Working at the Intersections: LGBTQ Nonprofit Staff and the Racial Leadership Gap Executive Summary

Working at the Intersections: LGBTQ Nonprofit Staff and the Racial Leadership Gap Executive Summary can be found at http://racetolead.org/lgbtq/!

The report builds on data from BMP’s Nonprofits, Leadership, and Race Survey, conducted with more than 4,000 respondents across the nonprofit sector. This report, the second in the Race to Lead series, analyzes the experiences of the 20% of survey respondents who identified as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer (LGBTQ).

Some key findings include:

• Race was identified as the primary barrier to the career advancement of LGBTQ people of color. Among survey respondents who identified as LGBTQ people of color, twice as many reported that their race had a negative impact on their careers, compared to their sexual orientation.
• Geography affects LGBTQ people’s ability to thrive in their work environments. Many write-in responses reflect the difficulties LGBTQ people face when working in more conservative parts of the country.
• There are virtually no differences in background between LGBTQ staff of color and their white counterparts. LGBTQ people of color have similar backgrounds and qualifications in terms of their education, salaries, current roles, or years in the sector. LGBTQ people of color were also more likely to aspire to lead a nonprofit.

This Executive Summary gives a sampling of the data we collected, major findings, and our resulting recommendations. For a deeper analysis, visit http://racetolead.org/lgbtq.