Diversifying the board of directors through one-on-one networking
One-on-one networking is what has worked best for Harbourfront Centre in meeting its goal to diversify the board of directors. “We asked as many people as we could to make suggestions about people they knew, people from their community who would be interested in the objectives of Harbourfront,” says the Centre’s CEO, Bill Boyle.
Harbourfront collaborates with more than 450 community-based organizations to present arts, culture, education and recreation events and activities at their ten-acre lakeside venue. They used these connections – along with their volunteers, staff and advisory committees – to build a board that would more closely reflect the racial and ethnic demographic of the Greater Toronto Area and Canada. And they created a grid system to assess, track and monitor the qualifications of potential members.
Today, with 10 of its 25 directors members of visible minority groups (40 per cent), Harbourfront is a diversity leader – one called on to speak internationally about creating diversity and equity within cultural organizations, as well as creating programming for diverse populations.
Boyle says that all of the different perspectives around the board table produce better decision-making and also bring a wealth of creative ideas.
“It has helped our organization reach out to many new and different sectors of the broader community. It has also been an important symbol for all our audiences and volunteers to see that they are represented on our Board and at all levels of the organization.”
Harbourfront Centre received a Maytree Foundation Diversity in Governance Award in 2008.
