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...

A couple of years ago, I attended a national conference of government officials focused on advancing racial equity in their communities. The conference began with a number of local government leaders engaging in an informative but rather conventional panel discussion about their local strategies to...

The COVID-19 pandemic’s revelation of racial and gender disparities and the nationwide demonstrations about racism inspired by brutal police behavior have produced demands for major changes in our society and its institutions. Many call for new approaches to promote the welfare of a diverse...

She was a colleague, but more than a colleague; we were friends—work friends, but friends nonetheless.

I admired her from the moment I met her.

I was in my early 30s and in my first administrator post—still a tad naïve and, in hindsight, overly confident without much experience to back it up. She...

This past month has been full of tragedy and sadness. We watched in horror as a Black man was murdered by the police in broad daylight, and the pain and anger of 400 years of violence and injustice against African-Americans poured out onto the streets of every major city in this country.

This pain...

For nonprofits who are now hiring new executive leaders of color, here are some steps to take—and pitfalls to avoid—to ensure a successful leadership transition.

As capacity-building consultants to the social sector, we regularly support nonprofit organizations, their leaders, and their boards....

I am a long-time admirer of the late legendary poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou.  In addition to appreciating the genius of her lovely, powerful poetry ("Still I Rise" is my personal favorite), I’ve always marveled at the wisdom, inspiration, and insight about life that I find in her most...

Amadou Diallo.

Freddie Gray.

Philando Castile.

Alton Sterling.

Walter Scott.

Tamir Rice.

Michael Brown.

Eric Garner.

Botham Jean.

Breonna Taylor.

And most recently: George Floyd.

And it goes that when one person can focus on self and not focus on what’s wrong with the others, he can serve as a working model for others, then another, then another, and then others will pull up a little bit. And over time, they will pull up a fair amount. 

— Dr. Murray Bowen, in...