Preparing the Organization to Address Social Justice and Racial Equity

• The Challenge
• Promising Practices
• Benchmarks

The data are consistent: increasing racial equity and strengthening social justice remain challenges to our society. But to close gaps or disparities in racial equity, philanthropic organizations must step up to the plate. Yet few ready to take this on, and few are prepared to do the heavy lifting required to make a difference.

Barriers to progress include:

• The problems of injustice or inequity may be invisible or not believed by the organization’s leadership.
• It may be a new area of interest for many philanthropic organizations. They may have little track record, and face a steep learning curve.
• “We know we should do this, but the timing’s just not right.”  Without a local crisis, personal epiphany, or ah-ha moment, addressing issues of justice or equity is seldom No. 1 on the list of things to do, nor is it the easiest.
• The organization may not be well-connected to parts of community experiencing the disparities, or those who can speak to the problem may have no access or audience inside the organization.
• The organization may think engagement of these issues doesn't fit its mission, or it may not imagine a constructive role for itself.
• While some in the organization might be ready to engage the issues of injustice or inequity, too many are not.

Fortunately, there are ways to prepare your organization for greater effectiveness.
 
Click on Promising Practices to see how these challenges can be addressed. 

This page updated 11 August 08