United Way of Lancaster County's newly established Equity Committee begins their work to bring systematic change to the community through Project Blueprint and will continue to spearhead new initiatives to address these gaps in other ways.
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Project Blueprint is a training program for underrepresented and diverse community members to serve on nonprofit and public governance boards. Through this program, participants will receive trainings and resources so they can effectively serve on key leadership positions on the boards of these organizations.
Additionally, this program will also provide trainings to the organizations who are willing to take a deeper dive into addressing inequity at the board level and to learn how they can be authentically inclusive, culturally competent and welcoming to diverse board members.
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, approximately 60% of all nonprofits report serving Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC,) yet 84% of board members identify as White and 27% of boards had no BIPOC participation.
It’s a reality that nonprofit organizations and their boards lack diversity. Fewer than 20% of U.S. nonprofit board members are diverse or people of color, however the communities who receive the services of these organizations are primarily communities of color and marginalized communities. Our Project Blueprint will work towards changing this reality.
For the structure of the program, we will have both, organizational and individual cohorts. we will have 4 alternate cohorts per year.
Organizational Cohorts: Project Blueprint is a training program for non-profit organizations who are willing to take a deeper dive into addressing inequity at the board level and to learn how they can be authentically inclusive and culturally competent. We will cover a range of topics that will help equip the participating organizations and their boards to serve more effectively together and to strengthen your work in the wider community.
Organizations’ commitment to be more inclusive and equitable will have a positive impact on their organizational culture, staff, and the wider communities these organizations serve.
Individual Cohorts: Project Blueprint will recruit a cohort of diverse community members who are motivated to learn more about board leadership. Ideal candidates will be individuals with the potential to lead and who have been historically marginalized based on race, color, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion, gender, ethnicity, national origin, or any other factor not relevant to a person’s eligibility for service or ability to contribute.
Project Blueprint addresses systemic barriers by preparing underrepresented individuals to sit at the decision-making seats of boards and authorities to ensure policies are created with the most impacted communities in mind, transforming justice towards restorative practices to truly give every community member the opportunity to thrive.
We are thankful to the Campbell Foundation, AAA Central Penn, TriStarr Staffing, and Roger & Grace Moyer for their sponsorship of Project Blueprint.
Special thanks to the S. Dale High Leadership Center for the generous use of their space. All workshop sessions will be held at S. Dale High Leadership Center. Location is subject to change due to any unforeseen circumstances.
We are planning to have multiple cohorts throughout the year. Our first cohort of Organizational Trainings is set to begin in November 2022. Organizations and Individuals interested in the potential of participating in the future, please use the link provided below to register, and we will reach out to you with further information.
Registration Link: www.tinyurl.com/UWLancPB
For more information, please send an email to aashraf@uwlanc.org