In August 2008, with the support from the Innovative Practice Fund, a two-day gathering in Baltimore-Washington area, brought regional and national leaders together to share their concerns and passion for diverse leadership in the nonprofit sector which has regionally and nationally remained primarily white. Although the gathering had been planned and coordinated months in advance, the discussion occurred on the day Barack Obama accepted the nomination as candidate for President of the United States of America. This historic moment caused participants to ask themselves two very important questions:

1. What were the obstacles to the goal of having diverse leadership in the nonprofit sector?
2. Why did it seem so challenging and complex?

These leaders, diverse in terms of age, backtround, sector experience and race with the majority of these leaders being leaders of color, concluded that like the private sector, the capacity of nonprofit organizations to achieve their missions and results hinges on it's access to an expanded pool of racially diverse leaders for boards, executive and management positions.

On the historically difficult and challenging topic of sustaining and increasing the racial diversity of nonprofit leadership as a strategy for improving the capacity and effectiveness of the sector, the economic timing is poor for taking on such an ambition effort. Yet our nation is poised as never before to move closer to our stated vision of being a nation of "liberty and justice for all." As a result, the Racial Diversity Collaborative was formed to continue to pursue these efforts.

Initial Goals

To help support nonprofit leaders of color within the Baltimore-Washington region. These goals include: 

1. A dedicated website serving as a resource for nonprofit leaders of color.
2. Conduct a study with surveys, interview and focus groups with leaders of color to better understand oportunities and challenges of leadership growth for leaders of color in the nonprofit sector and increase understanding the impact that the economic recession has on nonprofit organizations and leaders of color. 
3. Build connections with leaders of color and build strong networks and communities supporting leadership positions.
4. Pilot initiatives that will support organizational culture and strategies that increase retention, recruitment and seletion of leaders of color in the organization and ultimately throughout the nonprofit sector.

 Our Work

Leaders of Color Survey and Study: Unique Opportunities and Challenges of Leaders of Color
An early priority was to establish baseline data on the percentage of leaders of color in executive positions in nonprofit organizations in the Baltimore-Washington region. With the assistance from the Urban Institute's Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy, a survey of over 900 nonprofit leaders took place in September 2009. The purpose of the survey was to increase understanding of the impact of the economic recession on participating nonprofit organiztaions and leaders of color.  With the assistance of the Center for Nonprofit Advancement and MMP Partners, interviews and focus groups were held with leaders  of color in the nonprofit sector throughout the region.

Racial Diversity Collaborative Leadership Expansion
The Racial Diversity Collaborative Leadership team is expanded from a team of five to a team of eight. They will perform another recruitment of potential leaders interested in helping to carry out the work of the Collaborative in fulfillment of their mission and goals.