Take the 2025 Race to Lead Survey Today!

The Race To Lead Survey is back for 2025–and this year marks a major milestone.

The Building Movement Project (BMP) launched the first Race to Lead survey in 2016 to uncover how race and other identities impact who leads, who stays, and how leadership is experienced across the nonprofit sector. In the years since, thousands of nonprofit staff have shared their stories, contributing to one of the largest and most widely cited datasets on race and leadership in the sector.

The 2025 survey is the fourth in the series—and it’s a big one.

With nearly a decade of data behind it, Race to Lead 2025 is our opportunity to track change (or lack thereof), spotlight persistent inequities, and explore how today’s political, cultural, and economic climate is impacting nonprofit workplaces.

Since the last survey in 2022, we’ve seen:

• A growing backlash against racial equity efforts
• Ongoing burnout and instability in the nonprofit workforce
• Increased pressure on BIPOC leaders and identity-based organizations
• Shifting expectations around workplace culture and leadership accountability

This year’s survey explores timely new topics—from DEI retrenchment and board dynamics to frontline staff experiences and the long-term impact of pandemic-era shifts. It continues to track key trends that shaped Race to Lead’s foundational reports, such as the racial leadership gap, the myth of the pipeline problem, and structural barriers to advancement.

When you take the Race to Lead 2025 Survey, you’re helping build a national portrait of where we are, what’s working, and what still needs to change. BMP will use the responses to produce data-driven reports, public webinars, and tools that strengthen the call for an equitable and accountable nonprofit sector.

The survey is confidential, takes 20-25 minutes, and is open to anyone working for pay in the U.S. nonprofit sector.

Bonus: After completing the survey, you’ll have the option to enter a raffle to win one of ten $250 Visa gift cards. Raffle entries are collected separately to keep responses anonymous.

Here’s how to support Race to Lead:

✅ Take the survey
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8366111/bmp-website — it only takes 20–25 minutes.

📣 Let people know you took it!

• LinkedIn/Facebook: The #RaceToLeadSurvey from @BuildingMovementProject is back! Join thousands of nonprofit staff across the country sharing their stories on race, leadership, and power in our sector. Take the survey now at bit.ly/RaceToLead2025 

💌 Sign up as a partner

Want to help promote the survey? Fill out this form to get a toolkit with sample messages, graphics, and a custom link to track your network’s responses.