In his opening keynote for SSIR's 2018 Nonprofit Management Institute, Rashad Robinson, president of Color of Change, shared a simple message that captured much of the spirit of the conference: "When oppressed people win, they win for everybody."
That point — along with others from Robinson about the nature of power and the importance of continually assessing the nonprofit sector's efforts to bring about change — led to a standing ovation for his speech. It was one of several rumbling rounds of applause that marked this year's conference, "Toward Real Change: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion."
The gathering brought together several hundred scholars, philanthropic leaders, and social justice advocates to explore, understand, and celebrate the making of a more equitable world. Over two days, speakers discussed the importance of viewing the disadvantaged as collaborating colleagues rather than passive recipients of aid, the relationship between justice and people's intersecting identities, techniques for effecting change, the opportunities for progress nested amid the thorns of today's public discourse, and much more. Below are some highlights from the 12 conference sessions that SSIR editors and others gathered on Twitter using the #SSIRInstitute hashtag, along with links to related materials.
Skip to a Session Recap
- Kicking Off NMI With Rashad Robinson
- Getting Local: Collaborating With Communities of Color
- Trust Black Women: Lessons From Navigating Double Jeopardy
- Building a Communication Strategy for Diversity and Inclusion
- Dismantling Invisible Barriers to Capital
- Keynote From Ana Marie Argilagos
- Equity Through the Arts
- The Power of Feedback
- Who Decides? The Internal Politics of Human Rights and Social Justice Movements
- Leveraging Design Thinking to Foster Greater DEI
- Creating Inclusive Workplaces
- Keynote From Angela Glover Blackwell: Civil Society in a Diverse Nation
Session 1: Kicking Off NMI With Rashad Robinson
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Robinson, the president of Color of Change, started NMI with a speech about his organization's approach to social change, rewriting cultural narratives, and the importance of responding, building, pivoting, and scaling.
"Power is the ability to change the rules, and sometimes that's the written rules of policy and other times that's the unwritten rules of culture." @rashadrobinson @colorofchange #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
If we see #inequality as simply "unfortunate," we don't work to change the rules. Empathy alone does not change the narrative. We get false solutions if we set up false narrative. @rashadrobinson @ColorOfChange #SSIRinstitute pic.twitter.com/PafzK8p7St
— Cristina Yoon (@yooncristina) September 13, 2018
"So often the most oppressed people are boots on the ground, the stories that need to be heard. But when it's time for strategy, we go elsewhere. We've got to figure out how to disrupt this." @rashadrobinson of @ColorOfChange via @SSIReview #SSIRInstitute
— Rachel D'Souza-Siebert (@rdsiebert) September 13, 2018
"We have to build the movements worthy of all of our people if we want to be worthy of having their trust." @rashadrobinson @colorofchange #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/YS91PCLTJz
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
Go Deeper
- View a PDF of Robinson's presentation.
- Read an SSIR article about Color of Change: "Civil Rights Goes Digital."
Session 2: Getting Local: Collaborating With Communities of Color
How can nonprofits treat the people they're trying to help like partners and not patients? Darnell Moore, head of U.S. strategy and programs for Breakthrough TV, led a panel discussion with Coya White Hat Artichoker, founder of the First Nations Two Spirits Collective; Mauricio Lim Miller, founder of Family Independence Initiative and 2012 MacArthur "genius" grant winner; and Fresco Steez, the minister of training and culture at Black Youth Project 100.
"We have to be thinking about the ways our work moves us from the cozy spaces were we work and out into the communities that we serve." — @moore_darnell starts the "Getting Local" panel discussion with @coyahope @mauriciolmiller @fiinational @BYP_100 #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
Excellent question @Moore_Darnell raised at #SSIRInstitute's panel on collaborating with communities of color is how do we solve issues that are multivariable + interconnected?
