Recruiting Diverse Candidates for Nonprofit Executive Directors and Fundraising Staff

At The Moran Company, we strive to engage a diverse pool of qualified leaders to fill the nonprofit positions we are seeking. This includes candidates of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. Research exists that building diverse leadership improves an organization’s effectiveness.

The article “Why Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Matter to Nonprofits” published by The National Council of Nonprofits states: “Studies have also shown that a more diverse staff can foster enhanced innovation. And when board members, employees, and others who shape the values and activities of a nonprofit come from a wide array of backgrounds, they each bring unique perspectives that shape, blend, and influence how to advance the nonprofit’s mission and solve problems in potentially more inclusive and innovative ways.”

I currently serve as President of the national Network of Nonprofit Search Consultants and have participated in a variety of conferences focused on diversity through the years. This is an important conversation to have and to continue. With that in mind, I want to share just a few ideas about how to attract a greater number of diverse executive director and fundraising candidates. I hope this information will help you as you build your board and staff teams as well, so we can continue to learn and improve together.

1. Approach your colleagues and friends who are respected individuals in the nonprofit minority communities. Work with them as resource individuals to identify possible candidates among their contacts. In my experience, this will be a far more productive conversation if they can review a list of names that you pull together from research. To create a list of names for these conversations, find membership lists in racially and ethnically diverse organizations or conduct research on LinkedIn (ex., using search terms such as “African American AND Nonprofits” or “Hispanic AND Fundraising”).
2. Approach professional associations for diverse groups that have been formed specifically for career advancement and networking purposes. Examples include the Urban League, African American Development Officers (AADO) Network, Native Americans in Philanthropy, Hispanics in Philanthropy, and more. Chambers of Commerce for specific populations are good organizations to engage with as well, such as the Asian American Chamber of Commerce.
3. Specifically for fundraising, reach out to development staff at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU). They have good connections and can help identify existing top talent, as well as rising stars.
4. Take note of accolades. Professional ethnic associations and cultural groups honor high performers in a number of categories at awards ceremonies throughout every community each year. These honorees should be noted as possible resource individuals or candidates.
5. Search in more regions of the country. Don’t be limited by potentially narrow demographics in a singular location. Look in other regions that may be more diverse and contain a larger percentage of ethnic groups and people of color.
6. Find diverse candidates who have skills in an allied field (ex. political canvassing) that might transfer to nonprofit leadership or fundraising (such as communication skills, people skills, outward focus and zeal). The reality is that the numbers of professional minority staff in the nonprofit sector are small, and not all candidates will have traditional experience in nonprofit leadership. We must be creative, open-minded and intentional in our recruiting efforts to ensure that all groups are considered for positions that might be a fit for their strengths. Having well qualified candidates is non-negotiable, but how we define and evaluate different skill sets can be more inclusive.
7. Look for diverse staff on the for-profit side who have a strong record of nonprofit volunteering. They might have the cross-over skills needed to successfully transition into the nonprofit sector. Best of all, they might have a genuine passion for the mission based on their volunteer efforts.
8. Be the change. We all have a responsibility to support growth and development in our profession. Consider acting as a mentor to a talented young person of color or someone with a non-traditional background. Building the confidence and skills of motivated individuals who are underrepresented in our sector can help change its composition.

When I think about the conferences and conversations that I’ve had about diversity in recruiting so far, perhaps the most important take away for me is the need to be proactive. One must be intentional if you are going to present a diverse slate of candidates. In fact, you can begin now. You can do the research and start building lists of diverse talent in advance of your actual search. Then you will have a more inclusive approach to sharing job opportunities with a wider variety of audiences, affinity groups and applicants who are just waiting to be contacted.

Qualified and diverse candidates for fundraising and Executive Director positions are indeed out there – it just takes effort to reach them. Go the extra mile to ensure you are sharing any nonprofit employment opportunities to all groups so that potential candidates with a variety of backgrounds and qualified skills have an equal chance to hear about the position, apply and be considered for a nonprofit leadership role. Your nonprofit’s effectiveness will benefit from inclusive recruitment practices, and contact us if we can help.

© 2018 The Moran Company, “We find great nonprofit executives.”