“Us vs. Them”: Shine a Light on Your Own Biases

January 27, 2012

Despite decades of diversity training, have our organizations and our society changed for the better?

Turn on or tune in to any media source, and your emphatic reply would be “No way.” The extreme polarization in our country is more and more frightening every day. The new cultural norm is to not merely express strong points of view but to thoroughly demonize others.

At least one practitioner says it’s time to address this crisis with a new, 21st century approach to diversity, inclusion and equity.

At the University of St. Thomas Diversity Insights program last Thursday, Howard Ross, founder of Cook Ross Inc. and a leading national expert on diversity, leadership, and organizational change, challenged his audience to look within themselves for solutions.

Ross homed in on the source of our animosity toward each other — essentially, primal fears that lead us toward unconscious, visceral negative reactions to cultural, group, individual and institutional differences.

He coached audience members to overcome the “us vs. them” mentality by developing our capacity to observe ourselves. Instead of pointing the finger at others, he said, we should shine a light on our own biases.  Recognizing our own foibles and faults will increase our compassion toward others.

Ross’s points reminded me of conversations we’ve had at MCF about diversity in philanthropy. When we developed our Diversity & Inclusion Action Kit to accompany MCF’s Working Towards Diversity IV research, we deliberately titled the worksheets ”My Actions.” We wanted to reinforce that grantmakers must take the first step by focusing on what they can do – not what others should do.

Ross concluded his remarks with some concrete steps we can each take to close the widening gulfs in our organizations and in society at large:

  • Shift your consumption of media to really listen to the other side.
  • Open a constructive dialogue in your organization, focusing not on the issues themselves, but on the way in which you’re talking about the issues.
  • Talk to young people about other points of view.
  • Take “the other” to lunch not to persuade, but to listen.

I haven’t cracked open Ross’s new book “ReInventing Diversity: Transforming Organizational Community to Strengthen People, Purpose and Performance.” But based on his presentation, I expect I’ll find more than a few concepts that are applicable to the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors.

Join the Conversation: When “us vs. them” differences arise in your own organization, what are your actions and reactions? Is there a chasm between grantmakers and nonprofits that could be narrowed by self-awareness?

- Wendy Wehr, MCF v.p. of communications and information services

Photo cc AAskew

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Quality Youth Mentoring in Minnesota

August 9, 2011

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting in on a member-initiated briefing on youth mentoring, co-sponsored by the Travelers Foundation and the Carlson Family Foundation.

Coming into the program, I already solidly believed in the importance of the subject matter, as I can recall more occasions than I can count on two hands when a teacher or tutor has made the difference between passing and failing. Even now, in my college years, I am extremely grateful to have math tutors available to help me get through my microeconomics and finance classes­. For me, the one-on-one encouragement, attention and accountability remain crucial.­

So how do we pinpoint what makes a mentorship experience effective?

The resounding reason for attending the program given by most of the grantmakers was the desire to learn more about a new online program assessment tool called the Quality Mentoring Assessment Path, or QMAP. QMAP is presented by the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota (MPM) and based on the latest policies, practices, experience and research for youth mentoring.

During the program, grantmakers were shown a video demonstration of how QMAP works, along with next steps available after an assessment is completed. One of these steps includes a follow-up visit from an MPM staff member to help design an individualized improvement program and provide additional resources.

These steps help answer the big question provoked by undergoing the QMAP assessment: “Based on results, what is the plan for improvement of your mentoring program?”

Why Assessment Is So Important

As powerfully put by Saint Paul Public School Foundation’s Karen Woodward, “Literacy is life or death.”

In today’s competitive age of information and technology, in order for kids to have the best chance at success, tutoring and mentoring have proven time and again to be key components. Involvement in these helps students socially, emotionally, psychologically, as well as academically. The research has shown it, youth can attest to it.

So, why the big push for quality now? Laura LaCroix-Dalluhn from Youth Community Connections explained: “Just bringing kids together and giving them a safe place to study is not enough.” Not all tutoring and mentoring experiences are created equal and can actually do more harm than good if they are not of quality. But different ideas of what constitutes “quality” pose a challenge, which is where the QMAP assessment system comes into play. The initiative to shift the field to more accountable quality using tools such as QMAP is meeting a serious need.