— Sayda Zelaya (@Sayda_Z) September 13, 2018
"One of the things that we talk a lot about is what it means to be community centered. … It means that you listen to the community. You help the community build power." — @coyahope #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"We as nonprofits or as funders need to first understand and be there for those movements of people and make sure that they get funded. We focus so much on what we need that we split that world." — @mauriciolmiller of @fiinational #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"We don't advocate for young black people, we advocate with young black people." @thepalmtreepapi of @BYP_100 #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read an article from SSIR on the importance of social leaders directly involving community members in efforts to bring about change: "Community Engagement Matters (Now More Than Ever)."
Session 3: Trust Black Women: Lessons From Navigating Double Jeopardy
Black women face racial and gender stereotypes that often keep success in the hands of the few. How can they overcome these barriers? Makiyah Moody, senior consultant at La Piana Consulting, led a discussion with Tyra Mariani, executive vice president at New America; Crystal German, principal of Prosperity Labs; and Ifeyinwa Walker, founder and chief talent matchmaker of Offor Walker Group.
"In my daily life, being black and being female comes into play on a constant basis, and that takes a toll." — Crystal German with Prosperity Labs speaking on the "Trust Black Women" panel #SSIRInstitute https://t.co/Ne8QwNQQIb
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"Not giving feedback equally is actually a form of racism. Withholding it from others — we shouldn't be surprised that those folks are not advancing." @ifywalker #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"If you really want to do something different and be a change maker, you have to listen to the people you served and be willing to hear the hard truth." @tyram25 of @NewAmerica #SSIRInstitute
— Rachel D'Souza-Siebert (@rdsiebert) September 13, 2018
When it comes to hiring decisions, we need to "challenge what the idea of 'culture fit' really means," says @tyram25 with @NewAmerica #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
How awesome is it to have an all-black women panel and to hear diverse perspectives? Is this the antidote to an all-male panel? Imagine if this were the norm, not an exception... #TrustBlackWomen panel at #SSIRInstitute @MakmoodyNOLA @tyram25 @IfyWalker pic.twitter.com/VGKdxiBPwb
— Cristina Yoon (@yooncristina) September 13, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read Makiyah Moody's SSIR piece on black women's use of the power of kinship to overcome barriers to career advancement in the social sector: "Black & Bold."
Session 4: Building a Communication Strategy for Diversity and Inclusion
Using insight from system thinking and social, behavioral, and cognitive science, Ann Christiano and Annie Neimand described how to craft stories and media experiences that drive change. Christiano holds the Frank Karel Chair in Public Interest Communications at University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications and is director of the school's Center for Public Interest Communication, where Neimand is research director. They are also run frank, a community of communications professionals working for social change.
This 4-question framework, rooted in social science, can help organizations craft an effective #communications strategy that drives real social change: https://t.co/srlqqdVEq5 #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/pCwPwx3IJw
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
To get your nonprofit's message out to audiences, @aechristiano and @annieneimand suggest connecting to conversations that are already happening in culture more broadly. #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/e7A2NO2TSH
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"The most affected are the most effective." Consider this in your storytelling strategy. @aechristiano @annieneimand #SSIRInstitute
— Rachel D'Souza-Siebert (@rdsiebert) September 13, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read these SSIR articles from Christiano and Neimand on effective communications: "The Science of What Makes People Care," "Stop Raising Awareness Already," and "The Back-of-the-Envelope Guide to Communications Strategy."
- View a PDF of the presentation slides.
Session 5: Dismantling Invisible Barriers to Capital
Without what is deemed the "right" qualifications, many people working for change may fail to get the attention and investment they need to succeed. How can nonprofit leaders ensure they overcome these barriers? Kathleen Kelly Janus, social entrepreneur, author, and lecturer at Stanford University, led a panel discussion with Cheryl Dorsey, president of Echoing Green; Pia Infante, co-executive director of The Whitman Institute; and Robert K. Ross, president and CEO of the California Endowment.
