Why We Need More Female Nonprofit Leaders

Tampa FL

16 March, 2021

10:30 AM

Description

By Jackie Sue Griffin, MBA, JSG & Associates Fully two-thirds of the U.S nonprofit workforce are women. This means 9.2 million (of the 12.29 million) American women work in nonprofits, and the sector is the United States’ third-largest workforce. We have seen progress since 2005 in the number of women at the top of these org charts, according to Guidestar: In small nonprofits, 57 percent of women are now CEOs, as compared to 53 percent. Larger nonprofits led by female CEOs increased from 20 to 30 percent. Drill down a bit, and we see that women are still more likely to be leading smaller organizations than larger ones: Medium to large organizations are still more likely to be run by a male CEO, with only 18-22 percent of women leading nonprofits with budgets larger than $50 million. Overall, 45 percent of nonprofit CEOs are women. Nearly half sounds good, right? But remember that 75 percent of the nonprofit workforce are women. Let’s explore some of the benefits women-led organizations enjoy to highlight why we need to continue to push for females at the pinnacle of nonprofit org charts. Research on gender inclusiveness shows us that organizations with females in higher positions have thrived, enjoying solid economic growth. Researchers found females in nonprofit leadership positions are more focused on the mission and achieving organizational goals.Studies have also shown that there are impactful benefits to emotional intelligence (EQ) in leadership; high EQ leaders build better working relationships and strengthen collaborations. Traits of empathy and EQ tend to be more highly prized—and more frequently displayed--by female leaders. According to studies, female leaders also encourage self-regulation, which could be why fewer women burn out than men. Employees in nonprofit organizations led by women have been found to be more creative and open to working with one another. This contributes to higher employee satisfaction and overall performance.The female leaders studied also had a stronger sense of growth and recognition, leading to lower turnover as employees were encouraged to stay and grow with the company. This type of retention saves the organization money. Employees who stay longer are also beneficial to the nonprofit’s image and can help decision-making for prospective employees with interest in joining the company. These are just a handful of the proven results female leaders bring to the table. Imagine the impact when even more nonprofits are women-led.