Inclusive Boards for a Diverse Community

here’s the information about our Inclusive Boards for a Diverse Community program.

Here’s what your nonprofit organization will get for your investment:

* Your Board will have 1 or 2 new non-Anglo board members-from NW Arkansas institutions such as Wal-Mart, P & G and the University of Arkansas-who have been well-trained on all aspects of serving on a non-profit board.
* Your agency’s board-now newly diversified-will receive an on-site day-long cultural awareness/diversity training, tailor made to your agency’s unique needs in becoming more inclusive, coupled with board development and planning for being a higher impact board and organization.
* Your Board Chair (or representative) and your Executive Director will have an increased understanding of, commitment to and skills in creating a diverse and inclusive board and organization.
* Your agency will complete this program with a larger, stronger, more diverse board and an action plan for building upon this foundation of inclusion.

Care Foundation’s commitment to helping increase the diversity of nonprofit boards allows this unique program to be offered for a participant fee of only $400.

Program details
Ultimately, this two-track program will place well-trained non-Anglo board recruits onto nonprofit boards that are trained in cultural competency and high-impact governance. In track one, this program recruits and trains new non-Anglo board members who want to serve successfully on nonprofit boards. Concurrently, track two provides nonprofit boards with diversity and cultural competency training to help them become more inclusive and successful in building and sustaining a diverse, high-impact board.

To achieve this goal, requirements have been set to help participants-both nonprofit boards and new recruits-be successful.

Nonprofit boards must:

* Be at least one year old
* Have a working board with regular meetings (minimum of 6 per year)
* Have active board committees (3-4 meetings/year/committee)
* Have identified board diversification as one of their strategic goals (with 0 - 10% non-Anglo members currently serving)
* Commit to sending the same key board member and key staff member to the two required trainings
* Approve to accept up to 2 of the new recruits (facilitators will give careful assessment during the placement process and final placement will consider organizations’ choices)
* Commit to having key staff and a majority of board members participate in a customized day-long follow-up training for their organization.
* Complete a pre & post organizational assessment survey regarding diversity, inclusion, and board effectiveness.

New board recruits will:

* Be identified by colleagues as a true team player and leader
* Have been called to “serve” the NWA community
* Be committed to being placed on one of the participating nonprofit boards
* Have a letter of support from their employer
* Be able to commit to full participation of all four 4-hour training sessions
* Be committed to becoming an active member of a participating nonprofit board

Over the course of several months, nonprofit boards will receive their diversity, cultural competency and high-impact board training, while new recruits receive their board readiness training. After placements are made, each nonprofit will receive a customized day-long workshop for board and staff leadership.

Upon completion, non-Anglo recruits will be empowered to serve as successful board members trained in:

* Role and responsibilities of nonprofit boards
* Legal overviews pertaining to board service
* Board policy development
* Fundraising ethics and accountability
* Diversity and cultural awareness
* Nonprofit financials 101

Program Goals/Objectives/Outcomes:

* Increase the number of nonprofit boards that reflect our diverse NWA community
* Increase the number of non-Anglo board members serving nonprofits
* Create successful board cultures that are healthy, diverse, and sustainable

Upon completion, nonprofit boards will be empowered to be successful and inclusive boards trained in:

* Diversity Awareness
* Cultural competency
* Successful and high-impact board practices
* Building an inclusive boardroom and organization

Program interest may be expressed by:

* dmcnerney@ibosswell.com or
* Val Gonzalez at Just Communities (479) 927-3055 or Denise McNerney at iBossWell (913) 642-1416

Visit http://ccfound.org/home_capinfo07.html#inclusive_boards” title=”http://ccfound.org/home_capinfo07.html#inclusive_boards\”>http://ccfound.org/home_capinfo07.html#inclusive_boards” class=”autohyperlink” target=”_blank”>ccfound.org/home_capinfo07.html#inclusive_boards”>http://ccfound.org/home_capinfo07.html#inclusive_boards for more information.