Use of the QMAP system may further inspire both volunteers and grantmakers to invest their support in programs they know are dedicated to a higher quality standard.

Graham Hartley of MIGIZI Communications elaborated on a metaphor Woodward used during the discussion to explain that high quality will have several looks: 

 “It’s a fruit salad of organizations, not a fruit smoothie. Programs participating in the QMAP process do not lose their individual flavor.”

In other words, each program that actively participates in the QMAP process will not lose its uniqueness and become a cookie cutter version of every other program, but rather enhance its way of practice, so that parents and students can depend on its quality.

 Image CC Sam Pac
-McKenzie Mackintosh, MCF Communications Intern

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A Minnesota Innovative and Engaged Philanthropist Earns Award

June 8, 2011

“John Larsen has made significant contributions in advancing the issue of equity across Minnesota,” says Carleen Rhodes, president and CEO of Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation.

“John’s strategic, multi-faceted and outcome-oriented approach to philanthropy exemplifies the work of an engaged philanthropist,” adds Brad Brown, executive director of Social Venture Partners Minnesota (SVP).

For his work, John Larsen will receive the 2011 Engaged Philanthropist Award, a joint effort of Minnesota Community Foundation and SVP Minnesota that recognizes the most innovative and effective engaged philanthropists. The award, launched in 2010 with the late Winston Wallin receiving the inaugural recognition, will be presented at SVP Minnesota’s annual Engaged Philanthropy Conference on June 16, 2011, in Minneapolis.

Larsen is an original funder and a visionary behind Project 515, an organization with a mission to ensure that same sex couples and their families have equal rights and considerations under Minnesota law.  Project 515 has approached the issue of full equality for same sex couples through multiple avenues, including business outreach, education, research, advocacy and media.

Larsen serves as trustee and administrator of the John Larsen Foundation, a member of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF). The foundation is a private grantmaking organization with a mission to better the lives of individuals and families, both traditional and non-traditional.  Program priorities derive from the active, passionate involvement of family board members in their own communities. Primary areas of focus are arts and humanities, community enhancement, education, environment, human rights and human services.

Larsen was a six-year member of MCF’s board of directors, is a current member of the strategic planning committee, and a leader of MCF’s LGBT Funders network. Larsen also serves on the board of directors for Project 515 and has volunteered with the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, Headwaters Foundation for Justice and Together Minnesota. Earlier this year, Larsen was recognized with PFund Foundation’s First Annual Power of Philanthropy Award.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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What Does It Take to Lead in Diversity and Inclusivity?

May 11, 2011

Who leads? How do they lead? These were among the questions we here at MCF asked ourselves and our members as we embarked on information gathering for our Working Towards Diversity IV research project.

As we learned more about the diversity and inclusion efforts of Minnesota grantmakers, Headwaters Foundation for Justice’s name kept rising to the top. Headwaters strives to be a catalyst for social, racial, economic and environmental justice and supports, through grantmaking and organizational assistance, grassroots groups addressing the root causes of injustice. One of the foundation’s longest-standing leadership initiatives is its community-led grantmaking process in which volunteers from the communities it seeks to support lead all aspects of the foundation’s grantmaking – they review proposals, go on site visits and make funding recommendations to the board.

“What does it take to lead in diversity and inclusivity?” we asked Headwaters program director David Nicholson. Read his full Voices article in our latest issue of Giving Forum, which focuses on “Diversity in Philanthropy: A Portrait of Minnesota.”

Here are some excerpts:

Q: Does leading in diversity and inclusivity require certain competencies?

Being humble is a core competency for any leader. Leaders must also recognize their own power and privilege and understand how to use these in respectful ways. This is critical. We all have privilege; how much changes depending on who’s in the room. The reality is, as foundation staff, we often walk into a room bringing a lot of privilege and thus a lot of power. At Headwaters, we emphasize using our power and privilege “with” rather than “to.” For example, we can convene – facilitating communities and individuals coming together for the common good.

