racism

Racial Justice Resources for Nonprofits and Social Enterprises

As a leader of a nonprofit or social enterprise, some form of justice is already at the heart of your work. You’re fighting for a cause because it’s worthy of your attention and your voice. It’s true, it’s right, it’s just.

So, if you aren’t already involved in the conversation regarding racial justice, now is the time to join in—no matter what issues you’re already working on. Racism is a virus, and each of us is susceptible.

You’ve, of course, seen overt and horrific examples played out on a national stage, but the real work—the hard work—begins in ourselves, our homes, and the places we work.

Implicit bias, microaggressions, off-hand comments, inappropriate jokes, favoritism, and more happen in small ways on a daily basis, sometimes without a second thought. It’s time to address our failings head-on and on-purpose, with the same amount of passion you already apply to your current work.

Even as a cause-focused organization, it’s possible that you may need some assistance in this area. We can all lose perspective when it comes to our own work, and even ourselves. You likely don’t consider yourself a racist, but have you considered becoming an anti-racist?

As an advocate for justice, inequality is your adversary. And it’s time to pick a fight.

Whether you are still trying to understand why “Black Lives Matter” or you are trying to figure out how your nonprofit or social impact company should respond at this critical time in history, here are some tools and resources to equip you on this journey.

I’ve also asked a few friends for their thoughts, because they are all incredibly smart, have a vital perspective, and are people you should know.

Racial Justice Resources for Nonprofits, Social Enterprises, and Small Businesses

Understanding the Issues of Racial Inequality and Systemic Racism

If this is a topic that you feel largely ill-equipped to tackle, take the first steps to listen and learn before you speak. Let’s start by getting on the same page.

Begin within

As the leader (or a leader) of your nonprofit or social impact company, the work begins with you. No matter what policies or changes you implement, trainings you conduct, or resources you make available to your team, the majority of the work has to be done in the heart’s of your people, starting with you. Set the example you’d want to follow.

  • This short and simple “Guide to Allyship” is a great place to start as you begin to think what these topics will mean to you personally and professionally.

  • There are a number of common phrases that have racist roots you should be aware of, so that you can remove them from your vocabulary. And here are five more, a couple of which caught me completely off guard.

  • If you work internationally, take a look at this article, which makes the case for addressing racism here at home.

  • The National Museum of African American History & Culture has created some tools to use for yourself and others when talking about race, including the exploration of bias.

  • Ladies, check out The White Shift, which exists to “connect and activate a community of white presenting women to do the personal work it takes to uproot racism and build power for Black and Brown communities.”

  • This creative “Justice in June” plan allows you to take bite-sized actions toward becoming an ally for the African American community, and can be utilized any month you’re ready to get started.

  • Here is an extensive resource list by Tasha K, sorted by categories and topics for both personal and professional use.

  • Get in the fight, but protect your mental health. This is hard internal work, but it takes a toll, even for the biggest of allies. Injustice needs you at your best.


Bradley Tomlinson

“Racism and racial injustice, at their core, are issues of dehumanization. Before engaging in racial justice, it's essential for those in the White community to expose the implicit bias and dehumanizing sentiment they may have in their hearts. Otherwise, we are just putting a Band-Aid on the problem.” 

- Bradley Tomlinson, Director of Content Strategy at Orchard


Improving Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

You and your team spend so many hours of your lives working, and everyone deserves to feel seen, heard, welcomed, and safe at your nonprofit or social enterprise.

resources for the executive team


Lauren Dawson

“The workplace has a unique influence on each of our lives, and has huge potential to help us grow as teams and individuals - just as much as it has the potential to limit behaviors and possibilities. In this moment, we're seeing a societal awakening to realities that have been all too common for far too long, so its imperative for leaders to reconsider what's normal and reset their expectations for themselves and their teams, to truly realize the power of diversity and a thriving economy.”

- Lauren Dawson, Senior Program Manager, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at LinkedIn


Hiring and Human Resources


Tonya Cornileus

“Human Resources plays an important role in creating people and culture strategies that support business success and the employee experience. In this time of racial unrest, HR is being called upon to create safe spaces where brave and inclusive conversations can occur. At ESPN, the diversity and inclusion team and employee resource groups have hosted numerous conversations that give employees the opportunity to share the pain of racial and social injustice in the United States and their hope for a better future. Our employees have also shared ways in which our company can be better in creating a more inclusive culture. These conversations are vital, and I am so proud that we have a culture where employees speak up and leaders listen and support. I hope HR practitioners across organizations are creating these safe spaces for their employees, listening, and committing to the change we all want to see.” 

- Dr. Tonya Harris Cornileus, Vice President, Development, Inclusion & Wellness, ESPN


Marketing and Communications


Angela Halan

“It is critically important to me that my customers and their children see themselves in my brand. Not simply on a physical level, but more importantly, on a level of relatable cultural discoveries. My desire is for Aboki Box to be a direct channel to grow cultural IQ, so that children learn about a group of people and develop stronger sensitivity to cultural diversity. It’s important to me that my brand, in some way, empowers our leaders of tomorrow to educate, celebrate, and recognize our diversity. This will make us stronger, as individuals and as global citizens, so that we can make a difference in the communities in which we live.”

- Angela Halan, founder of Aboki Box


Leading a Team

  • Host a watch party or book club to get everyone involved and participating. Esquire put together a list of 10 movies to start with, while TED has you covered with inspiring talks, and The Good Trade has a list of 21 recommended books. Better yet, why not let your team vote on their preference to keep engagement high?

