Nonprofit organizations typically represent a diverse population, unless an organization has a mission aimed towards serving a specific group, this remains constant. It is widely discussed that Boards of these organizations should be diverse and representative of the individuals it serves. However, Boards in the nonprofit sector rarely show significant signs of diversity, yet so many deem it necessary. If nonprofits are attempting diversity, why is it that they fall short on reaching their goals?
One answer to the question of falling short of diversity is the simple fact that too many Boards have a limited understanding of what diversity truly is. Many nonprofit organizations have the belief that diversity is as simple as age, race, and gender. However human diversity is defined along various different dimensions including gender, age, ability levels, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, ethnicity, culture, ideology, location of residence, status as agency client, potential client, or person to be affected by policy decisions, expertise, special talents, length of time a person has lived in a community or served on a board, and so on (Houle, 1989; Rutledge, 1994; Daley, 2002).
Another reason that they fall short is that they have not created a specific plan outlining what they are looking for in terms of diversity. The first reason highlights the fact that Board's do not realize what they are looking for when it comes to diversity. Once the board truly understands what diversity entails, they will be able to see where they fall short and select new members accordingly. The plan will then be able to detail where they lack specific areas of needs and focus on these areas in developing their board.
Is diversity as necessary as much as it is discussed? This question really does not have an answer that will sway you one way or another. However, it is important to understand the impact of diversity on a board. When looking at all aspects of diversity, there are some clear advantages to creating a diverse board. The first advantage is that it can bring individuals with a certain skill set onto a board that may be lacking in certain areas. A good example of this would be a small organization with only a full-time director and no other full-time positions. This organization may need to seek out Board members with expertise in fields that the director is lacking (i.e. marketing, development, etc.).
Another reason that diversity is seen as positive is for the differencing of viewpoints that it brings to any setting. Often times when Boards are formed it is done through a process that focuses on the social groups of the individuals that have formed the organization. When this is the case the Board will typically have the same viewpoint on matters concerning the organization. Diversity allows for these viewpoints to be scrutinized and questioned, decreasing the amount of agendas that are set forth in the average boardroom (this is not to say that agendas still will not exist, however they may come to light more often).
As I stated earlier in this post, the view on Board diversity can go one way or another. Each of the reasons that I gave for why Board diversity is positive have been given to express why they are negative. The first example of individuals that have a specific skill set (i.e. marketing or development experience) can impact an organization negatively because they do not truly understand the mission. When these individuals come on to boards they often do things the way they have been trained and are unable to adapt to the nonprofit environment. The second reason I mentioned focused on how a diverse board can bring varying viewpoints to the board discussion and decision making process. The reason diverse opinions are viewed as negative is because it slows down the decision making process. If there are multiple viewpoints on an item that is going to come to a vote, it could take a very long time for the item to be approved.
It does not matter how a Board's composition is determined, diversity should be used in building this board. It seems that anything can be seen as both a positive and negative, many times for the same reasons. However, the negative thoughts on diversity can be overcome by creating a board diversity plan. A diversity plan will help map out the reasons why you are looking for diversity, as well as the specific areas of diversity your board wants to bring on the bus. As it is with so many things in the nonprofit sector, there are not any "best practices", or one size fits all formulas for determining what should be done. In my personal opinion I would choose diversity.
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