Building Representative Boards

& Board Organizational Preparedness

Complementary Programs

Through these complementary programs, we aim to engage a diverse group of individuals that represent historically excluded and untapped communities and make an impact by helping to bring this valuable lived experience into the nonprofit board room. 

Meet the BRB pilot cohort

About the Programs

Individual participants in the Building Representative Boards program come together monthly as a cohort, acquiring a strong foundation in the principles of effective board governance while building community with peers. 

At the same time, Board Organizational Preparedness provides organizational training that is rooted in IDEAL (inclusion, diversity, equity, access, and liberation) principles to nonprofits that can demonstrate their readiness to engage a wider representation of candidates in board service and work to diminish cultures and practices that have historically done harm. 

The program concludes with a board matching event* where the Building Representative Boards cohort and Board Organizational Preparedness organizations can connect and explore the possibility of working together to further their collective community impact. 

*The board matching event is exclusive to those who have committed to and completed the IDEAL training portion of Board Organizational Preparedness, demonstrating readiness to foster an inclusive board culture.

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Interested in Participating?

Individuals and Community Leaders

Now recruiting for our next Building Representative Boards cohort, kicking off August 2023

Are you interested in bringing your expertise and lived experience into the nonprofit board room? This program is available at no cost to those interested in pursuing nonprofit board service. 

APPLY TODAY

Nonprofit Boards

Now accepting interest for our next Board Organizational Preparedness group, kicking off Spring 2023

​Is your organization interested in deepening your impact by building a board that is working toward justice and more representative of the community(s) you serve? Applications are now open for board training and matching.

join the wait list

Why Building Representative Boards?

Diversity is an essential component of board effectiveness, yet nationally we still see significant overrepresentation (84% Caucasian) in board demographics while people of the global majority and people with disabilities, to offer two examples, each represent less than 10% of nonprofit board members nationally. This is unacceptable.

As nonprofit leaders and board members, we have a responsibility to do more, starting with an examination of the cultures and oppressive structures within our own organizations and dismantling old systems. Too often, when organizational readiness is not addressed, programs designed to increase board diversity ultimately cause harm and/or tokenize participants and newly-seated board members. 

CEN’s Building Representative Boards program is built on a comprehensive and intentional approach that engages both the potential board candidates and participating nonprofit organizations in training and support to build and maintain an IDEAL board culture. 
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Nonprofit boards that authentically embrace and encourage diversity have the undeniable capacity to deepen their understanding of constituents and community needs and increase their overall effectiveness and impact. We hope this program will act as a catalyst for change in the Silicon Valley (and beyond!), resulting in nonprofit boards that foster belonging and represent a variety of perspectives, experiences, abilities, and cultures.