AftA Thoughts 2015: Self-Perpetuating Boards

This is the third in a series of posts reflecting on last June’s Americans for the Arts convention in Chicago. In the context of serious discussions of equity and diversity, it was inevitable that my thoughts would turn to boards of directors and trustees.

I’ve written several times recently about the conundrum that “fundraising boards” represent in the nonprofit arts world. (Give or Get, Can’t Buy Me Love) Specifically in discussions of diversity, the truism that “you know who you know” leads to boards populating themselves with people who look like them. Even with the best of intentions, if you don’t know any [fill in the blank] you can’t suggest them for board slots. Self-perpetuating boards, the largely default status of nonprofit boards in the U.S., nominate and elect their own successors. Sounds crazy, but it’s the norm in organizations that are not membership based; and, admittedly, there are not a lot of good alternatives out there. This is a big, if not the biggest, issue in diversifying our boards.

Some time ago I cited here the hopefully apocryphal story of a board, desiring Hispanic representation, placing an ad in the Hispanic newspaper. (They didn’t know anyone?!?!) In order to address board diversity, we need to realize that not knowing appropriate diverse candidates is our issue, not theirs.

An interesting new criterion for annual board member evaluations could be something like “How many people unlike yourself have you developed relationships with this year?”

Engage!

Doug

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