  • If you are White, pass the mic to a BIPOC, elevating their voice on the team and showcasing their authority on a topic they already understand better than you do. Just be sure that 1) this isn’t the only time they get the mic, and 2) they have the emotional bandwidth to lead at this time.

  • Allow employees time to reflect or protest. And provide them with this guide on how to stay safe while protesting.

  • Instead of just “checking in” on your Black team members, take this time as an opportunity to do three things.


Kevin Jennings

“Leaders should first develop a process for collecting ideas and feedback that gives every team member a voice. Whether it be a survey or poll about new initiative, or an official structure for brainstorm meetings, build processes and systems that include everyone. Second, change your hiring process to expand the diversity of candidates. Require two or three online applicants for every candidate referred by an employee. Require each job opening be posted on jobs of HBCUs and other institutions or trade organizations with predominantly non-White constituents. This also should be done to attract candidates of various genders and ages (I.e generations).

Ultimately, you can’t benefit from other perspectives if you don’t have access to them and you don’t ask for them.”

- Kevin Jennings, CEO of KBJ2 Consulting


Trainings and Facilitated Discussions



Networking and Events



Work Culture


Kaleem Clarkson

“During the latest #BlackLivesMatter movement, we have seen a lot of organizations scramble to release statements and programs externally, without first listening to their employees, especially their employees of color, about how they feel about social injustice in 2020. Especially when your workforce is remote or distributed, a culture of inclusion becomes even more important so that all of your employees are engaged. Then, during times of adversity, engaged employees will make it so that your company is better prepared to respond to social issues with empathy and transparency.”

- Kaleem Clarkson, Co-founder of Blend Me and Remotely One


Give Your Time, Talent, and Treasure (and Get Your Team Involved!)


Enrique Alvarez

“As Derek Sivers very clearly mentions in his TED talk, How to Start a Movement, ‘Leadership is over-glorified. It is really the first followers that transform a lone nut into a leader.’ At Vector, we understand that the only way to be truly authentic and fully committed to our culture and values is to listen, learn, and accept daily feedback from everyone in our company. Be accountable, brutally honest, and expect the same from everyone else—no matter how senior or junior anyone is.

Change moves at the speed of trust. So, unless everyone is engaged and intimately involved in all big initiatives and/or decisions, the depth of our relationship as a team will not be where it needs to be to trust each other and make such a unique, results-based work culture.

We are all in this together, and the main reason everyone is okay in doubling down on our culture is because we openly share every aspect of our company, from salaries to personal challenges, from cash flow statements to profitability, from investments to setbacks. More importantly, trusting each other has allowed us to be OK making mistakes and this is probably one of the key reasons we will continue to grow and succeed in such a demanding industry like logistics.”

- Enrique Alvarez, Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics


Examples in Action

Need some inspiration for how your company can positively and thoughtfully respond to this issue?

  • Read how The Center for Health Progress made racial equity a priority for their all White staff and board.

  • Sephora is donating 15% of its shelf space to Black-owned businesses.

  • United Auto Workers organized “peaceful and orderly stand downs” on Juneteenth. While we can all agree an organization’s efforts need to go beyond a moment of silence, statement, or social media post, this is one way all employees can participate and helps them see the company’s priorities in action.

  • Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of putting their money where their mouth is, and they are a great example of how any type of brand can get involved in issues they care about.

  • National Geographic first acknowledged their coverage was racist, and then they did something about it.

  • There is a big push to make Juneteenth a national holiday, but Target made the decision on its own.

  • The Communications Network has put together multiple examples of responses from nonprofits and foundations (that anyone can learn from), and they’ve discussed why they’re effective and provided links for deeper learning.

  • Learn from these companies who took a stand, but didn’t immediately follow it up with action.

  • Buffer posted their guidelines for event planning, speaking, and sponsorships to both convey their internal policies as well as serve as an example to others.

  • The President and CEO of Living Cities explained the racial injustice he found in his own nonprofit, and steps they are taking to rectify it.



Consider Your Business Relationships

Who do you do business with? How do your partners model diversity, inclusion, and racial justice? Do you engage vendors and partners that are BIPOC-owned?


Soumaya Khalifa

”Our world has become a village with clients, future employees, and business partners across the globe. For organizations to be successful in providing solutions to their customers, they need to know what their diverse customers and clients' needs are, the market itself, and so much more. Similarly, to gain a competitive edge, these same organizations must compete for talent. However, getting talent in the door is not good enough. Organizations have to support a variety of cultures, which invites talent to be their best. Therefore, creating diverse partnerships provides organizations with many benefits, including tapping into their customer’s needs, getting the best talent, and making a name for themselves in the marketplace.”

- Soumaya Khalifa, Cross Cultural and Diversity and Inclusion Consultant and President of Khalifa Consulting


Racial EquITY Resources Specifically for Nonprofits

Because we focus specifically on nonprofits a lot around here, I wanted to make sure there was a special category for these beloved organizations.

Resources Specifically for Faith-Based Organizations

As a person of faith who works with a lot of Christian ministries, I wanted to include this special category for those seeking racial reconciliation through the lens of their spirituality.

Did I miss something that should be included? Let me know!


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Whether you are still trying to understand why “Black Lives Matter” or you are trying to figure out how your nonprofit or social impact company should respond at this critical time in history, here are some tools and resources to equip you on this j…

Kristi Porter, founder of Signify

I’m Kristi Porter, and I help cause-focused organizations understand and execute effective marketing campaigns so they can move from stressed to strategic. Your resources may be limited, but your potential isn’t. Whether you’re a nonprofit, social enterprise, or small business who wants to give back, I’ll show you how to have a bigger impact.