As the organization in Kentucky dedicated to advancing Kentucky's nonprofit sector and its leaders, KNN is committed to be a catalyst for transformation and a resource for nonprofit professionals and volunteers seeking to address racial equity and the impact it has on the work of nonprofits and those we serve. The goal of this work is to help organizations build on the core strengths of diversity, equity, and inclusion - making space for greater client trust and engagement; larger employee, board and volunteer pools; better collaboration and decision-making; and stronger results. KNN strives to engage nonprofits across Kentucky in strategies that will increase representation, access and inclusion for people of color. Our aim is to meet everyone wherever you are in your journey to address racial equity in your personal and organizational work.
KNN will continue to curate resources and tools for individuals and organizations working to make Kentucky better through an honest dialogue about taking action to improve our shared future.
TO HELP US UNDERSTAND THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE SECTOR: Please claim and/or update your organization's Candid/GuideStar Profile and earn the Gold Seal of Transparency by adding your organization's demographic information. Help KNN understand the demographic makeup of nonprofits in Kentucky, so we can continue working together to create a more equitable sector. Click here to download a free recording to learn more.
Monthly call series - Let's Talk Equity: Conversations on DEI For Nonprofit Leaders
- Click here to register for KNN's upcoming monthly Let's Talk Equity calls.
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – The Basics and Why it Matters for Nonprofits VIDEO: We invite you to watch this video to familiarize yourself or refresh your understanding of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) basics with Vanessa Womack, governance and DEI consultant, prior to participating in a monthly Let’s Talk Equity call, and especially ask that you watch prior to joining a KNN Peer Huddle.
- Past call recording downloads:
- April 4, 2024 call - Neurodiversity & Inclusion in the Workplace
- March 7, 2024 call - Telling Your Gender Equity Story
- February 1, 2024 call - KY's Digital Equity Plan
- November 2, 2023 call - Data Equity
- October 5, 2023 call - Equity in Strategic Planning
- September 7, 2023 call - Table of Diversity
- August 3, 2023 call - Equity in Education and Teaching the History of Black Kentuckians
- July 13, 2023 call - Community-Centric Fundraising
- June 1, 2023 call - Understanding Juneteenth
- April 6, 2023 call - Culture Clash: Equity in Your Nonprofit's Programming
- March 2, 2023 call - Equity-Minded Decision Making
- February 2, 2023 call - Gender Equity
- December 1, 2022 call - Setting Equity Goals for 2023
- November 3, 2022 call - Supporting Jewish Communities in a Time of Rising Antisemitism
- October 6, 2022 call - KY Minority-Owned Business Database
- September 1, 2022 call - DEI & HR: Not the Same
- August 4, 2022 call - Supporting BIPOC Communities in 2022 & Beyond
- July 7, 2022 call - LGBTQ Rights, Issues, and Disparities in Kentucky
- June 2, 2022 call - Board Recruitment & Diversity
- April 7, 2022 call - Experiences of a Nonprofit Leader of Color, facilitated by Donna Murray-Brown
- March 3, 2022 call - Equity & Healthcare
- February 3, 2022 call - Equity in Education
- January 13, 2022 call - Setting Realistic DEI Goals
- December 2, 2021 call - Public Policy and Equity
- November 4, 2021 call - Supplier/Vendor Diversity
- October 7, 2021 call - US Census Bureau Data Equity Tools
- September 2, 2021 call - Equity in Recruitment and Hiring
- August 5, 2021 call - DEI Staff Panel: How Organizations of All Sizes Can Focus on Equity
- July 1, 2021 call - Supporting Kentuckians with Disabilities; led by Dr. Sheila Schuster and Katie Bentley, 874K Disabilities Coalition
- May 6, 2021 call - Findings from the Racial Equity in KY's Nonprofit Sector report; led by Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- April 1, 2021 call - Supporting Kentucky's AAPI Community; led by Joel Buno, Asia Institute-Crane House
- March 4, 2021 call - The Untapped Power of Women in Nonprofits; led by Terrian C. Barnes, Fe-smart LLC
- February 4, 2021 call - Review of national survey data on nonprofits' diversity efforts; led by Danielle Clore, KNN
- January 7, 2021 call - Nonprofit leader panel discussion; moderated by Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- October 1, 2020 call - Building Equity into Nonprofit Finance; led by Curtis Klotz, CLA
- September 3, 2020 call - Supporting employees, colleagues, and clients directly affected by racial inequity and trauma; led by Carol Taylor-Shim, University of Kentucky
- August 6, 2020 call - Institutional racism and its impact on outcomes for Black Kentuckians; led by Dr. OJ Oleka, AIKCU
- July 23, 2020 call - Nonprofit leader panel discussion; moderated by Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- July 9, 2020 call - Auditing Your Organization's Processes from a DEI Perspective; led by Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- June 25, 2020 call - Understanding Your Organization's Current DEI Climate; led by Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- June 11, 2020 call - What does it mean to be on a DEI journey? led by Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- KNN Town Hall Meeting Recording (June 4, 2020) - Racism and Racial Equity in Nonprofits - Panel Discussion
Work of the KY Nonprofit Racial Equity Task Force:
KNN launched the Kentucky Nonprofit Racial Equity Task Force to guide us in our work to measure and improve racial equity in the nonprofit sector. Task force members are nonprofit leaders from across Kentucky, and the work officially began in January 2021. The Task Force is one outcome of KNN's commitment to racial and social equity, and works to engage nonprofit organizations of all sizes to increase representation, access, and inclusion for people of color. Click here to learn more about the survey conducted by the Task Force and the next steps in their work, including ways YOU can lend your voice to the discussion and action plans.
