At Aspen Leadership Group, we believe that an organization’s capacity to engage the rich diversity of its constituents profoundly impacts its ability to fulfill its mission. Accordingly, we are committed to strengthening diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our own company and in partnership with our clients and the individuals we serve.
Through our writing, consulting, and free career counseling, we have developed a strong reputation as a trusted partner committed to supporting the career goals of diverse professionals. We partner with clients to strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion within their organizations, allowing them to engage their full constituencies and increase fundraising results.
We’re not just talking about diversity; we’re doing something about it.
Inclusive Recruitment
We help organizations create conditions that attract candidates who bring the diversity they seek and support those candidates in inclusive cultures.
Partnerships for Talent and Learning
We partner with diverse professional associations and offer free career counseling to create better career advancement opportunities for under-represented professionals.
Creating Better Practices
We help nonprofit leaders reexamine their organizational culture and established practices to engage more diverse potential staff members, board members, donors, and volunteers.
Contributions & Activities
Thought Leadership
- Angelique Grant and Ron Schiller wrote the first comprehensive book on DEI for the advancement profession, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement: Strengthening Fundraising and Engagement Through Inclusion (CASE 2020).
- We are authors of articles and white papers, including: “Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare Advancement: Changing Behaviors and Outcomes”
- We frequently serve as speakers and facilitators at conferences with CASE, AFP, AHP, AADO, WOC, Allies in Action, and CHANGE Philanthropy. Our team also is cited in industry publications, including the Chronicle of Philanthropy, Inside Philanthropy, CASE Currents, and more.
Aspen Leadership Group offers consulting services that advise nonprofit and advancement leaders on inclusive practices for recruitment and creating a culture of philanthropy in order to maximize fundraising effectiveness. We work with our affiliates, including Angelique Grant at The Inclusion Firm and Kathleen Loehr & Associates, to refer services for DEI training and workshops, audits and assessments, and strategic planning.
ALG has established strong relationships with various industry associations to strengthen diversity in the nonprofit sector. For years, we have built lasting, deep partnerships with numerous organizations as advisory board members, volunteer chairs, presenting at 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);
- Women of Color in Fundraising & Philanthropy (WOC) and Allies in Action (board and advisory roles)
- Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
- Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
- Affinity membership organizations for professionals in philanthropy
- The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University and the Women’s Philanthropy Institute; and many more.
Ongoing racial injustice in our organizations and in our society at large requires that we work together as a sector to create better anti-racism practices. To live out our values, ALG has committed to the following:
- We will continue our internal work as a team around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), increasing our attention to anti-racism work.
- We will continue to work closely with candidates and with affinity organizations to advance the careers of professionals from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds, and we will increase the resources we provide to those professionals.
What Our Partners Are Saying
Aspen Leadership Group has been a key partner to me in my work to elevate diversity and equity as a shared value in the advancement world. ALG was the first in the field to publicly articulate its support of advancement professionals from all backgrounds, and to dedicate resources to matching individuals with institutions and opportunities that amplify what they bring to the table. In so doing, Aspen helps organizations on their paths to creating workplaces that offer true inclusion and belonging.Christina Chang, Principal, Christina Chang Equity Consulting, ALG Associate
I founded the African American Development Officers Network 20 years ago because diversity in the fundraising profession is extremely important to me. I've had the opportunity to work with ALG and witness first-hand their commitment to growing and supporting fundraisers from diverse backgrounds. They have taken a leadership stance in this regard. In our work as fundraisers, we can't succeed if we don't keep up with the changing times and how changes impact the organizations we serve. It’s important to foster teams that embody equity and inclusion, which is vital to our efforts. I appreciate how important diversity is to ALG and how it consistently shows up in their work. They walk the talk. Birgit Smith Burton, Founder, African American Development Officers (AADO); ALG Advisor
Aspen Leadership Group has been a great partner. They have real relationships with a wide network of diverse leaders and they care deeply about their career success. ALG partnered with us to create a strong, culturally responsive recruitment strategy to attract a diverse pipeline of talent that also incorporated an intentional approach to retention. ALG's commitment to supporting our philanthropy efforts through providing us with insights about the current climate of our industry has helped us prepare for future initiatives. This has allowed us to build a stronger foundation for our team. Jeanne Pecha, Vice President of Advancement Services and Development Support, Brown University
Expand Your Understanding
Recommended Resources for DEI Learning
Resources brought to you by Aspen Leadership Group and our partners
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Advancement: Strengthening Fundraising and Engagement Through Inclusion
By ALG’s Angelique Grant and Ron Schiller (CASE 2020)
Written to support the advancement profession in moving from awareness to action with accountability.
