Race to Lead: Women of Color in the Nonprofit Sector

Building Movement Project (BMP) will host a briefing to share findings from the recently released Race to Lead: Women of Color in the Nonprofit Sector report. This will be followed by a facilitated audience discussion of the findings.

Description

BMP’s Race to Lead research emphasized the need to address deeply embedded biases and systemic barriers that negatively impact the career advancement and experiences of people of color working in the nonprofit sector. By examining the impact of both race and gender on survey respondents, this report adds important nuance to the conclusions drawn from the other reports in the Race to Lead series.

Some key findings include:

• Racial and gender biases create barriers to advancement for women of color. Women of color report being passed over for new jobs or promotions in favor of others—including men of color, white women, and white men—with comparable or even lower credentials.
   
• Education and training do not provide equity. Women of color with the advanced education were more likely than men of color, white men or white women to work in administrative roles and the least likely to hold senior leadership positions. 
   
• The social landscape of organizations is fraught for women of color. Women of color who reported that their race and/or gender have been a barrier to their advancement indicated that they were sometimes left out or ignored and sometimes hyper-visible under intense scrutiny, with both conditions creating burdens.

Please feel free to download the report and share the link – www.racetolead.org – widely.

Audience

Everyone - really, everyone in the nonprofit sector whether you are a CEO or volunteer leader, funder, consultant, staff member, advocate, or intermediary. 

Presenter

Ofronama Biu is the Senior Research Associate at Building Movement Project (BMP). She works on BMP's national projects focused on movement building, service, and social change, and leadership, including the Race to Lead research, as well as place-based projects in Detroit and New Mexico. 

Ofronama has more than 10 years of experience in higher education and nonprofit organizations. Here experience has included research, project management, program evaluation, partnership building, and direct service to participants and employers. She also co-founded a nonprofit organization that connects youth to media professionals for skills-building and mentoring opportunities. 

Ofronama is a PhD candidate at the Milano School of Policy, Management, and the Environment at The New School. Her research interests include labor market and workforce development policies and racial and gender stratification. She obtained a BA in Psychology from the NYU College of Arts and Science and an MPA in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. 

Moderator

Lorilynn Violanta is the Director of Advancement at NMCAN, an organization that partners with young people impacted by foster care and/or juvenile justice to improve their transition from systems to adulthood. She provides leadership for fundraising, relationship management, communications, public relations, and strategic partnerships. Lorilynn is dedicated to advancing socially just and influential change in our community, and prior to joining NMCAN, she managed a $2 million portfolio at Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. She also guided fundraising activities for The Posse Foundation and Free Arts of Arizona. Lorilynn has a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City and currently serves on the board of Albuquerque Community Foundation’s Future Fund and New Mexico Asian Family Center.

The Center for Nonprofit Excellence often takes photos during our sessions to share on social media. If you prefer not to be photographed, please let us know in the Special Needs field when you register.