Over the last three years, the #MeToo movement has gained momentum, with gender-based violence increasingly discussed and addressed as unacceptable. This includes the charitable and nonprofit sector.
The second annual National Day of Conversation (NDOC) about the sexual harassment of fundraisers in the nonprofit and charitable sector was held on November 26, 2020, with the goal of the day to create a safer sector for all. NDOC was held after the AFP NOTCongress as a day-long series of online panels, interviews, and discussions. Participants included academics and nonprofit leaders, those leading similar movements in other sectors, and people engaged in bystander training and restorative justice, as well as those with lived experience of sexual harassment in the nonprofit and charitable sector. There was a recognition that sexual harassment is not only a personal or human resources issue but a widespread systemic problem and leadership issue that affects organizations and the sector as a whole.
Early in the day, during a panel on Why We Need a National Day of Conversation, fundraiser Tycely Williams, CFRE said, “It’s disheartening that within the social good space, we advance principles rooted in justice but as we try to secure and retain financial resources, we’ve created a toxic environment for many women within the space.” A 2018 Harris Poll found one in four female fundraisers had experienced sexual harassment in their work, but researchers engaged with this issue, Dr Erynn Beaton and Dr Megan LePere-Schloop of Ohio State University, are finding the rate of sexual harassment is significantly higher than that. Further, the researchers identify the intersectional dimension to sexual harassment, as LGBTQ+-identifying people also experience higher rates of harassment. Other panels at NDOC identified the ways Indigenous people are disproportionately affected by sexual violence.
Why might this be?
While the nonprofit sector is a female-dominated sector at all levels, as Dr. Donna Kotsopoulos said, “It’s not necessarily as women-friendly as we might expect.” Beaton and LePere-Schloop identify this as a particular problem for those who hold what they call “boundary-spanning roles” like fundraisers, who interact with donors and other external stakeholders. They note in the nonprofit sector, like other sectors, a lot of the conversation and policy-making around sexual harassment has been about behaviour between colleagues rather than interactions that go beyond such boundaries.
“It is really important to understand that sexual harassment is not about attraction but about power,” say Beaton and LePere-Schloop. And therein lies the key to why fundraisers are particularly vulnerable to sexual harassment. As fundraiser Peggy Killeen observed in an NDOC talk about inappropriate donor behaviour, “It doesn’t feel like a conversation between equals. We need money and feel like a supplicant when we ask for it.” Further, Killeen notes donors often have a higher social and economic status than anyone in an organization, including the executive director. She adds, “We pride ourselves on building donor-centred relationships and engaging in deep conversations with donors, sometimes visiting with donors in their homes or at social events after hours where alcohol is served. Donors and volunteers may not understand that these are still professional relationships.”
In a panel on women in sport philanthropy, Samantha Rogers put it bluntly: “Asking powerful men for money alone in rooms is the worst way we could do this.”
Even worse, as Beaton and LePere-Schloop have discovered, “Managers unintentionally—or sometimes intentionally—put others at risk, using fundraisers as ‘bait’ to help lure donors.” Other managers observe harassment by donors without commenting or acting, and still others dismiss complaints or do not include donors in sexual harassment policies.
Williams says, “Even when the one in four does report an incidence of harassment, employers are ill-equipped to adequately respond to ensure there is an appropriate investigation, to confront the individuals who have created the offense, and to be supportive of the individuals who [have experienced harassment and] want to pursue other options.”
The National Day of Conversation addressed multiple audiences: leaders in the sector, others who have witnessed harassment and weren’t sure what to do, and, most especially, people with lived experience of sexual harassment.
An organizational issue
The nonprofit sector is less regulated than other sectors, with few requirements on reporting on codes of conduct but, as Dr. Wendy Cukier from the Rotman School at the University of Toronto says, “If you don’t get your commitment to inclusion grounded in human rights and diversity rights, you do irreparable damage to your organization’s reputation and its ability to attract and retain the best staff.”
Sara Forte of Forte Law and StandUp Teams says Google’s organization-wide Project Aristotle attempted to understand what makes an effective team. “The number one thing teams need is psychological safety or people won’t be creative and innovative, won’t collaborate effectively and instead there will be turnover and a lack of productivity.” For Forte, this is another reason why organizations need to address sexual harassment.
