We launched The New Philanthropists project because we believe that racially diverse nonprofit boards make for more effective nonprofits and offer new leadership opportunities for people of color.
Our goals are to increase the number of people of color on nonprofit boards and create a culture of transparency around racial diversity and inclusion in our sector.It’s important that we outline the parameters of this project.
First, while diversity can apply to a number of demographic populations, The New Philanthropists project focuses on expanding opportunities for Hispanic/Latinos, African-Americans and Asians in particular, as these groups are historically underrepresented and face the biggest hurdles toward inclusion.
Second, we acknowledge and honor the work currently being done to increase board diversity across a number of organizations in our community. In fact, we want to identify those and gather best practices in order to share them with the nonprofit community at large and connect them to each other.
We also acknowledge that while there are people of color currently serving on nonprofit boards across the city, many more need to take the initiative to understand what board service means and where they can serve best.
Right now, many social issues in Central Texas disproportionately affect people of color, and yet people of color have a limited role in directing solutions. Lacking substantive input on how nonprofits should serve them, people of color are relegated to being recipients of philanthropy rather than becoming active partners in their communities’ success.
We believe Austin’s nonprofit sector has a moral and programmatic imperative to keep pace with the city’s growing diversity, and that more people of color should respond to the call of board service. The New Philanthropists is our effort to establish concrete steps toward that goal
Monica Maldonado Williams, GivingCity Austin
Mando Rayo, Mando Rayo + Collective