I’m currently on vacation so, the past couple days, I’ve been working my way through Cultivating Diversity in Fundraising by Janice Gow Pettey. As I read her book, several questions keep coming to mind. Anybody that really knows me will appreciate that I tend to ask a lot of questions to challenge my own assumptions. This isn’t to say I disagree with my assumptions, rather I think it’s important to be on a continual quest for knowledge and questioning is one of the ways I learn best. With that said…
One of the underlying themes of Janice’s book is that, by bringing diversity to fundraising we will improve donor experience, fundraiser performance, and organizational sustainability.
If this is true, then:
- Why don’t I see more AFP or CASE conferences, seminars, or webinars discussing best practices of incorporating diversity into a nonprofit’s organizational culture?
- Why don’t leading charity evaluation tools (e.g. GiveWell or GuideStar) have measures for diversity as it applies to organizational performance, donor experience, or sustainability?
- Are we demonstrating an ethical dilemma by not seriously considering diversity in our organizational strategic plans?