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Nonprofit Organizations Can Enhance Bridge to Diversity October Issue...

Creating diverse leadership teams is a critical goal for nonprofit organizations, one that increasingly will be important because by 2008, 70 percent of the new labor force will be comprised of women and people of color. But according to the October issue of "Leadership Matters," organizations must look beyond the recruiting process and make certain that they are fertile ground for training, developing and embracing teams whose diversity may extend to gender, race, ethnicity, sexual preference, and religion.



Even so, organizations that truly value and embrace diversity can have difficulty filling specific positions. The good news is that for nonprofit organizations committed to building diverse teams, there are some tactical steps that experts agree will help ensure a successful search.



Published by Bridgestar, a nonprofit organization attracting, connecting and developing senior leaders for the sector, "Leadership Matters" picks a different theme each month designed as a conversation about how to build and sustain effective nonprofit organizations. "Leadership Matters" is available to all Bridgestar members or, for a complimentary subscription, please email e-mail protected from spam bots. An initiative of the Bridgespan Group, Bridgestar has seen its membership grow to more than 10,000 in 21 months, serving as a much-needed focal point for in-sector leaders and bridgers -- people outside the nonprofit sector looking for ways to enter it.



Steps for ensuring nonprofits retaining diverse employees include:



*   
Ensure that the way you communicate about a position 8211; both internally and externally 8211; emphasizes your commitment to diversity. Begin internally: let those working on the search know that diversity is critical, not a "nice to have."

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Make your candidate pool as broad as possible from the beginning, by doing sufficient research to break into new target networks. Organizations that are serious about diversity will reject a slate of candidates that doesn't include enough diversity, and won't move forward in the process until it does.

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Invest time and resources in getting outside of your usual networks. "People tend to associate with 8211; and hire 8211; others w ho resemble them. Executive search firms can help, because they have the ability to develop both wider and deeper networks over time.

*   
Invest in retention and people development, not just recruiting. No matter how good you are at recruiting, over time what matters is creating a culture that welcomes and embraces diversity in developing and retaining all of your employees.



"Nonprofits must demonstrate long-term commitment to diversity at all levels of the organization, and it is important that they model this commitment through their leadership -- particularly if an individual filling in a position is a 'pioneer' in the organization," says David Simms, Managing Partner, Bridgestar. "By emphasizing training and development and by providing employees with the support, including mentoring, they need, nonprofits will improve their ability to retain and attract diverse talent."



The current issue is available at: http://beta.bridgestar.org/Learning/Newsletters/2005/October2005.aspx.



About Bridgestar

Bridgestar (www.bridgestar.org), an initiative of the Bridgespan Group, is a nonprofit organization building a member-driven community of individuals and organizations working to strengthen their careers, their institutions, and the nonprofit sector. Established in 2003, Bridgestar's goal is to attract, connect and support senior leaders -- established and aspiring -- for greater effectiveness and social impact.

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