Though paid staffers at area nonprofit organizations are statistically split between non-hispanic whites and persons of color, there remains a divide amongst management staff and positions of leadership, according to a recent Urban Institute survey which was shared at The Racial Diversity Collaborative’s summit event on March 31, “Finding Tomorrow’s Leaders Today: Action Planning for Diversifying Local Nonprofit Leadership”.

The event was a powerful expression on the topic of diversity in leadership. What became increasingly evident was that the key to increasing the diversity of leadership rests with retaining and developing the young staff currently working at nonprofits. It is necessary to engage  staff about the importance of their role within the nonprofit community now.

Contrary to some interpretations at the event, young nonprofit professionals are not slow to become leaders; they are in fact ready and eager to assume leadership roles. However, they are often ignored and remain unseen within their organization. They can be identified by listening carefully; they will be more than happy to reveal themselves in an open and supportive environment. It is important that they are not seen as a threat to anyone already in positions of leadership, but rather an essential resource without which an organization would stagnate and die.

A strong nonprofit diversity policy should include an emphasis on providing opportunities for leadership development in all professional positions. Some of your most ardent supporters and cheerleaders can be entry level staff; they are often excited to have the opportunity to make an impact, and it would be a waste to ignore such an important resource.

As a best practice establish senior management teams to provide young leaders with a place to move to once they have identified themselves. Though not all young professionals in the nonprofit sector will become leaders of organizations, it would be counter-productive not to identify their strengths and find from where they can effectively manage.

Adapting to change can be difficult, but no one needs to do it alone. There are many allies in the effort to strengthen the nonprofit sector. No matter the size of your organization there are resources to take advantage of. Seize these opportunities and make the best of them. The Racial Diversity Collaborative is a great place to start while working on a new diversity policy or revising an outdated one.

Professional development opportunities are plentiful and low cost or free. The Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, The Foundation Center, the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of DC, and the Center for Nonprofit Advancement are a few examples of groups you can work with. This does not have to be a financially expensive investment, but it is an essential one, you will never receive a better return on your time and energy. Remember that despite your passion and energy the critical work you do will not continue unless we make sure that the leaders of tomorrow are ready today.

The only way the nonprofit community can meet the challenge of the moment, maximize efficiency and productivity, and find its place in the new economy is to build a diverse leadership representative of the constituents they serve and ready to hold an honest and positive discussion about the realities of the future. One of the event panelists pointed out, “help your employees realize their dreams so that your organization can realize its dreams.”

Some additional take away points from the event include:

·       Share your most valuable resource, your staff, in collaborations that match with your organization’s mission. You will never know when you will need the help of others, and without friends you will never realize your full potential.

·       Notice who seeks out opportunities for self growth and reward them, this can be as simple as acknowledging and encouraging their initiative.

·       Concentrate on putting the right people in the right jobs, which will result in increased productivity and efficiency for your entire organization.

·       Make leadership development of entry level staff part of the evaluation matrix for managers and above.

·       Establish a mentoring program for all new staff, and consider providing career coaches for emerging leaders.

·       Think of where you will have leadership positions open in the near future and look within to identify staff to build towards them.

1. Introduce the protagonist. Who is the story about?
2. The incident - What puts the story in motion? Map the story. Remember, obstacles make the story interesting. Don't shy away from including them.
3. Resolution - how was the goal attained?

• A protagonist is introduced
• There is a goal
• A Barrier
• The protagonist overcomes the barrier
• Meaning - The morale of the story