Another competency is working with the “other.” While it is human nature to hang out with people who look and think like us and have similar backgrounds, we must push ourselves to have relationships with many communities. At Headwaters, we believe that difference is an asset that needs to be cultivated. We seek to be intentional about getting to know people and organizations, so we can identify strengths and resources from all communities.

Leading also means bringing people together to find common ground. Leaders also must be interested in advancing systems thinking, to understand how things work in our society.

Q: Is being a person of color a prerequisite for being a leader in diversity and inclusivity?

No. People are people, and anyone regardless of race, creed, ethnicity or sexual identity can have a closed and narrow mind. Your question implies that it is about “race,” when in fact, it is about values. More to the point, it is about ensuring that foundation practices reflect core values.

For example, I believe that gathering diverse viewpoints, people and ideas is critical to developing solutions that will work for more than just a few. The next step is intentionally creating processes that include all differences as equally valuable; that is the process of creating inclusivity. Philanthropy is the research and development labs of our society. When foundations are at their best, they can test assumptions and develop new insights and solutions to the most vexing social ills. To do that effectively, foundations and staff need to lead in diversity (bringing together different and varied parts) and inclusivity (integrating those differences into something stronger, better).

To flip your question is to ask, “How can people from a majority value include minority perspectives?” My recipe for that is rather simple; but it’s hard work. First, develop self-awareness, a deep understanding of your core values, assumptions and beliefs. Then, surround yourself with people who have very different values and beliefs; empower them to challenge you and how you see the world. If you have done your work well, you will truly see and understand “the other”; now you can choose to value it or not. If you choose to value the difference as your own, then the next step – seeking out difference (diversity) and integrating difference (inclusivity) – is easy. If you value the “other,” you will value their perspectives.

 - Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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Grantmaker Leaders Elected as MCF Officers and Board Members

December 16, 2010

Join me in welcoming these board members and officers to the leadership helm of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (MCF), a regional association of grantmakers whose members represent three-quarters of all grantmaking in the state, awarding more than $900 million to nonprofits annually.

Officers elected for 2011: Karen Kelley-Ariwoola, vice president, Community Philanthropy, The Minneapolis Foundation, was elected chair; Kate Wolford, president, The McKnight Foundation, was elected vice chair; George Thompson, trustee, Minnesota Community Foundation and The Saint Paul Foundation, was elected secretary; Nancy Nelson, vice president and chief actuary, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, was elected treasurer.

New directors elected to three-year terms ending in 2013 are: Kim Embretson, vice president – fund development, West Central Initiative; and Kayla Yang-Best, director, Cargill Foundation and Cargill Inc. Jim Hoolihan, president/CEO, Blandin Foundation, was elected to fill a one-year vacancy in the class of 2011.

Directors elected to second three-year terms ending in 2013 are: Nelson; Sherry Ristau, president/CEO, Southwest Initiative Foundation; Carolyn Roby, vice president, Wells Fargo Foundation Minnesota; Thompson; and Wolford.

The Minnesota Council on Foundations, founded in 1969, works actively to strengthen and expand philanthropy. Members include family and private independent foundations, community and other public foundations, and corporate foundations and giving programs.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate



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Hats Off to These Award-Winning Minnesota Grantmakers

December 10, 2010

OK, it may be too cold here in Minnesota right now to literally take our hats off, but let’s salute these award-winning Minnesota grantmakers nonetheless:

Best Buy and Cargill, both MCF members, were honored by the U.S. Chamber with 2010 Corporate Citizenship awards.  The annual awards program, hosted by the U.S. Chamber Business Civic Leadership Center, honors companies’ social and civic commitments.

Best Buy won in the Corporate Stewardship category as a nod to its overall culture, its operational practices, and for creating shared value benefiting both the company and society.

Cargill received the International Community Service award for social involvement in countries, including Côte d’Ivoire, Indonesia, and Vietnam, contributing to increased economic opportunity for local communities and their residents.

The 11th annual Corporate Citizenship Awards Dinner and presentation took place in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 30.

***

Former MCF board member Gloria Contreras Edin has been selected by Century College, White Bear Lake, as one of four Women of Distinction for 2010.

