What do you do if your fundraising team lacks diversity and inclusion?

In my 11-year journey with IndiaBizForSale, I've seen the power of diverse fundraising teams. Here's why it matters: - Blind Spots: A homogenous team misses opportunities. Diverse perspectives open doors to new donor bases and fundraising strategies. - Relevance & Trust: Investors connect better with teams that reflect the communities they support. A diverse team builds trust and stronger relationships. - Innovation & Impact: When a team brings varied experiences and backgrounds, fundraising ideas get more creative, leading to greater impact. Let's face it, fundraising is most effective when it reflects the richness of the communities it serves. A diverse team isn't just the right thing to do, it's a strategic advantage.

In small organizations, this can easily happen. Here's some of the solutions I've employed. 1. Abide by the "no me without me" rule. Stories of place need to be inclusive of Indigenous voices. Where we were seeking funding for projects with an Indigenous cultural component, I was able to have the Chair of my Stoney Nakoda advisory circle provide support. 2. Likewise for projects related to racialized or underrepresented communities. Organizations today need to find ways to include all voices at the table. We are increasingly being called on to be leaders in social and cultural development of our communities. Diversifying your volunteer, staff and board teams ensures that you are not put into an awkward situation.

? Conduct an honest assessment of your team's diversity and inclusivity. ? Analyze demographic composition in relation to your target community. ? Identify any lack of representation within your team. ? Examine organizational policies, practices, and culture for potential barriers. ? Assess factors that may hinder diverse talent from thriving. ? Look for unconscious biases or exclusionary norms. ? Involve team members in the assessment process for varied perspectives. ? Gather quantitative and qualitative data for a comprehensive understanding. ? Benchmark against industry best practices and diversity standards. ? An objective gap analysis lays the foundation for positive change.

? Actively recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds to achieve goals. ? Partner with organizations supporting underrepresented communities. ? Revise job postings to appeal to a broader, more diverse audience. ? Eliminate biases in recruitment processes that deter diverse applicants. ? Implement blind recruitment practices to reduce unconscious biases. ? Assemble diverse hiring panels for a more inclusive evaluation. ? Attend job fairs and events focused on diversity and inclusion. ? Leverage employee referral programs within underrepresented networks. ? Highlight your organization's diversity and inclusion efforts in recruitment materials. ? Provide training to hiring managers on inclusive recruitment best practices.

Consider supporting the team with coaching. Often times leaders have challenges in fundraising because of their own money stories and how it intersects with leaders lived experience.

A challenge in bringing D&I within a fundraising team is the lack of talent available for these roles in the first place. Fundraising is not an easy career and many prefer not to pursue it. It is sufficient to say that this can lead to one "type" of people available for these roles without going into specifics. Sometimes we see a diverse grouping at the bottom of the fundraising talent pool but it becomes less diverse as we go towards the top. The one way out of this situation is to begin recruiting a diverse set of people in junior roles and allow them time to learn, fail and grow. Being patient and investing in the skills of those who generally may not be "natural" fundraisers can help them stick and eventually make it a diverse place.