About 87% of nonprofit CEOs in the U.S. were white in 2019, down from 90% in 2016. Similarly, roughly 78% of nonprofit board members were white in 2019, down from 84% in 2016, according to Board Source, a nonprofit that tracks this information.

In a country where Black and Latino individuals and other people of color make up about 40% of the population, this lack of diversity is a major concern for nonprofits that provide services or advocacy primarily to communities of color, and among those groups whose mission is aimed at promoting race equity.

In the latest episode of Nonprofit Nation, I talk with board management consultants Christal M. Cherry and Renee Rubin Ross about how we can best move our nonprofit boards towards racial equity.

Christal M. Cherry is a trained fundraiser with more than 22 years of nonprofit experience serving on executive teams, as a liaison with boards, and a confidant to the CEO/Executive Director. Christal has a passion to help transform board members into impactful leaders, and touts fundraising as her ministry - the place where she feels she can make the biggest difference. Christal’s mantra: Fundraising is not an F word. Christal founded and leads The Board Pro, a company that equips board members with the tools they need to effectively govern and help nonprofits to fulfill their missions, scale, and become change agents in their communities.

Dr. Renee Rubin Ross is a recognized leader on board and organizational development and strategy and the founder of The Ross Collective, a consulting firm that designs and leads inclusive, participatory processes for social sector boards and staff. Committed to racial equity in the nonprofit sector, Dr. Ross guides leaders and organizations in strategic plans and governance processes that deepen social change, racial justice, stakeholder engagement, and community strength. In addition to her consulting work, Dr. Ross is the Director of the Cal State University East Bay Nonprofit Management Certificate program and teaches Board Development and Grant Writing for the program.

Here are some of the topics we discussed:

• Their new service for boards, called  Planting the Seeds of Change: A Journey towards Race-Equity Culture
• The challenges facing nonprofit boards right now
• How to initiate tough conversations at your organization around racial equity
• Where to get started if you are interested in learning more about DEI work 

Connect with Christal:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/christal-m-cherry/

Connect with Renee:
https://www.therosscollective.com/subscribe
https://www.linkedin.com/in/reneerubinross/
https://twitter.com/reneerubinross
https://www.instagram.com/rrrconsults/

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