking out and providing a space for art focused on cultural pride, racial justice, civil rights, and other issues which are important and relevant to BIPOC communities.

ACCESSIBILITY
To offer programming that is more accessible to BIPOC, which may include adjusting ticket and/or admission price, format, schedule, and/or venue, in addition to content.

PARTICIPATE
To change our mentality from doing for the community to partnering with the community; this involves offering more “participatory” programming that directly involves diverse community members and allows them an interactive role in artistic and cultural activities.

HISTORY
To research and be aware of the historical and social context of the programming and the impact it may have on BIPOC communities; and to let this research and awareness inform programmatic decision-making.

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Note: Each point of the pledge has its own accompanying list of resources and tools to guide you through the process of becoming an anti-racist organization. 

TAKE THE PLEDGE

2011 Request for Proposals and Application:

Arbor%20Brothers%202011%20RFP%20and%20Application.pdf