Last week, I wrote about women supporting women in nonprofit leadership. If you haven’t read that yet, give it a quick look.
This week, I wanted to shift the focus to men. (Truthfully, both articles apply to all genders, but I’ve tried to highlight some places where specific support in one area or the other would be especially helpful.)
8 Ways Men Can Support Women’s Fundraising and Leadership
It’s no secret that women still lag in leadership positions at many of the biggest nonprofit organizations, both on the senior staff teams and on the board. Here are eight ways male colleagues and board members can help support women leaders at the nonprofits they love.
1. Challenge stereotypes and biases.
Be aware of stereotypes and biases. When you face one, publicly call it out or question it. Start a discussion about gender issues and work to eliminate biases in the organizations you serve.
2. Support policies for work-life balance.
Have you ever found yourself railing against a flexible schedule or work-from-home policy at your nonprofit? This disproportionately impacts women who bear the brunt of caring for sick and elderly parents, as well as children. Advocate for family-friendly leave policies, which help women manage leadership and family responsibilities.
3. Amplify women’s voices and don’t take credit for women’s work.
Use your platforms to amplify female leader’s messages and make sure credit goes where credit is due. If someone assumes a good idea is yours, correct them. Say something like, “Betsy came up with that idea. It’s brilliant!”
4. Encourage equal pay and benefits.
I wish this was not still an issue, but it is. (The conclusion of this post provides an all-too-common example.) Use your voice to advocate and ensure that the compensation plan and structure is fair and non-discriminatory.
5. Educate yourself.
Thank you for reading this article — it’s a great start! Take some additional time to learn about inequality issues and challenges women face in leadership positions. The link at the very end of this post is a good next step.
6. Promote leadership and fundraising training.
If the women leaders at your organization can attend conferences and workshops, advocate for them and provide the funding and the time-off to help them become better leaders and fundraisers. Support continuing education whenever possible.
7. Be an ally.
If you find yourself at odds with a woman leader at your organization, stop to ask yourself why and really consider their position. Find common ground and see if there’s anything you can to do advocate for them.
Additionally, stand up when others interrupt women around the board table and in positions of leadership. Ask people to wait their turn and allow their female counterparts to finish expressing their ideas.
8. Provide funding.
Seek out women’s causes or women-led organizations to support. Ask around in your community to identify causes led by women and those which support women and girls. This is not an issue of the past — they still need your support, now more than ever.
Why This STILL Matters So Much
Men can play a critical role in advancing gender equity and helping women thrive in leadership roles in fundraising and nonprofits.
Case in point — I have a friend who was hired as an Executive Director at a local nonprofit following a man in the same position. She was offered about two-thirds of the salary the man was making for doing the exact same job. The excuse the board used the justify the discrepancy was that she was “younger” and had different experience.
She has now been in the role for seven years and is still not at the salary of her predecessor (who was only there for three years). She has increased the reserves and is raising significantly more than he ever raised. Every year, I push her to demand a significant raise. I’m not on the board, so I can’t help — but there are many men on the board.
Gender inequality is still very much real. While progress has been made, there remains a whole lot of work to do. To learn more, check out 25 Organizations Fighting for Gender Equality (posted by Human Rights Careers).
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