Monisha Kapila’s Op-Ed on Equity and Inclusion Published by Chronicle of Philanthropy

The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently featured an op-ed authored by Monisha Kapila, ProInspire Founder and CEO. What Nonprofits Can Learn From #OscarsSoWhite examines the similarities between the entertainment industry and the nonprofit sector when it comes to diversity, and recommends steps nonprofits can take to prioritize equity and to hire, retain, and promote a more diverse set of nonprofit professionals.

Monisha’s op-ed also announces the launch of #equityinthecenter, a field-wide movement formed by a coalition of organizations to create a more diverse and equitable social sector talent pipeline.

Please read the op-ed, share your comments, and join us to put #equityinthecenter.

What Nonprofits Can Learn From #OscarsSoWhite

By Monisha Kapila

reposted from Philanthropy.com

As movie fans around the globe get ready to watch the Academy Awards this weekend, everyone in the nonprofit world should be paying attention to the #OscarsSoWhite campaign. The backlash against the all-white slate of nominees in the four acting categories exemplifies the lack of diversity and inclusion throughout the entertainment industry.

This isn’t a problem just in Hollywood. When it comes to diversity, the entertainment industry has a lot in common with the nonprofit sector, including:

• Lack of diversity in decision-making roles. Whites dominate leadership in nonprofits and in Hollywood, but that doesn’t reflect the broader work force. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 65 percent of the U.S. work force is non-Hispanic white, and that share is shrinking. People of color are likely to account for more than 50 percent of the work force by 2039. Yet according to a BoardSource survey, 89 percent of nonprofit CEOs and 80 percent of board members are white. An astonishing 25 percent of nonprofit boards are all white.

• Increasing diversity of the people they serve. Nonprofits that focus on issues tied to poverty, including education, economic development, housing, and human services, primarily serve communities of color. The poverty rate for the U.S. population as a whole was 15 percent in 2014, but the rate varies greatly by race — 26 percent among African-Americans, 24 percent for Hispanics, 12 percent for Asians, and 10 percent among non-Hispanic whites. Without diversity in leadership, it is just as hard for nonprofits as it is for entertainment companies to stay in touch with the needs and wants of the people they serve.

• Reliance on unpaid and low-paid talent. Both nonprofit organizations and entertainment companies expect aspiring professionals to work for little or no pay in entry-level roles, including volunteer and internship experiences that are considered steppingstones to paid positions. This creates systemic bias, limiting who can enter the profession. In a 2012 Chronicle of Philanthropy survey of people who had worked at nonprofits for less than five years, 36 percent said they earned $30,000 to $39,000 — below the national average entry-level salary of $43,000. Factor in the higher levels of student debt facing college graduates today — particularly black students — and it becomes clearer why fewer people of color end up working at nonprofits, let alone moving into leadership roles.

Click here to read the remainder of the op-ed.