Nonprofits need to address DEI — diversity, equity, and inclusion. But that effort is not without peril. To help you brainstorm potential pitfalls, we asked the popular AI program ChatGPT to identify common DEI risks.
The Nonprofit Risk Management Prompt
We seeded ChatGPT with the following prompt about nonprofit risk management:
Acting as a journalist, describe common risks that nonprofits face relating to DEI.
ChatGPT’s Answer
As a language model AI, I don’t have personal experiences, but here’s a list of common diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) risks that nonprofits face based on my training data:
- Lack of DEI commitment: Nonprofits may lack a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Inadequate DEI policies: Nonprofits may not have adequate policies and procedures in place to support diversity, equity, and inclusion, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Inadequate DEI training: Nonprofits may not provide adequate training and resources to staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders on DEI topics, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Resistance to change: Nonprofits may face resistance to DEI initiatives, including resistance from staff, volunteers, and other stakeholders, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Lack of representation: Nonprofits may lack representation from diverse communities, including communities of color, LGBTQ communities, and individuals with disabilities, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Inadequate data collection: Nonprofits may not collect and analyze data on diversity, equity, and inclusion, including data on staff demographics, program participant demographics, and other key metrics, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Inadequate accountability: Nonprofits may not have adequate systems in place to hold leaders, staff, and other stakeholders accountable for progress on DEI initiatives, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
- Inadequate funding: Nonprofits may not have adequate resources, including funding, to support DEI initiatives, which can result in a lack of progress in this area and reduce the effectiveness of DEI initiatives.
Notes and Questions Based on This Answer
How many of these DEI issues affect your nonprofit?
What other DEI risks should be on your radar? In my new book, Managing Your Nonprofit for Resilience, I provide additional questions to ask about DEI.
(As noted before, all of the art for this series on common nonprofit risks was generated by Midjourney, another AI program. I asked that program to generate images about DEI risks in the style of Vincent Van Gogh.)