Photo by Dominic Hernandez
When the board members of the Richmond Gay Community Foundation and the Gay Richmond Community Center looked around and noticed the narrow demographics represented at the table several years ago, they recognized it was time for a change.
Thus began an effort to fill the room with people other than gay white men. The group targeted women, people of color and transgender people. The effort preceded a name change in 2015 and reorganizing of the organizations into Diversity Richmond, reflecting a new vision for the nonprofit. Now, the nonprofit’s board comprises six African-Americans and nine whites. Nine board members are women; six are men.
“We just decided we wanted to reflect the greater community,” says Ravi Perry, an associate political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a member of the Diversity Richmond board. “That was an intentional effort we made about four or five years ago. Even today, the board is still not satisfied with how we look.”
The Diversity Richmond board of directors (front row, from left): Jean Segner, Beth Marschak, Crystal Suber, Art Toth, Luise Farmer; (back row, from left): Michael Birch Pierce, Ayana Obika-Clayborne, Keri Abrams, Robyn Deane, Ray Green, Brian Harrison, Robin Bentley; (not pictured): Domenick Casuccio, Odetta Johnson, Ravi Perry (Photo courtesy Bill Harrison)
It’s an effort Perry believes nonprofits that serve the Richmond region should mirror to remedy a gap between the demographics of the nonprofit boards and the population they serve.
Data from GiveRichmond.org compared with Richmond’s demographics from the 2010 census shows a discrepancy: While black people account for about 50 percent of the city of Richmond’s population, they make up less than 14 percent of board members in nonprofits. On the flip side, white people, who are about 41 percent of the city’s population, make up about 82 percent of nonprofit boards. There are about 10 percent more men serving on nonprofit boards than women, but 4 percent more women than men total in the city. Expanding the comparison to the metro Richmond area (including Chesterfield, Henrico and Hanover counties), discrepancies remain, with blacks at 29 percent of the regional population (whites are at 58 percent) and women in the majority at 52 percent.
Racial and gender gaps are concerns not because of political correctness, but because they affect the work of nonprofits, says Myra Goodman Smith, president and CEO of Leadership Metro Richmond, which looks to improve racial, gender and socioeconomic divides in community leadership.
“You want to increase understanding of your constituency,” Smith says. “Homogeneous boards can result in nearsightedness. With a diverse board, you have a better handle on seeing changes in your environment from many different perspectives.”
“There’s been deliberate moves in diversifying recently. I’m hopeful about the future.” —Douglas Kimemia, associate professor in political science at VCU
Smith says the issue is larger than race, gender and sexuality. Often, people recruiting board members draw from local business CEOs and managers. Smith says that to get a better variety of perspectives, members should come from all walks of life.
But she acknowledges change isn’t easy. Smith and Perry are adamant about the notion that any change has to come from intentional efforts by individual boards.
“Even in some LGBTQ organizations like Unite Virginia, Equality Virginia — those aren’t diverse in representation as well,” Perry says. “If you don’t do self-analysis, you don’t get that change.”
Some boards may be oblivious to the benefits of more diversity, but Smith contends boards only stand to benefit from making such an effort.
“The issues nonprofits deal with today are more complex than ever before. When people see the benefits, I think more people will understand,” she says. “I don’t think people are not willing. I think it’s people not knowing how to go about it. We need to help people understand how to diversify their boards.”
To find out how the makeup of nonprofit boards got to its current state, it’s important to realize that the founders of nonprofits tend to be white men, says Douglas Kimemia, an associate professor in political science at VCU whose research interests include the behavior of nonprofit boards.
“You’re likely going to go out and find people who look like you,” Kimemia says. “These are the people you hang out with, the people you go to church with, the people you’re in clubs with.”
Progress may be slow, he says, but the tides are changing. This is in part due to boards making an effort to introduce new faces and because people in minority groups are starting their own nonprofits.
“It’s been very slow, but there’s been deliberate moves in diversifying recently,” Kimemia says. “I’m hopeful about the future.”
Nonprofit Spotlight: Project Yoga Richmond
Photo by McAbbott Studios Creative
The project seeks to make yoga accessible to all, regardless of ability or income, through its pay-what-you-can studio and through various outreach efforts. About 1,200 to 1,500 people participate in project programs each month. “Each time the mat is unrolled, our goal is for individuals and our community to feel supported, united and empowered as they practice self-care and build resiliency," says Nadia Gooray, the program director. —Stuart DuBreuil
