Fundraising Campaigns Forge Ahead

In an opinion column, Kathy Johnson Bowles, a consultant at Gordian Knot Consulting, offers advice to get past these prejudices and build diverse boards.When it comes to databases, the problem most likely stems from a lack of diversity on the fundraising staff, Johnson Bowles writes.This is where an opportunity for identifying a diverse pool is often lost, Johnson Bowles writes.Plus, read Johnson Bowles's earlier piece on what to do about discriminatory conventions baked into your donor database.

" More on Discriminatory Databases The tools used to identify and appoint board members — specifically, donor databases and application forms — frequently reflect biased assumptions about the best candidates.The team in turn relies on stereotypes about power and privilege as it scours the data for possible board members, creating search queries that likely miss the very criteria needed to ensure diversity.