"Just 4% of grants and contributions go to diverse-led organizations." — @kkellyjanus kicks off the "Dismantling Invisible Barriers to Capital" panel discussion with @cheryldorsey @piavision and @CalEndow President Dr. Robert K. Ross #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"Disparities are manufactured. You have to take a disciplined, structural response." — @CalEndow President Dr. Robert K. Ross on dismantling barriers to capital in the #nonprofit sector. #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/s60X6t05pp
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
"I don't think barriers to capital are invisible to the people who experience them.... What can funders do to address power differentials? How do we center, acknowledge and honor community experience?" @PiaVision #SSIRinstitute
— Rachel D'Souza-Siebert (@rdsiebert) September 13, 2018
.@cheryldorsey, president of @echoinggreen, identifies three fundamental barriers to achieving more equitable investment: lack of access to opportunities, stress from social exclusion, and control of resources. #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read an SSIR article by Janus: "A Call for Inclusive Entrepreneurship."
- Read an SSIR article by Ross: "On Shared Vision and a New Social Compact."
- View a PDF of the 2017 audit of the California Endowment's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
Session 6: Keynote From Ana Marie Argilagos
Witnessing the 1980 Miami riots, particularly in the Liberty City neighborhood, inspired Ana Marie Argilagos, president and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy, to join the fight against social injustices. "No other city should ever burn again," she said, recalling her reaction to the events.
In her presentation wrapping up the first day of the conference, Argilagos examined the philanthropic sector's response to other crises and the importance of moral leadership during fraught times. "The power of hope, the fundamental belief in humanity and dignity and justice — every day, especially for the past year and a half, I've seen that hope, that collective power, that resilience of strength ... amid all the scapegoating, the racism, the xenophobia," she said. "It's so important to hold onto that hope."
"Our sector tends to ignore the moral issues and goes straight to tactics and strategy and business plans," says @AM_Argilagos, with a call to action for #nonprofit leaders to step into their "moral leadership." #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
@AM_Argilagos #SSIRInstitute equit conference, how do we redefine and empower to move toward social justice? pic.twitter.com/VpAe6ft1Qq
— Jess Ausinheiler (@jessausinheiler) September 14, 2018
"It's now time for #philanthropy to prove they have the will and the capacity to respond before it's too late," says @AM_Argilagos of @behipgive on the disparities in philanthropic support for Puerto Rico. #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/Db6vgv6tYo
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
#Philanthropy is failing to adequately respond to the family separation crisis, says @AM_Argilagos, president and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy (@behipgive), closing out day 1 of #SSIRInstitute. "This is a moral test of our nation — we are failing it."
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 13, 2018
Go Deeper
- Vox on the family separation crisis.
- The Atlantic on Puerto Rico one year after Hurricane Maria.
- The Miami Herald on the city's 1980 riots.
- View a PDF of Argilagos's presentation.
Session 7: Equity Through the Arts
Leaders from the San Francisco Bay Area art world discussed how they run their organizations and shape their performances to be more inclusive. "That's the next big shift if we are to survive — to go into the community, knock down those norms, and be something that is accessible," said panelist Tim Seelig, artistic director of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.
Nayantara Sen, manager of cultural strategies with Race Forward, led the discussion with Judith Smith, founder and director of Axis Dance Company; Sherri Young, executive director and founder of the African-American Shakespeare Company; and Selig.
"While our sector is learning more and doing more about inequities, those inequities are still growing." What is working and not working to make the art world more inclusive? — @NayantaraS opens the "Equity Through the Arts" panel discussion. #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
"Those who have the resources get more rewarded while those who don't are barely even catching up." — @sherriyoung, founder and executive director of @AASC_SF, on funds flowing to artistic organizations that are already doing well. #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
People with disabilities are "getting left out of the equity movement. Disability is still feared, overlooked. We are the most underserved, underrepresented community because we cross every line of everything." — Judith Smith, founder of @axisdanceco #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/bK5KLzHThf
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
Friends, do urself a favor & watch this captivating performance by @AXISDanceCo https://t.co/PUaSlRIPeW. Thank you, Judith Smith, Founder of @AXISDanceCo for shining a light on this. Disability is significantly ignored & not always a part of the DEI conversation #SSIRInstitute
— Sayda Zelaya (@Sayda_Z) September 14, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read an SSIR article on how partnerships and different evaluation practices are changing museum management: "Diversity in Art Museum Leadership: A Funder Collaboration."
