The Urban Institute, a nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. released a study last year that reported that 86% of all persons serving on nonprofit boards nationwide are white, and only 7% are African-American.
These staggering statistics have raised questions about how well homogeneous groups can serve diverse constituencies. This trend also holds true for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Although the City of Cleveland is comprised of a population that is overwhelmingly minority (primarily African-American and Hispanic/Latino), those serving on the nonprofit boards that serve the most pressing needs of these minority groups are overwhelmingly white.
A lack of diversity on these boards often makes it more difficult for trustees to understand and respond to the critical needs of the minority populations that they serve. It is in this regard that a group of African-American professionals have come together to address this challenge by creating a Minority Board Member Pipeline Initiative.
This group will work with Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) and perhaps others in the coming months to offer programs and initiatives that connect emerging minority professionals with nonprofit board service opportunities. Those involved in coordinating this effort include the following:
April Miller Boise, Partner - Thompson Hine
Caprice Bragg, Vice President - The Cleveland Foundation
Stephanie McHenry, President - ShoreBank
Randell McShepard, Vice President - RPM International Inc.
Eddie Taylor, President and CEO - Beverage Dispensing Solutions
Lorna Wisham, Vice President - The Illuminating Company