Race To Lead Insight Hub
Explore nearly a decade of Race to Lead data to understand who works in the nonprofit sector, who advances into leadership, and what conditions help people thrive.
About the Initiative
What Is Race to Lead?
Race to Lead is Building Movement Project’s flagship research initiative examining race, leadership, and work in the nonprofit sector. Since 2016, the Race to Lead survey has collected the experiences and perspectives of thousands of nonprofit employees across the United States, creating one of the largest and most comprehensive datasets on nonprofit workers and leaders.
The initiative was launched to better understand who works in the nonprofit sector, who advances into leadership, and how race, gender, organizational practices, and workplace conditions shape career pathways and workplace experiences. Over four survey waves, Race to Lead has helped document persistent leadership inequities, emerging workforce challenges, and the changing realities of nonprofit work.
The Insight Hub brings together findings from the 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2025 surveys, allowing users to explore trends over time and examine how experiences vary across identities, roles, and organizational contexts. Whether you are a nonprofit leader, funder, researcher, journalist, or practitioner, these data offer insight into the people who power the nonprofit sector and the organizational conditions that shape their ability to lead and thrive.
Explore By Topic
Who Works in the Sector?
Who makes up the nonprofit workforce and what organizations do they represent?
Who Becomes a Leader?
How do workers advance into leadership — and what gets in the way?
What Makes Work Sustainable?
How do belonging, burnout, benefits, and workplace culture shape nonprofit work?
Who Holds Power?
How are leadership, governance, and DEI efforts distributed across organizations?
Who Can Afford to Stay?
How do compensation, class, and financial pressures shape nonprofit careers?
What Happens at the Top?
How do executives enter leadership, navigate challenges, and plan for succession?
How is the Sector Changing?
How are nonprofits responding to backlash, uncertainty, and shifting priorities?
Featured Insights
Explore DEI, Representation & Power
DEI activity fell below its pre-2020 level
The share of respondents reporting that their organization engages in DEI activity declined from 83% in 2022 to 60% in 2025—below the 74% reported in 2019.
Explore Compensation & Economic Inequality
Pay gains coexist with growing workloads
In 2025, nearly half of respondents received a cost-of-living raise—but 39% were also asked to take on new projects without an increase in pay.
Explore Executive Leadership Experiences
Many nonprofit executives are considering leaving
Among executives planning or completing a transition in 2025, 56% identified burnout as a reason for leaving.
Explore Sector Outlook, Backlash & Resilience
External pressures are taking a human toll
More than three-quarters of respondents said the political and social climate affected their mental health or stress at least somewhat; 52% said it affected them “quite a bit.”
Race to Lead Library
Explore nearly a decade of Race to Lead reports, briefs, and companion publications documenting the nonprofit workforce and leadership over time.
