EQUITY IN ACTION:
A TOOLKIT FOR POWER-SHARING WITH THE NEXT GENERATION
The future of leadership is here.
Is your board ready for it?
There’s no doubt we’re facing deep economic uncertainty.
The job landscape is shifting rapidly. Underemployment is rising. And across the nonprofit sector, organizations are trying to keep pace—doing vital work in a world that feels increasingly out of reach.
To meet this moment, we need leaders who can bridge gaps between generations, between ideas and action, between communities and the systems that shape them.
Our research shows that many of the people most experientially equipped to lead that work are young, gender-marginalized individuals.
They carry firsthand knowledge of the inequities we’re trying to solve—and with the right mentorship, training, and support, they bring bold thinking, lived wisdom, and fresh momentum into spaces that need it most.
But right now, too many of those voices are missing—especially at the
decision-making table.
Boards of Directors across the nonprofit sector have historically relied on recruitment practices that exclude and discourage youth participation—particularly young women and gender-marginalized leaders. The result? A sector working to serve youth, while actively leaving them out of the rooms where decisions are made.
If we want governance that truly reflects the communities it serves, we have to make space for young feminist leaders.
At Fora: Network for Change, we invite you to think of these young leaders as the bees: sharp, adaptive, and deeply attuned to the health of the system around them. They're not a threat to established structures—they're a lifeline. When senior leaders stop fearing their sting and start nurturing their presence, something powerful happens: honey. Sustainable, collective outcomes that benefit everyone.
What the numbers say
The nonprofit sector is facing real challenges—from aging donors and board members to a need for fresh energy and sustainable leadership. Organizations that include young directors are more likely to safeguard their futures—just like in a thriving hive, where every new bee plays a role in sustaining the whole ecosystem.
Young feminist leaders aren’t a disruption—they’re essential to keeping the ecosystem alive.
The reality is simple:
Young people are impacted by nonprofit decisions every day—but too often, they are shut out of the decision-making rooms.
This toolkit is here to change that.
Here’s what you can expect from this free toolkit:
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Self-guided modules
Practical tools and templates for every stage of your board’s inclusion journey
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Interactive activities
Assess where your organization stands—and where it needs to go
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Real-world resources
Ready-to-use checklists, guides, and reflection prompts
Reimagining Leadership
MODULE 1
Unpack perception bias & reimagine who belongs at the table from the inside out.
This module starts by looking inward—at the ways our perceptions around age, gender, and leadership might unintentionally reinforce exclusion. You'll explore how biases shaped by ageism and sexism become normalized in governance spaces—and how they can quietly shape who we imagine as “qualified” to lead.
By surfacing these assumptions, we create space to redefine what leadership looks like—and begin building the structures that make room for it.
We will guide you to check your…
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Biases
How internalized and systemic biases impact nonprofit boards
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![Assumptions]()
Assumptions
Why ageism and gendered assumptions about leadership persist
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Capacity for Change
What happens when we redefine who gets to lead—and why it strengthens organizations
Restructuring Governance
MODULE 2
Shifting structures. Rewriting the rules.
Once we recognize how bias shows up in perceptions, the next stage is changing how it shows up in systems.
This module helps you take a closer look at your board's recruitment policies, bylaws, and governance documents—and assess how they may unintentionally exclude young gender-marginalized leaders.
With practical questions and a values-based lens, you’ll start identifying where your organization's practices can evolve—and how to embed equity into the very structure of your governance.
Together, we will review your board’s…
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Policies
How exclusion can be built into policies and recruitment practices
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Documents
Where your board’s documents and decisions may unintentionally gatekeep leadership
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Inclusivity
What equity-focused, inclusive governance looks like in action
Pathways Forward
MODULE 3
Moving from Intention to Impact
In this final module, we’ll move from reflection to action. Module 3 will help you build a clear and concrete action plan.
You’ll identify key areas for your organization’s improvement—whether it’s recruitment, board culture, or DEI planning and policies—and then create goals and accountability structures so you can implement action within 12 months of using this toolkit.
This module is about what it means to follow through on actioning change.
We’ll help you identify…
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Opportunity
How to identify concrete opportunities for growth in your board governance
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![Accountability]()
Accountability
Strategies to keep your board accountable
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Feasibility
Feasible pathways for execution
“By investing in young directors, organizations can help build a nonprofit sector that is more adaptive, resilient, and effective in delivering on its transformative potential”
— KATE MARR-LAING
Report author for Rewriting the Rules, Young Feminists in Governance
Young Directors change the world.
Check out the research and dive deeper into the bigger picture, in our Rewriting the Rules: Young Feminists in Governance report.
