Intro to Race to the Board

An old adage states that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. The same can be said for board leadership in environmental philanthropy. For far too long, we’ve seen board trustees fit the same description: White and mostly male. InDEEP, a KHA initiative, proposes a new approach to addressing the lack of Black leadership among environmental organizations. 

One thing that the recent events of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement have shown us all is that Black board members are needed now more than ever before. Black and Brown communities were and still are the most impacted by environmental issues but do not get the support they need to combat these issues, which existed prior to the pandemic.

Race to the Board aims to address both the supply and demand sides of trustee placement as a way of correcting historically racist practices within conservation and climate organizations. This ensures not only that Black candidates are made visible but also that they are made part of the necessary change in board culture the environmental sector desperately needs. When boards are questioned about their lack of diversity, they often respond that qualified Black candidates just aren’t there. Race to the Board will show just how far from the truth this statement is.

With the development of the Black Candidate Network, Race to the Board will present a pool of prescreened, qualified candidates for organizations to choose from. Members of the Black Candidate Network will be experts in the fields of content, fundraising, and/or technical services who are available for multi-year commitments. Presenting foundations with a pool of experienced and knowledgeable candidates eliminates room for claims of being unable to find such talent. 

The work that Race to the Board does with “Big Green” groups and the Board Community of Practice will lead to a fundamental reimagining of standard board culture. The Board Community of Practice is a vetted group of people who come together with the goal of gaining and sharing knowledge to better serve grantees in the environmental and conservation space. This work will ensure that new Black board members enter spaces that have been curated to both welcome their contributions and retain their membership. 

Mahatma Gandhi once said, “If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him… We need not wait to see what others do.” Race to the Board is devoted to being the catalyst for progress in order to change the narrative about diversity among green organizations. It’s time to stop talking about racial equity and begin practicing it with intent for the greater good on which many of these organizations were founded. 

For more information on Race to the Board, the Black Candidate Network, or the Board Community of Practice, complete the interest form on the Race to the Board page.