- African-American Board Leadership Institute
Session 8: The Power of Feedback
How can listening transform an organization and the people it's trying to help? Fay Twersky, director of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's Effective Philanthropy Group, moderated a discussion about the techniques and strategies behind effective feedback with Kelley Gulley, senior program officer at the James Irvine Foundation, who spoke about the community listening sessions the foundation has organized across California, as well as the funding feedback mechanisms at the Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO); Christine Kidd, director of innovation at CEO, who discussed the impact of participant feedback on her organization; and Shannon Revels, a former participant in CEO's programs, who shared stories about how feedback helped him in his new job at Community Housing Partnership.
"Listen deep enough to be changed by what you hear." Inspiring words by our Senior Program Officer, @Kelley_D_Gulley, at #SSIRinstitute's The Power of Feedback panel with @ceoworks and @FayDTwersky. #feedbackempowers https://t.co/tQBjcEtPos pic.twitter.com/YA7MzUrvIE
— Irvine Foundation (@IrvineFdn) September 14, 2018
"Feedback has been really helpful at holding us accountable" to our workers, says Christine Kidd, director of innovation at @ceoworks, which uses uses text messages, anonymous surveys, other other mechanisms to hear from its participants. #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
.@faydtwersky of @hewlett_found: Look at feedback through different demographic lenses and take 5 steps: design, collect, interpret, respond, and close the loop. "The goal is ultimately to treat people with the kind of dignity and respect they're asking for." #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/ADKEQt6jV2
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
When @irvinefdn shifted its mission to serve working Californians struggling with poverty, staff members went on a community listening tour: https://t.co/SKYz2OpzCZ. "Those key themes are still resonating with us," says @kelley_d_gulley, senior program officer. #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
Go Deeper
- Explore SSIR's Power of Feedback series.
- Read an SSIR article on how Fund for Shared Insight is using feedback to connect nonprofits, foundations, and the people they seek to help: "Funding Feedback."
- The James Irvine Foundation California Community Listening Sessions.
- PRRI's 2018 California Workers Survey.
Session 9: Who Decides? The Internal Politics of Human Rights and Social Justice Movements
The African-American freedom struggles of the 1950s and 1960s offer many insights about why poor and powerless people often stay that way. Clayborne Carson, author, historian, and founding director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University, spoke about critical social change issues and contemporary social justice movements, and the historical and structural reasons behind them.
In the 1960s, activists with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee "were raising questions that are still with us today. How do we actually make change?" — @claybornecarson, founding director of @mlk_institute #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
Funders should go into communities, see what is being done that works and fund it. We should move away from a proposal model. -Clayborne Carson #SSIRInstitute #Philanthropy
— Annie Neimand (@annieneimand) September 14, 2018
A problem with #philanthropy is that it's "looking for the magic bullet" packaged in proposals from charismatic leaders. Instead, suggests @claybornecarson, find community organizations already producing successful change and "give money without a proposal." #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
A problem with #philanthropy is that it's "looking for the magic bullet" packaged in proposals from charismatic leaders. Instead, suggests @claybornecarson, find community organizations already producing successful change and "give money without a proposal." #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
Go Deeper:
- Read these SSIR articles: "Five Ways Funders Can Support Social Movements," "Early-stage Entrepreneurs Can Drive New Social Movements," and a review of Leslie Crutchfield's How Change Happens.
- The King Institute's recommended readings.
Session 10: Leveraging Design Thinking to Foster Greater DEI
In the last six months, how would you describe experiences when you felt included or excluded? Recounting those moments was one step of several that attendees took in a workshop on creating organizational inclusivity run by Nadia Roumani, senior designer at the Designing for Social Systems Program at Stanford University's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school), and Chris Rudd, founder of ChiByDesign and former d.school fellow. The human-centered design approach that they explained provided ways to bring more equity to nonprofits' programs, increase diversity in grantmaking, and build more inclusive leadership teams.