- Diversity and Inclusion in Healthcare Advancement: Changing Behaviors and Outcomes, written by ALG’s Angelique Grant, PhD and Ron Schiller in collaboration with Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) https://www.ahp.org/resources-and-tools/ahp-connect-articles/ahp-connect-details/diversity-and-inclusion-in-healthcare-advancement-changing-behaviors-and-outcomes
- Gender Matters: A Guide to Growing Women’s Philanthropy, Kathleen Loehr (2018) https://www.case.org/resources/gender-matters-guide-growing-womens-philanthropy
- Diversity in Giving: The Changing Landscape of American Philanthropy, Blackbaud (2015) https://institute.blackbaud.com/asset/diversity-in-giving/
- The 2018 U.S. Trust® Study of High Net Worth Philanthropy, U.S. Trust and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, in partnership with the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (2018) http://bit.ly/2SJ13oR
- We Won’t Raise More Money Unless We Stop Acting Like All Donors Are White Men, Kathleen Loehr, Chronicle of Philanthropy (2018) https://www.philanthropy.com/article/We-Won-t-Raise-More-Money/244651
- Money, Power, and Race: The Lived Experience of Fundraisers of Color, Cause Effective (2019) https://preparingthenextgeneration.org/preparing-the-next-generation/
- The Apparitional Donor: Understanding and Engaging High Net Worth Donors of Color, Vaid Group LLC (2017) https://thevaidgroup.com/hnwdonorsofcolorreport/
- Leading with Intent: BoardSource Index of Nonprofit Board Practices, BoardSource (2017) https://leadingwithintent.org/
- Why Diversity Matters, Catalyst (2013) https://www.catalyst.org/research/why-diversity-matters/
- State of the Work, Stories from the Movement to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, D5 Coalition (2015) https://www.d5coalition.org/tools/state-of-the-work-final/
- Advancing Racial Equity within Nonprofit Organizations, Georgetown University (2018) https://cpnl.georgetown.edu/news-story/racial_equity_nonprofits/
- It’s Bias That Hobbles People of Color, Not Lack of a Leadership Pipeline, Frances Kunreuther and Sean Thomas-Breitfeld, Chronicle of Philanthropy (2017) https://www.philanthropy.com/article/Opinion-Systemic-Bias-Behind/240171
- Confronting the Nonprofit Racial Leadership Gap, Race to Lead http://racetolead.org/race-to-lead/
- Why Black Employees Hesitate to Open Up About Themselves, Harvard Business Review (2018) https://hbr.org/2018/03/diversity-and-authenticity
- LGBTQ Alliance from the American Alliance of Museums, https://www.aam-us.org/professional-networks/lgbtq-alliance/
- Trans Toolkit for Employers, Human Rights Campaign https://www.hrc.org/campaigns/trans-toolkit
- Disability in Philanthropy & Nonprofits: A Study on the Inclusion and Exclusion of the 1-in-5 People Who Live with a Disability and What You Can Do to Make Things Better, RespectAbility, https://www.respectability.org/inclusive-philanthropy/
- Let’s End Ageism, Ashton Applewhite, TED Talks https://www.ted.com/talks/ashton_applewhite_let_s_end_ageism
- No, We Are Not Okay, by ALG’s Angelique Grant, Ph.D., Senior Consultant and Vice President. Leaders must speak up, recognizing that many of their black and brown team members are not okay right now. Colleagues are depending on organizational leaders for support and for renewed commitment to maintaining an inclusive work environment.
- White colleagues: We have the privilege to check out. Stay engaged, by ALG’s Colleen Flynn, Marketing Manager. Aspiring white allies have a choice to disengage from conversations about race, but they must stay proactive in anti-racist work in the long-term. She offers resources to stay active, supportive, and accountable.
- Leaders of Color Speak Out, Chronicle of Philanthropy. Reflections about being underestimated, breaking barriers, and whether things are getting better.
- Anti-racism resources, compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein, May 2020
- While It Matters, by Birgit Smith Burton (ALG Advisor, Founder of African American Development Officers (AADO) Network), AFP Global blog
- The Issue of Racism in the Fundraising Profession, by Birgit Smith Burton (ALG Advisor), AFP Global blog