At the national conference of the Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers last week, we participated in a session on Diversity in Philanthropy. Presenters included Renee Branch, director of diversity and inclusive practices for the national Council on Foundations, Anna Pond, consultant with the Diversity in Philanthropy Project, and Vicki Rosenberg, a diversity program leader from one of our colleague organizations, the Council of Michigan Foundations.
The work and resources presented were excellent, such as the The State of Research on Diversity in Philanthropy (PDF) report and the summary of the Philanthropy in a Changing Society: Achieving Effectiveness through Diversity report (PDF) from the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The planning and strategizing presented by the panel is essential to achieving agreement on goals and assuring measurable outcomes. But when it came time for Q & A, a few audience members raised their hands and said, “Help us now!” They wanted some concrete, “just do it” ideas to implement right away, because even baby steps are better than no steps when it comes to advancing the diversity agenda.
The audience questions led to a quick back-and-forth on ways to get started: add a diversity track at your annual meeting, adopt a non-discrimination policy for your organization, reach out to affinity groups, etc. The brainstorming and sharing were encouraging to everyone having trouble getting traction on this issue.
Join the conversation: What are your “just do it” ideas for improving diversity and inclusivity in your organization?
- Wendy Wehr, MCF VP of communications and information services
