Organizational Transition Update from Black & Pink National Board of Directors
Over the past several months, the Board has learned about various privately and publicly shared accounts of harm to staff at multiple levels at Black & Pink National, and has subsequently worked to appropriately respond. The Board has been prioritizing internal work with the current team – respecting confidentiality as much as possible – but the Board recognizes it is important to publicly acknowledge these issues and the need for significant cultural and structural improvements for the health of our organization, welfare of our staff, and sustainability of our mission.
The Board’s ongoing collaborative efforts to build in more staff protections and navigate organizational transitions have included:
- Board listening sessions and communications with staff in full, small groups, and individual meetings,
- Engagement with outside consultants for a facilitated process which assess roots of conflict and harm, recommend improvements, and provide leadership coaching where needed,
- Implement a $20 per hour wage floor (effective January 1, 2022) and a recent Board vote to set the maximum wage ratio to 3:1 effective June 1, 2022
- Recognition of Black & Pink National staff union and information gathering to prepare for good-faith negotiations,
- Oversight of continued member services and the redistribution/handoffs of client caseloads in a way that balances staff capacity,
- Finalizing FY21 annual audit by an independent CPA firm, including an expanded FY21 expense examination,
- Implementation of additional financial reporting to monitor and inform strategic financial decision making, and drafting of policies to codify and adopt financial best practices for Black & Pink National staff and Chapters, and
- Weekly Board meetings to plan for leadership and organizational transitions and to strengthen Board fundraising commitments.
For additional and continued information, please keep a lookout on this document which will be updated on a rolling basis as the situation evolves. The Board also aims to communicate key updates in a social media post every other month.
As Board and staff, Black & Pink National is humbled by the complexities and challenges of operating a multiracial, multigenerational workplace rooted in abolitionist values within the nonprofit industrial complex. We are inspired by all our community members’, partners’, and stakeholders’ passion for our organization and your belief in the importance of continuing and strengthening Black & Pink National’s mission and impact across our communities. We are uplifted and heartened by the trust and grace that has been given to us, and remain reflective on our mistakes in service of continually learning from them to transform the work to be what it needs to be.
We are grateful for your continued support of Black & Pink National’s material solidarity work with our members on the inside and outside. We are confident in the transformative work ahead, and look forward to the next era of Black & Pink National with you all by our side.