After meeting with the African American Nonprofit Network (AANN), the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) and the Urban League's Thursday network, young professionals came away with professional contacts and factual information to help support the mission of diversity in the nonprofit sector.
During her presentation, Rosetta Thurman, the director of development and special programs at the Nonprofit Roundtable of Greater Washington, revealed facts about the future of U.S. communities.
"In 2050, 54 percent of Americans will identify as non-White," Thurman aid.
The growing cross-cultural landscape represents the need to fill nonprofit positions in the future. According to facts supplied by AANN, experts predict nonprofit organizations will need to fill 78,000 jobs by 2016.
"Not only will the nonprofit sector benefit from the life experiences that people of color bring to the workforce, but also the talent and energy of young people with advanced education and skills in technology and communications," Thurman said.
But simply becoming a part of a nonprofit organization is not enough. Attendees also stressed the importance of leadership.
Only seven percent of nonprofit board members are African American, according to AANN.
"It is imperative that African Americans be included in the planning and decision making of nonprofits because the leadership of these organizations need to reflect the population they serve," said Kendra Mathias, a financial analyst for the DC Office of Finance and Treasury. Mathias also sits on the executive board of the Thursday Network, the young professional's auxiliary of the Greater Washington Urban League and co-sponsor of the roundtable discussion.
One of the few African American males in the room was Jeraul Mackey, a member of the policy and strategy team at College Summit, an organization that helps high schools raise the college enrollment rate of their students by providing a student support network.
Diversity isn't just about race, it is also about gender. Mackey and a few other males who attended the dicussion would like to see more African American males become involved in nonprofit organizations.
"To survive this economy and other crises in the future, the nonprofit sector will need the fresh perspectives of individuals of all backgrounds who can come together and find innovative approaches to the challenges ahead," Mackey said.
The roundtable discussion also focused on professional development workshops, mentoring, and fundraising.
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