There’s a diversity gap on nonprofit boards in Fort Worth. Here’s an effort to help.
.jpg "BoardBuild was founded in 2019 to help connect talented Tarrant County leaders to serve on nonprofit boards.")
Sandra Acevedo remembers the first time she joined a nonprofit board as the only minority in the room.
She said she felt intimidated at the start, being the only person to represent an entire population of Hispanics in North Texas on the board of the American Diabetes Association of Dallas.
She recalled her fellow board members directing questions to her on how to reach the Hispanic community.
“I can’t speak for all Hispanics,” she said.
But fellow board members valued her unique perspective. She would look to her own dad’s experience as a diabetic to see how the organization could best reach others.
Almost five years later, Acevedo, who is a diversity compliance specialist at DFW airport, serves on five different boards, some of which focus on serving victims of domestic violence and fostering Latina leadership. Acevedo said getting training from a service like BoardBuild sooner than she did would have helped her feel more confident serving on boards at the start.
BoardBuild is a Fort Worth based nonprofit organization that connects community leaders with nonprofit organizations, focusing especially on minorities, who are typically underrepresented on nonprofit boards. It trains leaders to serve on boards, matches nonprofit organizations with candidates and manages an online network of open positions and candidate profiles.
The company was one of several 2021 recipients of grants from the North Texas Community Foundation’s Fund to Advance Racial Equity to train 180 users free of charge of whom 53% are Black, 20% are Hispanic and 2% are Asian.
BoardBuild, established in 2019, has already certified more than 180 existing and potential board members for nonprofits.
Nationally, the average nonprofit board is 78.6% white, 7.5% Black and 2.6% Asian and 4.2% of the total was identified as Hispanic, according to a survey conducted and data compiled by Board Source, a D.C. organization that conducts research on board best practices. Tarrant County has more than 4,000 nonprofits, whose boards tend to reflect that national trend, said John Hernandez, director of strategy for BoardBuild.
Hernandez said nonprofits typically fill their board seats with people who existing board members know, “so if you didn’t really run in those circles, then you weren’t selected, right or asked. BoardBuild helps remove that barrier.”
Tarrant County nonprofits often serve majority minority communities, Hernandez said. “They’re looking for different perspectives, and experiences and backgrounds because the better they can associate with their end users, the better they’re able to serve them,” he said.
Ryan Krause, board chair at the Fort Worth Opera, has welcomed five new trustees through BoardBuild, increasing the board’s diversity in age and race. The “people’s opera” company wants to bring opera to the masses and not the select few, and it wanted a board that reflected that drive, Krause said.
“There’s so many nonprofits — we were one of them — who are looking around saying, “We need to diversify our board,’” Krause said. “Without an organization like BoardBuild that connects people, you’re limited to the personal and professional networks of the people who are already there; ... how diverse could you possibly be getting?”
Serving on a board also provides valuable professional experience, Hernandez said. BoardBuild’s training can open doors for individuals interested in community service, with modules covering nonprofit financials, evaluating CEOs and committee basics.
Anthony Placencio, a public accountant, increased the the number of boards he serves on since completing BoardBuild’s training. He said the program does a good job of ensuring candidates are passionate about service while teaching practical skills.
“I think it’s just the right amount to get you ready,” Placencio said. “It’s very entertaining. And you can do it kind of at your own pace.”
Hernandez said BoardBuild plans to extend its training to include modules on diversity, equity and inclusion. The organization continues to look for grant funding to provide service to a broader range of future leaders, he said.
Acevedo said the training helped her learn, though she already had experience serving on boards. Some of the terminology she was exposed to is unique to the world of boards and can be confusing, she said.
“BoardBuild really helped and broke that down, and what each individual committee means, as a secretary, as a treasurer, as an executive team. So they helped me understand it more,” she said.
Hernandez said the goal is to prepare people to serve. “Now with this new knowledge, they feel more confident to really speak up and step in and make a difference,” he said.
To learn more, call BoardBuild at 817-258-8105 or email at info@boardbuild.org.
This story was originally published September 30, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
