Budgeting and procurement

Ensuring the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion are reflected throughout your budget and shifting your procurement to support local businesses, especially those owned by people of color, LGBTQIA+, women, veterans and other marginalized groups.

Finances and fundraising to meet operating and programmatic needs are big ongoing challenges to any nonprofit, and accurate budgeting to support all the work of your land trust is often dependent on whether the grant income projections are successful.

Well, we used to have a diversity initiative but then the funding ran out.

Many foundations are now including questions about the demographics of boards, staff and people served/engaged and some have started taking a hard look at what your budget says about your organization’s priorities. If a foundation sees, for example, that an applicant has a $2 million annual budget and is requesting a $10,000 grant to diversify the board and staff, with the entire effort funded only by the grant dollars, the DEI change efforts are likely to be perceived as a low priority for the applicant. At the same time, given the nonprofit sector’s propensity for “doing more with less,” it’s very important to be realistic about what it will take to “do it right.”

In putting together your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Plan, be sure to identify estimated costs for operating expenses or program costs and include those expenses in the budget on an ongoing basis. These might include, for example:

• Hiring an external consultant to help in recruiting people with different identities and perspectives to serve on your board or staff.

• Salaries and benefits expenses to create a position or shift a portion of existing staff members’ time to lead the efforts to fully incorporate DEI priorities, including full funding for all priority activities.

• Workshops or training that are identified as priorities during the action planning process or as you progress on your journey.

• Travel expenses and supplies, such as books, videos, etc.

• Other expenses that might be incurred as you broaden your DEI efforts.

Likewise, think about what your purchasing/procurement decisions reflect about your priorities. While budgetary constraints are always real, are there local businesses or organizations you might do business with that will keep precious dollars in your community and demonstrate your organization’s commitment to supporting more diverse enterprises? Woman-owned bookkeeping services? Small catering businesses or food trucks? Faith groups that rent out meeting spaces? Others?