.@NadiaRoumani and @ChiByDesign suggest asking these questions to help your organization design for greater belonging: https://t.co/BwZoSxYe7G
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
An interactive activity at #SSIRInstitute to apply #DesignThinking to #DEI challenges at work. Think about who, specific experience, short statement to frame your ideation that considers the need of the group/person & quick ideas-generation. @nadiaroumani @powerE2E pic.twitter.com/fecPITfkiW
— Cristina Yoon (@yooncristina) September 14, 2018
Go Deeper:
- Read the SSIR article "Design Thinking for Social Innovation."
- View Creative Reaction Lab's list of resources for the equity-centered designer.
Session 11: Creating Inclusive Workplaces
Organizations engage in conversations about talent and performance at many stages of employees' careers, from hiring to promotions. While the goal is a fair and equal assessment of each individual, bias can still creep into the process, explained Lori Nishiura Mackenzie, executive director of Stanford University's Clayman Institute for Gender Research, and co-founder of the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab. Nishiura Mackenzie shared research-based tools that hiring managers can use to diversify, identify, retain, and promote top talent.
.@LoriNMackenzie w/ @clayman_inst & @svleadershiplab explains the paradox of meritocracy for her "Creating Inclusive Workplaces" talk at #SSIRInstitute: If managers believe their workplace is meritocratic, they're more prone to bias bc they're not scrutinizing their own outlooks.
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
Stereotypes affect the standard we use to judge the performance of individuals and they lead to extra scrutiny or new criteria when evaluating underrepresented groups. @LoriNMackenzie #DEI #SSIRinstitute
— Cristina Yoon (@yooncristina) September 14, 2018
Tips for reducing bias in the workplace from @LoriNMackenzie: align on criteria before evaluations, determine if you have the right criteria, broaden the definitions of success, and be consistent. #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read these SSIR articles: "Five Ways to Build Diverse, Inclusive Leadership Teams," "Building Inclusion from the Inside-Out: A Brief Case Study," and "Policies, Processes, and Protocols: Three Keys to Building a Diverse Workplace."
- Learn about the Stanford VMware Women's Leadership Innovation Lab's research on removing bias from organizational processes and workplace culture.
Session 12: Keynote From Angela Glover Blackwell: Civil Society in a Diverse Nation
It's going to take "radical imagination" to reestablish the ideals of an equitable democracy. That was the inspiring call to action PolicyLink Founder in Residence Angela Glover Blackwell shared in her closing remarks. She encouraged civil society leaders and activists to use bold ideas and actions to defend civil rights, democratic values, and norms of decency that redefine the public good.
"Those who are fighting and working for a different world need to step into their power. ... When we solve problems with those who are most vulnerable, we solve them for everyone," she said, echoing a key point of Rashad Robinson's opening speech.
Closing thought—When oppressed people win, they win for everyone. Angela Glover Blackwell. #SSIRInstitute pic.twitter.com/hBYj0kGxgG
— Vernetta Walker (@VernettaWalker) September 15, 2018
"When our private values are better than our public values, that is the time for civil society" to lead, says @agb4equity, in the closing keynote of #SSIRInstitute. In these times, "you are well-positioned to be able to do something." https://t.co/QbKG21OQAB
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 14, 2018
"We have to move forward with radical imagination. Those who are fighting and working for a different world need to step into their power." — @agb4equity #SSIRInstitute
— Social Innovation (@SSIReview) September 15, 2018
Go Deeper
- Read Blackwell's SSIR cover story: "The Curb-Cut Effect."
- Listen to a podcast featuring President Michael McAfee of PolicyLink: "Reigniting Leaders' Passion to Advance Equity."
If there are other highlights of the conference you'd like to share, please leave a comment. Conference attendees who would like to review videos of the sessions can go here.
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Read more stories by M. Amedeo Tumolillo & Eden Stiffman.