+

Diversity: Everyone wants it, how do you get it!

Yaziri Orrostieta | November 2014

+Agenda

Why is diversity vital to your organization?

Insights into 3 key segments you need to be reaching right

now!

How to expand diversity into your Board of Directors

+ Why is

diversity vital

to your

organization?

+Raise your hand if you agree!

+Why is diversity important?

A strong, vibrant board of directors is a clear indicator of a healthy organization.

When an nonprofit's board reflects the diversity of the community served, the organization will be better able to build bridges to potential donors or decision makers in the community.

Ability to access resources in the community and to respond to external influences that are changing the environment in which it is working, or those served.

Diversity should be thought of as a basic indicator of a nonprofit’s capacity to sustain itself in the long term.

+What is diversity?

+How do you achieve diversity?

+

Females

onboard

+Insights:

Women commend 80% of US spending

Women have fully embraced technology that can aid them in

their time-pressed lifestyle

Today, just 4% of families with kids under the age of 18 fall into

the working father and stay-at-home mother model

32% of women, compared to just 25% of men, volunteer across

every state, age group, and education level

Women are increasingly taking on leadership roles- leading to

more purchasing and decision making power

While it may sound like a distinction without a difference,

women don’t support causes; they join them!

+How to engage females:

Women prefer to receive and read information about an organization via email.

Add a “newsletter sign-up” form on your website

Include that same sign up form on your social media efforts

Make sure your website is mobile friendly

Make your message simple and direct

Women pass along information and value feedback and recommendation from close family/friends

Go beyond Facebook!

Pinterest – 87% of users are females

Twitter - 57% of users are females

Instagram – 55% of users are females

+How to engage females:

Value their opinions

Make them part of an “exclusive panel”

Conduct focus groups

Launch an online survey

Speak their language: 4C’s

Care: Show women that you care

Connect: Women really value community and connections

Control: Women want to be in control

Cultivated: While it takes longer to engage women as donors or

volunteers, once engaged their commitment is very high

+

Hispanic

Outreach

+Insights:

Less than 7% of total foundation funding is directed towards

efforts targeting Hispanics as volunteers, donors, or board

members

Since 1998, Hispanic volunteerism has grown 14.7% in the

state of Texas

71% of Hispanic Millennials believe in the American Dream

versus 55% non-Hispanic Millennials

Hispanics outpace all ethnic groups in mobile data service

consumption

+How to engage Latinos:

Hispanics are seeking to strengthen their community and

create new opportunities

Engage recognized Hispanic community leaders

Create a sense of community/family

Ask! Hispanics are eager to volunteer, give, and take a

leadership role

Use Event Marketing {Group giving versus individual giving}

+How to engage Latinos:

Use traditional media

Radio is extremely effective in East Texas

Television has the highest viewership between 6:00 pm & 9:00 pm

Embrace technology

Text messages versus email

Apps / mobile websites versus desktop version

Don’t forget to think multi-generation

Transcreation, do not just translation

+

Connecting

with

Millennials

+Insights

+How to engage Millennials

Having ready-to-go “micro-volunteering” opportunities

When choosing volunteer activities, Millennials will often act quickly. As such, they want opportunities to respond immediately to inspiration. Waiting to respond to their inquiries could cost you their involvement as they move on to the next inspiration.

Cultivate your current donor, volunteer, and board list

81% of survey respondents prefer to learn about volunteer opportunities from friends or family members.

Don’t assume they are too young to have skills and perspective

Remember that many Millennials are college grads and/or have been in the workforce for a couple of years and more.

+How to engage Millennials

Make sure you have an online donation strategy

Mobile website

Social Media

Search Engine Marketing

Social Listening

Report financial conditions

Make it available online

Email distribution

Internal collateral

+Framework

for

Achieving

Diversity

+Framework for creating change

• Define “diversity” for your organization

• Assess current situation

• Recruit and attract new board members

• Retain board members

Framework| FIO Partners, LLC

+Define “diversity” for your

organization

Examine and set clear expectations on what a diverse board

would look like:

Example: We server mainly single parents who lack a college

degree. Our goal is to have at least “x” single parents who have

gone back to school.

Example: 38% of our clients reside in households within zip code

14838; we need to recruit at least “x%” individuals who work/live in

that area.

Align expectations to your mission statement and purpose

+Assess current situation

What is the current composition of your board?

differences in background

viewpoint/perspective

professional experience

education, skills and, other individual qualities and attributes that

contribute to the Board’s effectiveness and quality of work

+Recruit and attract new board

members

Evaluate your recruitment plan

Identify new recruitment efforts to undertake:

Are you using social media {beyond Facebook} to seek new board members?

Post your "Great Board Member Wanted" ad on free websites that match people seeking boards to join, such as:

Boardnetusa.org – “Connecting nonprofit boards with new leaders.”

Volunteermatch.org – “Connecting good people & good causes together.”

Bridgestar.org – “Collaborating to accelerate social impact.”

Board Member Swap

+Retain board members

Be conscious of Board Member burnout

Augment Board committees with additional volunteers

Assess the health of your Board periodically and address

concerns

Engage Board Members by sharing organization success

stories

+

QUESTIONS?