The most frequent equity question lean funders ask us is: How do I engage my board in racial equity work? Unfortunately, there is not an easy nor straightforward answer. As we interviewed foundation boards and staff across the country in various phases of equity work, we heard two main approaches to engaging the board in... Read More
You won’t find bullies on every board, but, when you do, they can be very disruptive—creating surprisingly high levels of stress for fellow board members and damaging the integrity, effectiveness, and impact of the board’s work. Be careful not to assume the other party to any difficult conversation is a bully. Some people engage in... Read More
As the president of a family foundation that has made the transition to an all third-generation board, I am often asked by colleagues for tips on successfully engaging next gen family members. Here is one: consider offering one-year, renewable board terms to family. I haven’t done a study on this, but I would guess that... Read More
We’ve interviewed dozens of lean funders at various points during their equity journeys over the years. Through those conversations, emails, and a review of documents, policies, and practices, we were able to create a rough map of the lean funder’s equity journey. This journey has four phases: Thinking about equity Making policy changes Building trust... Read More