Who’s really advancing equity in the non-profit sector? A new study says it’s Black, Indigenous and racialized-led organizations
Why It Matters
This equity benchmarking study shows what’s otherwise anecdotally known in the non-profit sector. Using the findings and suggestions from the study can help the sector be less performative and more authentic in advancing equity, diversity and inclusion.
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Since the resurgence of the Black Lives Matter Movement and the murder of George Floyd, in 2020, white-led charities and non-profits in Canada have publicly expressed committing to be better, especially when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Yet have they?
A new study conducted by the Equitable Recovery Collective and initially proposed by the Network for the Advancement of Black Communities, says that concrete action from white-led charities and non-profits is lacking.
The study, Shifting Power Dynamics: Equity, diversity, and inclusion in the non-profit sector, collected survey responses from 1,635 charity and non-profit leaders last year to measure equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practices across the sector. What it found was that white-led organizations had gaps in their practices, notably in staff recruitment and retention, how organizations use staff’s personal information, as well as creating programs for equity-seeking groups.
To top it off, it’s Black, Indigenous and racialized-led organizations who have been leading the way in almost all EDI efforts, the study says. According to the data, 84 per cent of BIPOC-led organizations highlighted EDI in their organizational values in comparison to 69 per cent of white-led organizations. 77 per cent of BIPOC-led organizations have incorporated EDI in their mission values and statements, in comparison to 58 per cent of white-led organizations. And 70 per cent of BIPOC-led organizations have EDI in their strategic plan, in comparison to 45 per cent of white-led groups.
The study also reported that it’s BIPOC-led organizations that are more likely to have programs to serve equity-deserving communities. According to the study, 50 per cent of BIPOC-led organizations have a program dedicated to serving Black communities, while 11 per cent of white-led organizations do. 44 per cent of BIPOC-led organizations have a program dedicated to serving women and girls, whereas 22 per cent of white-led organizations do.
For Kris Archie, the CEO of The Circle on Philanthropy, and member of the Equitable Recovery Collective, seeing the study’s results gives them mixed feelings, due to Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities tending to be over researched for things that are commonly-known.
“As an Indigenous-led, woman-led national member organization … It can be frustrating sometimes to have to demonstrate [the work that we do] in these ways,” Archie said. “At the same time, I fully recognize how necessary it is. We’re able to better hold up, and celebrate the organizations who are doing this good work already. We’re able to help in a way that supports organizations who don’t already do this.”
Archie says the findings in the study are also an opportunity to say what’s otherwise anecdotally known — BIPOC-led organizations have less resources than white-led organizations, and are still able to lead in EDI practices in the non-profit sector, while serving equity-deserving communities.
“We, as leaders and as organizations face much greater barriers in funding to media relations to government relations, legislative advocacy,” Archie said.
“We also have a much higher experience of expectations and accountability from funders, but also the general public. I face an additional kind of scrutiny being a woman-led and Indigenous-led organization in this sector than others do. That’s an undeniable fact.”
Knowing the barriers that BIPOC-led organizations face, the study suggests that funders should be more involved, in order to advance EDI in the non-profit sector. The study says funders can do this by directly supporting the BIPOC-led organizations who are already doing the work, rather than creating funds for white-led organizations who are lagging behind.
“If you actually care about these EDI principles towards change, then we need to focus on folks who already have these practices embedded, those who didn’t wait until George Floyd’s death and his murder in order to activate this orientation towards justice,” Archie said. “Not only do they do good work, they’re doing it grounded in equity, diversity and inclusion, and you will get much stronger outcomes for the investments that you’ll make.”
It’s not just money that should be a solution to advancing EDI in the non-profit sector, the study says. It’s creating better policies, which can be accomplished through education sessions, equity audits, and creating an equity working group to track progress.
“Advancing EDI inside of an organization requires real time and energy. This isn’t a two-hour workshop so you can check it off and be done with it,” Archie said.
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