D5 has released our annual State of the Work 2012 report. This year’s report features provocative stories from leaders in philanthropy on successes and challenges in creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive sector. To give you a flavor of the report, I’m sharing an excerpt of the report’s Foreword below. You can check out the full report here.

Excerpt from State of the Work 2012

Foundations are still grappling with the effects of the economic downturn—and underserved communities are bearing much of the burden of a contracted philanthropic sector. We have been asked to do more with less in an environment that requires adaptation. But we believe great power and potential lie in helping foundations adopt strategies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion—reaching those hardest hit, responding with effective solutions, and working to revitalize local communities.

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The upcoming 2012 Council on Foundations Conference on April 29 – May 1, 2012 in Los Angeles features several exciting opportunities to explore ideas and strategies for strengthening diversity, equity and inclusion in philanthropy.

I am pleased to highlight those sessions, beginning with a session designed by the D5 Coalition, and I encourage you to join the conversations about diversity, equity and inclusion.

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The months of April and May will be busy for Joint Affinity Groups and each of its partners, filled with conferences and meetings aligned with D5 Coalition’s priorities of diversity, equity and inclusion. Please read on for more information about these exciting events and how you can be part of the conversation!

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Vicki Rosenberg has seen foundations grapple with changing their cultures and practices to more fully embrace diversity, equity and inclusion.

Her message to others? “The water’s safe. Come on in and join us.”

Rosenberg, a consultant on diversity and equity issues and a member of the D5 Leadership Team, has seen teams from ten Michigan foundations take on a multi-year commitment to understand and increase their intercultural competency to support achieving their goals for diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and in their work outside of their organization.

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D5 Coalition Request for Proposals

Gathering data about diversity within foundations and philanthropy associations poses challenges. It can be a challenge to collect data about the makeup of foundation staffs and boards, to track the recipients of foundation grantmaking and establish who benefits from it, even to determine which questions about diversity are fair game to ask.

Without good data, foundations find themselves on the defensive about their leadership and grantmaking. This doesn’t have to be the case, according to Lawrence McGill, vice president of research for the Foundation Center.

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In a conference room at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in November, two dozen people from organized philanthropy and nonprofit organizations serving Native Americans came together to talk about their work with Native Americans and what they could learn from each other and be more powerful working together.

Many in the room had spent years and decades working on health, literacy and social welfare issues for Native Americans. Others were new to the field and curious about what they could learn.

The meeting, one of a series taking place over the next few years, is the work of Native Americans in Philanthropy. Thanks to grants from Philanthropy Northwest and the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, the group is establishing Regional Action Networks. These networks will bring together Native Americans working in the social sector, foundations, and nonprofits who work on Native American issues. The ultimate goal is to improve grantmaking to Native American issues and build relationships among Native American tribes, urban Native American communities, and philanthropy.

These networks bring together a variety of stakeholders in Native American issues, evenly distributed between nonprofits  (Native and non-Native), funders of all kinds, and individuals interested in Native American issues.

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Writing for Family Giving News, Carrie Avery, the president of the Durfee Foundation and the board chair of the National Center for Family Philanthropy, showcased the “I Am A Philanthropist” video as well the Los Angeles event in November spotlighting and connecting diverse donors:

I was interested in learning more about diversity in family philanthropy.  In my own 20-plus years of experience with my family’s philanthropy, I have seen how incorporating diverse perspectives into our grantmaking and practices has enriched our connection to the community.  I have witnessed how fresh vision can open one’s eyes to different ways of seeing community needs.  Sometimes it takes a newcomer to show what you haven’t seen, simply because you haven’t been looking for it.  I wanted to see what more I could learn about philanthropy by looking at the growing diversity in the field.  My curiosity was rewarded.

Avery reflects upon the event, the changing demographic profile of the United States, as well as how she’s seen the impact of diversity in family philanthropy first-hand. She included in her item a conversation with D5 Coalition member Judy Belk:

I asked Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors’ Judy Belk (a former NCFP board member) and event sponsor and emcee, how family philanthropy fits into the D5 effort.  Belk, who will be leading a very special NCFP Teleconference on this topic on April 12th, said, “Family is one of the major motivations for diverse donors in philanthropy, just as it is a motivator for many philanthropists.  They want to give, and they want to inspire the next generation.  We are looking at ways to support these new families in philanthropy.”

Read the whole story: “FEATURE: The Changing Face of Philanthropy: Diversity in Family Giving”

I Am A Philanthropist from D5 Coalition, a video produced by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the D5 Coalition.

“America is very diverse, as is the community I live in, San Jose,” says Carmen Castellano. “But you walk into some institutions and the diversity is not there. We want to see people who look like us reflected in those institutions. I want to show the brown face of philanthropy.”

Castellano is one voice in a powerful chorus of diverse donors profiled in “I Am a Philanthropist,” a new video produced by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and the D5 Coalition. You can see the video by clicking on the image above.

An inspiring testament to the spread of philanthropy in communities across the nation, the video was a centerpiece of a gathering of diverse donors we held in Los Angeles in November. We celebrated diverse donors, gave them opportunities to network and learn, and aimed to inspire more giving.

Click here for a summary and some pictures of the event, along with resources for donors.

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How can we support, and sustain, more diverse and inclusive leadership in the nonprofit sector?

This is a core question of D5’s work, and for one day in November it was a key topic of conversation among 250 nonprofit leaders at the White House Forum on Nonprofit Leadership, held November 15 in Washington, DC. It was a packed day, one that allowed us to focus on issues important to building and sustaining nonprofit leaders.

Among other reasons for caring about nonprofit leadership, the White House is focused on the changing demographics of our nation, which require nonprofits to be attentive to a greater need for diverse and inclusive leadership.

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How should philanthropy respond to the tremendous demographic changes taking place in the United States?

One way is to weave the work of more diverse donors – “the best kept secret in philanthropy,” according to one of the leaders in the field – into more traditional philanthropy. More »