Transforming the Nonprofit Sector from the Inside Out
Chapter Leadership Brief 7.12.24
by Sonya Shields
Executive Director and President of Cause Effective
Bringing about real change takes time. And each time we take a couple of steps forward, there's pushback from the forces in society that don't want to give up their status and privilege.
But we have an obligation, to our kids and our grandkids, to keep pushing.
We've got to sustain our spirits, hope, and focus to make progress. – Barack Obama
The racial reckoning in 2020 propelled nonprofit organizations to hire BIPOC leaders into CEO and Executive Director positions during a time of unprecedented turmoil in this country. We all witnessed a paradigm shift in hiring BIPOC leaders and especially Black women, which finally acknowledged that we are a part of this country’s DNA and have contributed significantly to social movements and to building nonprofits. Cause Effective was one of the organizations that made a commitment to hire a BIPOC person as the next Executive Director, and I assumed the role in July 2023. But ascending to the leadership position and breaking the glass ceiling in the nonprofit sector for most BIPOC people came at a cost. And once we are in the position, the ability to sustain and thrive is one of the biggest challenges in the nonprofit sector today.
In April, BoardSource organized a retreat for 32 BIPOC CEOs and Executive Directors from across the country at the Avoiding the Glass Cliff Initiative to explore the issues facing BIPOC leaders and provided space for conversation and resources to ensure long-term success. Like so many spaces I’ve entered, all the BIPOC participants were exhausted. Everyone expressed their burnout and chronic stress of addressing organizational culture and DEI issues that were not examined in a meaningful way before coming to the organization. The issues fell under the umbrella that while organizations were committed to diversity, most organizations had no practice of centering equity, inclusion and belonging, which has resulted in not being prepared to partner with a BIPOC person in a leadership position.
For the past several years, I have watched Black women in particular leave positions after a short stint and the narrative are often framed that they were not a good fit. But did the organization take a deep look at the environment that they were bringing the person into? Hiring a BIPOC person is the first step, but there seems to be a pervasive lack of trust in leadership. The lack of trust is showing up in every area including fundraising, financial reporting, staff management and decision-making. BIPOC people are often questioned, challenged, undermined and experience racial gaslighting where DEI is being weaponized. For the nonprofit sector to retain talent, attract talent, and serve missions, we must honor why we came into this work. At the BIPOC retreat we talked about the responsibilities that each of us hold and the need for a sizable transformation within the nonprofit sector. We talked about our critical missions to address the magnitude of issues in our society, and we recognized that nonprofits must evolve from the inside out. But nonprofit transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Transformation can only happen when there is a model of understanding that our collective humanity should be paramount. When an organization is BIPOC-led, it must strive to be valued aligned and understand what it means to function as an anti-racist organization.
BIPOC people that I know in the nonprofit sector came into this work with a vision of working with likeminded people to make a difference in the world. But too many organizations are operating without the staff and board being valued aligned, and they are not in a community of practice to cultivate an equitable, inclusive and thriving culture. Too often organizations say that they believe in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, but the culture is dominated by old narratives, policies and procedures that are the complete opposite.
Ultimately, having BIPOC people in leadership positions is progress, but our longevity requires a level of conscious awareness within a nonprofit’s culture that we are dealing with compounding issues that intersect at every level. BIPOC leaders are still managing the ripple effects of COVID because it shifted the workforce. We are living through a time where anxiety, stress, and mental health issues are real for millions of people in the nonprofit sector and for millions of people that nonprofits serve. We are under attack by the extremist rights campaign to fuel fear and divisiveness that continues to turn back the clock on progress made to address centuries of racial discrimination. They are relentless in their attacks on marginalized communities, and if you are a BIPOC leader of a nonprofit organization then these attacks are difficult because they are personal. Moreover, fundraising has been hard for many nonprofits this year and historically difficult for BIPOC-led organizations. Many leaders at the retreat talked about pullback from foundations and anxiety around funding at a time when organizations need recurring financial investment.
Overall, BIPOC CEOs and Executive Directors at the helm of nonprofits is long overdue. We certainly need more diversity in nonprofit leadership. But our ability to lead with enthusiasm and the passion that organizations deserve means centering our humanity and nonprofits prioritizing equity, inclusion and belonging. Nonprofit boards and staff must take time to do internal work to build a foundation that BIPOC leaders can proudly stand on. It’s working in partnership and having honest conversations about the barriers and systemic issues within the culture and working together towards solutions that shift behaviors and practices.
I have been in the nonprofit sector for thirty years in leadership positions and there has been a lot of growth. There is more diversity, but we must address the tensions and barriers to make our organizations stronger from the inside. We must evolve as a nonprofit sector and partnering with BIPOC leaders is imperative to organizations and our world.
Sonya Shields, Executive Director and President of Cause Effective, brings over 30 years of experience in nonprofit leadership, specializing in building social justice organizations. She held executive roles at notable organizations like the National LGBTQ Task Force, Anti-Violence Project, Astraea Foundation, Keep a Child Alive, Brooklyn Community Services, and Getting Out Staying Out. Sonya is a renowned consultant, speaker, and coach, presenting at s institutions such as Columbia University, ABFE, Better Business Bureau, Nonprofit Staten Island, Nonprofit Quarterly, Nonprofit Westchester, Junior League, and Women in Development. Sonya is the Chair of the DEI/Values Committee and Secretary of the Board of Directors for the American LGBTQ Museum and Board Member of the Association for Fundraising Professionals-New York. Sonya is a graduate of Howard University and lives in Brooklyn, New York