Contreras Edin provides immigration law assistance to help families with many issues. Her office location on Payne Avenue in St. Paul is accommodating to the Latino, Hmong and Middle-Eastern communities. Edin is the past executive director of Centro Legal Inc., a nonprofit that provides legal services to immigrants. She serves on many philanthropic boards and is a national speaker on immigration policy and how it affects women and children.

Century’s sixth annual awards ceremony was Dec. 9.

***

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is included in Good Magazine’s list of  “30 Places We Want to Work,” published in its Oct. 21, 2010, issue.

“Investing $400 million with 1,000 partners to advance journalistic excellence in the digital age, Knight runs on the belief that information is ‘a core community need,’ and that access to it enables democracies to thrive,” writes the magazine.

Among the 10 criteria used to determine the list are: 1) It exists at the intersection of creativity and impact; 2) It cares as much about people and the planet as it does about profit (or in the case of nonprofits, efficacy); 3) It values transparency; 4) People talk about it; 5) It loves its employees; 6) People love it, viscerally; 7) It plays well with others; 8) It uses smart technology smartly; 9) It’s appropriately located; and 10) Design is important.

***

In its 13th annual “NPT Power & Influence Top 50,” Nonprofit Times celebrates some of the sector’s top executives and thinkers. These executives were selected for the impact they have now and for the innovative plans they are putting in place to evolve the charitable sector. These leaders of MCF grantmakers are among the 50:

Bill Gates, co-founder, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle,Wash.: Writes the Nonprofit Times, “He who pays the piper calls the tune and so is the case with Gates and the foundation. If you can call throwing billions of dollars at something ‘targeted giving,’ Gates literally irradiates problems with the foundation’s checkbook and focuses the sector on issues that need to be addressed by more than money.”

Sterling Speirn, president & CEO, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Battle Creek, Mich.: “Speirn started the Center for Venture Philanthropy in 1999 and has been funding social entrepreneurs ever since,” according to the Nonprofit Times. “He reshaped the foundation’s processes and is spending millions on non-traditional grants. Says Speirn, ‘We have to do more than just catch people when they’re falling … You build a strong base and then people will be resilient.’”

Laysha Ward, president, Community Relations & Target Foundation, Minneapolis, Minn.: “Ward is the epitome of a corporate foundation executive. Forget that the foundation gives away millions every week. She is out in the field making sure the dollars have an impact and is not shy about providing advice to CEOs of both small and name-brand charities. Her strategic funding has made a difference in sector policy and national service issues,” says the Nonprofit Times.

Congrats to these philanthropic leaders. Join me in a big round of “Thank you!”

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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Gain Traction for Your Board’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts: BoardSource Grant Applications Due Nov. 15

November 5, 2010

Don’t miss a terrific opportunity to participate in BoardSource’s pilot “Diversity in Action” program offered exclusively to Twin Cities’ nonprofits and foundations. With resource grants provided by Target Corporation, participating organizations will have the opportunity, at no charge, to assess their board’s diversity and inclusion practices and receive recommendations and resources to help the board affect the desired changes in policies, practices, and board culture and dynamics.

During her talk at the MCF 2010 Annual Convening during the plenary “Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion As Assets for Innovation,” Vernetta Walker, director of consulting and senior governance consultant with BoardSource, invited Twin Cities nonprofits and foundations to apply to participate in this pilot.

Find more information and the simple grant application on the MCF website.

Applications are due Nov. 15.

Participants in the pilot will:

  1. Complete a confidential survey, which takes about 15 minutes, to provide individual perspectives about board practices and dynamics that impact diversity and inclusion.
  2. Receive a data report with survey results and an interpretive memo with key findings.
  3. Receive a step-by-step toolkit with templates and exercises focused on policies, practices, board culture and dynamics, to help guide the board in its transformation to becoming more diverse and inclusive.
  4. Best of all, strengthen your leadership and enhance your ability to serve your organization’s mission, promote dynamic decision-making and a culture of inquiry, and thoughtfully craft a board development plan of action for 2011 and beyond.

BoardSource is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of nonprofits by strengthening their boards of directors and trustees. Its products and services mobilize boards so that organizations fulfill their missions, achieve their goals and increase their impact and external influence. BoardSource is a 501(c)(3) organization.

