For almost 30 years, I’ve been part of a sector-wide conversation about the lack of diversity on nonprofit boards and the need to do better. In retrospect, I realize that our initial arguments were grounded primarily in a belief in the importance of representation. We also frequently cited research...

I believe I’ll remember the images of last summer’s racial justice marches for the rest of my life – largely for a reason that I didn’t expect. It wasn’t just the number of protests around the country that inspired me, or even the size of the crowds (impressive as they were). It was the rich,...

Billy Shore of Share Our Strength, the parent organization for the No Kid Hungry campaign, responds to BoardSource’s CEO, Anne Wallestad's new way of framing the nonprofit board’s role, and a call for what we’ve termed “Purpose-Driven Board Leadership.”

“The Four Principles of Purpose-Driven...

There’s a lovely expression that many of us in the Black community use when we want to repair strained relationships with each other; it’s an expression that always moves me when I hear it. Whether the cause of the disagreement is related to something we’ve done (or not done), or something we’ve...

Today is the National Day of Racial Healing, which takes place each year the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. This year, it also happens to fall on the day before we will inaugurate a new president – a momentous occasion in any context, but one that takes on particular significance as it...

At the risk of beginning this post with a completely unoriginal and obvious point, the country is currently experiencing a level of cultural, political, and economic turmoil not seen in many decades. In fact, I would argue that today’s combination of a worldwide pandemic, political unrest, and...

There’s an old saying that every great victory is the result of many smaller victories that went unnoticed. As we undertake our individual and organizational racial equity journeys, I would suggest we slightly modify this adage. I think it's essential that we do notice the small victories –...

Adapted from article which appeared in AGB, Trusteeship, (28) 5, Sept-Oct 2020

Boards find themselves facing a host of challenges as they work to fulfill their fiduciary roles in the pandemic. But the challenges of the pandemic may provide opportunities to evolve governance in ways beneficial for...

As a Black man who has worked with or for nonprofits for most of my career, I’ve become very familiar with how nonprofit boards recruit for board diversity; by my count, I have been actively recruited by the boards of 13 organizations. 

I can divide 11 of these 13 board recruitment experiences into...

This blog is republished from Leading Well, where last week Janet Levinger interviewed BoardSource Chief of Staff Judy Reckelhoff about advocacy and nonprofit boards. 

Advocacy Is Essential to Fulfill Your Mission and Serve Your Communities

Today’s post is the third in a series about board members...