Baltimore City Nonprofit Leadership: An Analysis of the Dynamics of Nonprofit Leadership and Issues of Diversity

Nonprofit organizations 501(c) (3)'s serve as valuable assets in their communities. They utilize various revenue and resource streams to accomplish their missions. Many have board members, executives, managers, staff (paid and unpaid), and volunteer employees. Stakeholders in and around the city have a vested interest in contributing to and/or receiving services nonprofits offer. Nonprofit organizations possess a wide variety of functions and structures. They serve many purposes within their communities. Their leaders should possess personal and professional experiences that would benefit a diverse population of citizens. This descriptive study is designed to examine various issues of diversity as they relate to Baltimore City nonprofit leaders. How leaders respond to issues of diversity in Baltimore City is crucial to the existence and effective performance of nonprofits. Dealing with disparities of diversity in leadership positions within their organizations is important to future revenue and resource acquisition. Baltimore City nonprofit leader responses to diversity issues and disparities (i.e., lack of diversity or underrepresentation in leadership) may yield key findings to help determine how demographic changes affect their organizations and what their perspectives are toward changing the current climate of minority leadership disparity. Embracing or resisting change can easily be determined by the way in which current leaders view diversity. Their views have a profound impact on future leadership transitions within nonprofits. One of the best ways to analyze such views is through the use of quantitative analysis (i.e., survey questionnaire). Quantitative analysis allows the demographic comparison of responses by leaders with selected issues of diversity. Results provide a snapshot that aids in making generalizations about current and future workforce trends, especially as it relates to leadership and issues of diversity. Are leaders receptive to demographic changes (i.e., increase in diversity) taking place in their communities? Will they incorporate similar changes in their workforce structure, especially at the executive leadership level? Are they willing to collaborate together to tackle issues of diversity in order to impact overall change? And are there mechanisms (e.g., mentoring, minority leadership training/development programs) in place that prepare minorities with the necessary skills to compete for nonprofit leadership positions? Allowing nonprofit leaders to address questions related to issues of diversity yield important findings on how they view the changing demographics of the workforce. In essence, this descriptive study analyzed perceptions of leaders on selected issues of diversity. There is one central research question and five hypotheses. Data was collected and analyzed by use of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The findings reveal that both internal (organizational culture/socialization) influences and external (demographic) influences may shape nonprofit leaders decisions on issues of diversity. This dissertation is also intended to enhance the foundation for more quantitative and qualitative or mixed methods research on nonprofit leaders and issues of diversity. Addressing issues of diversity in the workforce continues to be an important endeavor in our 21st century. This study makes a contribution to that effort.