Resources from KNN and its members:
- Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion – The Basics and Why it Matters for Nonprofits VIDEO: We invite you to watch this video to familiarize yourself or refresh your understanding of the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) basics with Vanessa Womack, governance and DEI consultant, prior to participating in a monthly Let’s Talk Equity call, and especially ask that you watch prior to joining a KNN Peer Huddle.
- Nonprofit Board Diversity Learning Lab - 6 training modules offered online and at-your-own-pace (offered exclusively for KNN members)
- KNN Supplier/Vendor Diversity resource page
- KNN's Commitment to Racial and Social Equity - Kentucky Nonprofit Network invites others to use this policy and our action steps as a template for considering and crafting your own organization’s policy as we all engage in a collective journey toward racial and social equity.
- Statement of Guiding Principles to Advance Racial Equity and Justice - National Council of Nonprofits
- Kentucky Coalition Against Domestic Violence - Statement on Racism and State Violence
- The Greater Clark Foundation - Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page
- Mountain Association for Community Economic Development/MACED- Learning About Race
- Feeding America, Kentucky's Heartland - Video Resource Sheet
Additional resources & articles:
- Trading Glass Ceilings for Glass Cliffs: A Race to Lead Report on Nonprofit Executives of Color, Building Movement Project
- Demetria Miles-McDonald, Decide Diversity
- Diversity and Inclusion Efforts That Really Work, Harvard Business Review
- Black Mental Health Resources, NAMI
- Beyond the Board Statement: How Can Boards Join the Movement for Racial Justice Webinars - Part One and Part Two , Nonprofit Quarterly
- Community Centric Fundraising
- Integrating Racial Equity Practices into Your Brand and Communications, Big Duck
- Have Nonprofit and Philanthropy Become the “White Moderate” that Dr. King Warned Us About?, Nonprofit AF
- Why Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Matter for Nonprofits, National Council of Nonprofits
- Advancing Racial Equity Within Nonproft Organizations, Center for Public & Nonprofit Leadership, Georgetown University
- National Equity Project
- DEI in Communications, the Communications Network
- The 4 Sectors: The Hidden Factor of Nonprofit Boards & Racial Equity Change, Interaction Institute for Social Change
- 4 Ways to Attract More Diverse Talent to Your Nonprofit, Nonprofit Hub
- Recruiting for Board Diversity without Disrespecting People of Color, Candid
- Your Black Colleagues May Look Like They’re Okay - Chances Are They’re Not, Refinery29
- Maintaining Professionalism in the Age of Black Death Is... A Lot, Shenequa Golding
- How to Manage your Teams in Times of Political Trauma, Michelle Kim
- Enough is Enough, National Council of Nonprofits
- What is Systemic Racism? [videos] (Race Forward)
- Justice In June: Watch, Read, Listen, Act Resources, Autumn Gupta & Bryanna Wallace
- Anti-racism resources for white people, Alyssa Klein & Sarah Sophie Flicker
- For Our White Friends Desiring to be Allies, Sojourners
- I’m White and I’m Outraged by Ahmaud Arbery’s Murder. Now What?, Dr. Taharee A. Jackson, Ph.D.
- How to Tackle Race at Your Organization, The Chronicle of Philanthropy
- Leading During Traumatic and Triggering Events, Diversity Equity Inclusion Consulting
- Carry Our Weight: Resources for non-Black allies to learn to be better allies
- RaceWorks toolkit for facilitators (Stanford University)
- Awake to Woke to Work: Building a Race Equity Culture (Equity in the Center)
- Black Lives Matter
- Color of Change
- TEDx Talk on Allegories on Race & Racism (Dr. Camara Jones)
- An Equity Screen for Content Creators (Nonprofit AF)
- Privilege, Power, and Personal Conflicts: The forces preventing change in nonprofit & philanthropy (Nonprofit AF)
- Power, Privilege, and Volunteerism (Volunteer Commons)
- White Ally Toolkit (Dr. David Campt)
- A Defining Moment for Racial Equity (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)
- What's My Complicity? Talking White Fragility With Robin DiAngelo (Teaching Tolerance)
- AntiRacismKY: An initiative that will address institutional racism from a state and local policy perspective. Learn more on Twitter and Facebook.
- KNN's message in June 1, 2020 enewsletter
