Six Questions for Equitable
Board Recruitment

Opening: a word or phrase that describes your board recruitment experience
Type in the chat…

Dr. Renee Rubin Ross
• White Woman
• She/Her
• Strategic Thinker
• Facilitator
• Professor & teacher
• Passionate about DEIB
• Native of the SF Bay Area
• On land of Ohlone tribe

Christal M. Cherry
• African American
Woman
• She, Her
• Mompreneur
• Disruptive Leader
• Native New Yorker
• Breakfast Lover
• John Legend Fan
• On land of
Muscogee tribe

Agreements
• We acknowledge one another as equals
• We try to stay curious about each other
• We recognized that we need each other’s help to become better
listeners and to act with more courage
• We slow down so we have time to think and reflect
• We have the courage to interrupt if something is going amiss or
being left unsaid; we make the invisible visible
• We remember that conversation is a natural way humans think
together
• We expect it to be messy at times
From The National Equity Project
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IN CHAT:
What is one way you are
bringing diversity, equity,
inclusion & belonging to
board recruitment?
Start with
celebration &
affirmation

Poll:
Why do you care about this topic?
(Launch poll – pick all that apply.)
A. We need new board members
B. Our board is not diverse
C. We care about equity, but don’t know how to recruit diverse
board members
D. We’re feeling pressure from funders
E. Current board composition doesn’t reflect our vision and
values

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Six questions to ask:
Rank your answers 3 absolutely! 1 not at all. 2 maybe.

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1. Have board members had a conversation about
your Why for diverse, equitable board recruitment?

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2. Are board leaders ready to shift the balance
of power or allow others to lead?

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3. Representation:
Have you filled out a
board matrix and
had a conversation
about who is at the
table and who is
missing – in terms of
race, disability,
gender, age…

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4. Have you built trust among board members to
have hard conversations about differences and
inequity?

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5. Does your board have a full understanding of the
community served?

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6. Are you casting a wide net and going outside of
your usual networks to identify People of Color to
serve on your board?

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Your total - sharing
If your total is:
1-6 beginning stages, a lot of work to
be done
7-12 some good effort, there’s more you
can do
13-15 a lot is working well, some areas
need attention
16-18 you’re well on your way

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How our DEIB training responds to these
questions and issues

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We assess board culture

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We give board members the
opportunity to reflect on the
assessment

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We deepen the ability of
the group to talk about
race and racial equity

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Last step of the process is building a plan to
continue the work

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Scenario

Questions
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•Given what we know, how should the
Board & Governance Chair begin the
meeting?
•What should be their focus?
•What should they ask for before the
meeting ends?

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Thank you Christal for
your authenticity in the
DEI work you facilitated
with our board. You
reminded us of the
importance of
humanizing our
collective experiences
and that this work is a
journey with no fixed end
point. So grateful for this
experience!
--Nonprofit board
member

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IN THE CHAT:
From what you’ve
heard today, what is
one takeaway that
you’d like to work on
more.

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Learn more about Planting the
Seeds for Change training:
Reach out to The Board Pro or The Ross Collective
to work with your board or team on building a more
inclusive culture:
https://www.theboardpro.com/trainings
https://www.therosscollective.com/equity-training

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Stay in
touch
Renee - https://www.therosscollective.com/subscribe
Christal – www.theboardpro.com - Click Contact

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Further
Reading
Lessons From a Cross-Racial Team About Building Belonging:
https://www.theboardpro.com/post/lessons-from-a-cross-racial-
team-about-building-belonging
Why every meeting should mention race and equity:
communitycentricfundraising.org/2021/03/11/why-every-meeting-
should-mention-race-and-equity/
The Winding Path to Racial Equity:
https://www.therosscollective.com/blog/the-winding-path-to-racial-
equity
Empathy & Compassion: The New Mandate for Board Leadership
https://www.theboardpro.com/post/empathy-compassion-the-new-
mandate-for-board-leadership

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Podcasts
Mission: Impact podcast episode on moving nonprofit
boards towards equity:
http://www.gracesocialsector.com/missionimpact/helping-nonprofits-boards-move-toward-
greater-equity-with-christal-cherry-and-renee-ross
Racial Equity on Nonprofit Boards, conversation with
Julia Campbell on Nonprofit Nation podcast.
https://nonprofitnation.buzzsprout.com/1778536/10324518-moving-nonprofit-boards-towards-
racial-equity-with-christal-m-cherry-renee-rubin-ross
Building Racial Equity on Nonprofit Boards, We Are For
Good podcast. https://www.weareforgood.com/episode/234