Diversity and Inclusion

ALG has established strong relationships with various industry associations to increase diversity in the nonprofit sector. For years, we have built lasting, deep partnerships with numerous organizations as advisory board members, volunteer chairs, presenting and attending conferences, and meeting with leaders as they build their capacity.

Our industry partnerships and activities include:

• The African American Development Officers Network (AADO);
• Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and AADO Conference on Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership;
• CASE’s Minority Advancement Institute (MAI);
• Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
• Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP);
• Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP);
• Women’s Philanthropy Institute;
• The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University; and many more.

Recent publications include:

ALG recently authored a white paper, “Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare Advancement: Changing Behaviors and Outcomes.” Produced in collaboration with the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and written by ALG’s Angelique Grant, Ph.D. and Ron Schiller, the white paper outlines recent research and offers recommendations for advancement leaders in all sectors to address diversity and inclusion in their organizations. They encourage leaders to adopt new strategies for recruiting talent and engaging the broadest spectrum of potential donors to meet the demands required for successful modern philanthropic engagement.

Recent presentation topics have included:

The World’s Talking About Unconscious Bias: What Does That Mean in Advancement?
The fact is that if you want to build teams and organizations capable of innovating, you need diversity, not to mention a very inclusive environment. Learn best practices when creating a diversity and inclusion program, how to have brave conversations, tips and strategies on hiring processes, and how to create a more inclusive environment.

Building an Inclusive Environment to Attract, Inspire and Keep a Diverse Team
It’s a fact: diverse teams perform better. Building a diverse workforce and having an inclusive work environment are business imperatives, but in our business we are lacking a diverse talent pipeline. No matter the size of your shop, DEI efforts can help you attract, inspire, and retain the diverse talent needed to achieve your mission. Hear stories of success from a certified diversity recruiter, an established talent management program with diversity and inclusion efforts woven throughout, and a new program learning as it grows.

Gender Matters: A Practical Approach to Grow Women’s Philanthropy
What if we knew that our engrained fundraising “best practices” gain only minimal support from women? Quantifiable research shows how women give differently, and our practices and behaviors need to adapt to engage women donors as they prefer. Participants will learn about the research on how women give. They will also discover how to discern what current practices may unconsciously get in the way of connecting with women, what their own data may be telling them, and what their women stakeholders care about. Finally, they leave with a practical process to tailor new approaches.

Aspen Leadership Group is proud to partner with leading institutions in a collaborative talent management effort to enhance the professional growth and career success of current and aspiring diverse advancement professionals from under-represented and non-traditional backgrounds. The Diversity Talent Partnership was developed to be a collaborative and supportive conduit between diverse and nontraditional advancement candidates and institutions who recognize, appreciate and support professional diversity.

• Learn about Our Partner Institutions

• See Available Roles and Apply

• Become an Institutional Partner

New partner institutions are regularly joining our partnership, and we are pleased to support their recruitment efforts. In addition, we announce a wide variety of new, exciting career opportunities nearly every week. The best way to explore our career opportunities and be informed of our resources is to join ALG’s Philanthropy Career Network (PCN).

Successful fundraising leaders know that one-size-fits-all fundraising does not work; it has always been important to meet donors as they prefer, with diversity in fundraising team members and strategies sufficient to address a diversity of donor motivations and approaches to giving. Diverse and inclusive teams have more understanding, experience, and perspective upon which to draw, allowing them to be more creative about reaching more donors and engaging them more deeply.

Yet fundraising leaders also have not gone far enough in reexamining established practices to engage more diverse potential donors. For some organizations, the diversity of the potential donor population is increasing; for others it is shifting. For most, diversity in the donor population has for some time been greater than the organization’s capacity fully to engage that diversity. It is critical to debunk myths around diverse giving and rethink fundraising behaviors and approaches, particularly with women, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and other identities.

Aspen Leadership Group offers consulting services that foster leadership development, organizational alignment, and a culture of philanthropy founded on a diverse and inclusive workplace in order to maximize the fundraising effectiveness of the organization. Led by senior consultants Angelique Grant (Certified Diversity Recruiter), Kathleen Loehr, and Floyd Akins, alongside co-founder Ron Schiller, ALG’s diversity consulting practice provides the most comprehensive services in the marketplace for nonprofit advancement teams.

• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting

• Women’s Philanthropy