Environmental Nonprofit Board Diversity: The Current Status and a Path Forward

• In Event: Diversity and Bureaucratic Behavior

Abstract

This research uses a mixed methods approach to explore board composition and diversity among environmental nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits are considered agents of democracy to the extent that they serve or advocate on behalf of underrepresented interests. However, in 2017, BoardSource released the results of its most recent Leading with Intent survey, indicating that 90% of nonprofit board chairs and 84% of board members are white. Other studies suggest that environmental nonprofit boards, staff, and members, are especially homogenous. For example, Taylor (2014) found that 95.4% of environmental nonprofit board members are white. Not only is board diversity associated with positive outcomes for nonprofits (Brown 2002), but the lack of diversity among environmental nonprofits is particularly troubling given that minority communities tend to be most impacted by air pollution, toxic waste facilities, and other environmental hazards (Bullard et al. 2007). To deepen our understanding of diversity among environmental nonprofit boards of directors, this study uses data from the Leading with Intent survey, along with qualitative interviews with environmental nonprofit senior managers. Specifically, this study asks the following research questions: 1) How do the boards of directors of environmental nonprofits compare with the boards of other types of nonprofit organizations? 2) What factors are associated with more diverse environmental nonprofit boards?

Using descriptive statistics and means comparisons, this study begins by comparing the diversity of environmental nonprofit boards with other types of nonprofits, along with recent trends and efforts related to increasing board diversity. Next, using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) (Ragin 2008), this study analyzes the 34 environmental nonprofits that responded to the 2017 Leading with Intent survey. Analysis includes factors that may associate with board diversity, including executive director characteristics, organizational priorities, and organizational attributes, such as organizational age, size, and income sources. Finally, through interviews with 24 environmental nonprofit senior managers across three states, this study explores manager’s perspectives about board diversity, along with recent efforts to increase diversity, such as through working with diversity consultants.

Through the descriptive statistics and interviews, results shed light on the current state of environmental nonprofit board diversity, including how nonprofits are attempting to overcome the existing lack of diversity on their boards. Furthermore, the QCA analysis suggests factors that may associate with board diversity, thus presenting a path forward and directions for future research.

References

BoardSource. 2017. Leading with Intent: 2017 National Index of Nonprofit Board Practices. Washington, DC: BoardSource. Retrieved from https://leadingwithintent.org

Brown, William A. 2002. "Racial Diversity and Performance of Nonprofit Boards of Directors." Journal of Applied Management and Entrepreneurship 7(4), 43-57.

Bullard, Robert D. Bullard, Paul Mohai, Robin Saha, and Beverly Wright. 2007. Toxic Wastes and Race at Twenty, 1987—2007. Retrieved from https://www.nrdc.org/sites/default/files/toxic-wastes-and-race-at-twenty-1987-2007.pdf

Ragin, Charles C. 2008. Redesigning Social Inquiry: Fuzzy Sets and Beyond. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

Taylor, Dorceta E. 2014. The State of Diversity in Environmental Organizations. Retrieved from https://www.diversegreen.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/FullReport_Green2.0_FINAL.pdf

Author

• Jennifer Kagan, University of Hawaii at Manoa