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

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Why My Daughter Walked Away From Her Pizza Joint Job (What’s Really Important About Diversity and Inclusion)

November 2, 2010

Little did I know that I’d be able to make a connection between a plenary at last week’s Minnesota Council on Foundations 2010 Annual Convening and the turmoil of my teenager walking away from her highly sought-after, much-coveted part-time job.

A couple of months ago, my daughter outlined her expectations for the ideal part-time job, while I thought to myself, “You better take what you can get. You’ll be lucky to find anything in this economy.”

She was looking for: 10 hours a week during school, more during the summer and vacations; within a 20-minute drive from home; shifts that end by 9 p.m. on weeknights; no frying.

The owner of a nearby pizza place asked her to come in for an interview – at 5 p.m. She stood at the edge of the pizza assembly line as the staff scrambled to turn out pizzas to meet the dinner rush. The owner, standing at the front of the line, asked a few questions while overseeing the chaos, including, “Would you be willing to stand out on the street corner in a pizza costume, hold a sign and wave at cars?”

If you knew my daughter, you would know that this was nothing short of a horrific request, but she said she only made a slight grimace and answered, “Sure.”

Her first (and only) two weeks on the job went something like this: Sat in back room to watch training video, but only got through the first 10 minutes, because the store got busy and she never got a chance to finish viewing it; spent breaks sitting in her car, because she didn’t know what else to do, since she doesn’t smoke and that’s what everyone else did; “re-directed” (interpreted as “yelled at”) to use proper technique to spread pepperoni; mastered the pepperoni, but then was “re-directed” to correctly re-stack the boxes (who knew there was protocol for box stacking?); learned to ask questions to make sure proper procedure was followed, which was typically met with sighs; luckily didn’t have to wear the costume; was never conversed with, only spoken to.

When she quit, she didn’t tell the owner why, nor did he ask.

Back to the convening and the plenary, “Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion as Assets for Innovation,” led by Tawanna Black, MCF diversity fellow and president of Innovations By Design, LLC.

Board culture is the most important factor influencing both the positive and negative experiences of nonprofit board members of color, pointed out speaker Vernetta Walker, director of consulting and senior governance consultant with BoardSource. Culture can include factors such as: Board communications geared to the dominant group; board talking about need to be more inclusive but failing to take action; insensitive or offensive comments or jokes from board members; power maintained by a dominant group and not open to everyone.

This was part of Walker’s presentation of preliminary findings from BoardSource’s research report, Vital Voices: Lessons Learned from Board Members of Color.

Underestimating the critical role of culture may be the reason there has been little change in the number of board members of color in the past 15 years, despite all the talk in our sector about the need to diversify, the focus on recruiting board members of color, and organizational strategies developed to highlight diversity and inclusiveness. According to BoardSource’s Governance Index, in 1993, nonprofit boards were 86 percent Caucasian and 9 percent African American. In 2010, those numbers were 84 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

I implored my daughter to “just be glad you have a job, because not too many people are going to hire someone with no prior work experience,” but that wasn’t enough to get her to stick with it. In the end, even though the job met all her original criteria, she just didn’t like being there, felt alone, and didn’t feel valued. In her words, “I don’t think they care if I quit.”

In the same way, it’s not enough to just invite people of color, offer a seat at the board table, say “We tried” when it doesn’t work out, and move on to the next recruit. The best strategies and intentions can either be undermined – or advanced – by board culture, so we can’t overlook it.

The pizza joint probably doesn’t realize it lost an honest, hard-working, conscientious, personable, smart teenager who would have been a great asset to the business, if only that business had a culture where a complete newcomer felt more like a needed team member and less like a distraction.  

If, in our nonprofits, we create a culture that doesn’t value diversity and inclusion, we all lose too - especially when that culture exists at the leadership level.  

The statistics didn’t budget from 1993 to 2010. What will they look like in 2027?

- Chris Murakami Noonan, MCF communications associate

Note: The PowerPoint presentation, group discussion questions and resources cited during this plenary can be found on the MCF Convening website.

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