Among recommendations from NDOC for those a leadership level:
- Put good sexual harassment policies in place, including a code of conduct for donors, board members and volunteers
- Check out NDOC’s Resources for Organizations
- Leaders set the tone for an organization about what is acceptable behaviour and how they will intervene with unacceptable behaviour, say Beaton and LePere-Schloop.
- Sandra Hawken, President and CEO of the Holland-Bloorview Foundation calls on her peers to purposefully include sexual harassment best practices in culture and processes, from new staff orientation and annual reviews to board and senior leadership conversations, as well as including a diversity equity and inclusion framework.
- Former politician and nonprofit leader Joanne Bernard encourages women to sit on boards of other nonprofits to encourage more organizations to work toward the elimination of sexual harassment in the sector.
- Bernard also says, “At no time do I want to hear a leader tell women to get a thicker skin. When we give that message, we normalize violence against women. That’s the wrong message and we must stop it.”
A colleague issue for colleagues
One male attendee of NDOC commented, “I have not spoken up in a past situation for fear of ‘taking power away’ from my female colleague in addressing the situation herself, in addition to her saying, ‘I’m fine. It’s not a big deal.’ In retrospect I’m not happy with my lack of comment.”
Forte says, “We can all identify extreme forms of sexual harassment but we might not be sure about subtler forms.”
Forte says people think bystanders should always engage in a direct calling out of inappropriate behaviour, but that is only one of an array of strategies, which can include an indirect action such as distracting either person in the harassment dynamic, involving other people or authorities, engaging either person after the incident, or simply keeping a written record of dates and details of incidents. Susan Lomas, who founded MeToo Mining after experiencing sexual harassment in the mining sector, suggests creating a list of useful phrases and practising them to be prepared if an incident occurs.
Learning bystander strategies empowers people to recognize inappropriate behaviour and to intervene more frequently. Lomas also notes that such allyship behaviour is contagious: “The more people stand up, the more people feel comfortable doing so and creating a safer work environment for everyone.”
Taking the backpack off
“As a geologist,” said Lomas, “I spent ten years walking through the bush and taking geological samples as I went. By the end of the day, my backpack was heavy. I realized I was carrying another kind of backpack where inappropriate things were said or done to me and I would just carry them with me. Over the years, the load got heavy. With the #MeToo movement, I found ways to take the backpack off.”
NDOC is part of an attempt to help take the backpack off for those with lived experience of sexual harassment. Williams says, “We want to underscore that no matter the industry, you have the right to be treated fairly, to work without having to deal with inappropriate and unwelcome conduct, and conduct that may be sexual in nature. You should have the right to come to work without having stress or strain caused. We are championing, encouraging, and serving as a source of support as you advocate for what you need.”
Shelley Uvanile-Hesch who works in the trucking industry says, “Sexual harassment goes untalked about because it’s easier to be quiet. The biggest obstacle can be other women brushing things off – saying you just need thick skin, learn to adapt, or it’s always been this way. This is wrong. Every woman should have the ability to say, ‘Stop. This is wrong.’ As we stand up together, the stronger our sectors will be and the louder we will be heard.”
Beaton and LePere-Schloop say, “People respond to sexual harassment in their own way based on the context and how they feel. [They report] a million things run through their mind: will we lose this donation if I say something? Some brush it off. Others put up defenses but the majority doesn’t say anything.” They note when a complaint is handled well, it is usually due to a female manager who has experienced sexual harassment themselves.
As part of this movement in the nonprofit sector, two key digital tools have been developed. Paulette Senior of the Canadian Women’s Foundation says her organization has partnered with AfterMeToo.com in creating ROSA, a Canadian website aimed at providing tools and information for survivors of sexual harassment in work environments across the country. While the website is live now, it will be fully launched in 2021. Another online tool is VESTA Social Innovation Technology, which seeks to create safe spaces for those who have experienced sexual violence by offering a digital reporting app as well as resources.
NDOC hosted a panel on a different approach to responding to sexual harassment and violence: restorative justice. Leah Martin of Community Justice Initiatives said, “Survivors are survivors because they find personal, innovative, and meaningful ways of working through their experience. Restorative justice won’t meet all needs but it is an effective means of widening the menu of options for survivors.” The panel on restorative justice included a powerful account about a family whose journey of healing after rape was transformed by restorative justice.
NDOC has also developed a toolkit of resources for fundraisers and it is important to note that the Association of Fundraising Professionals – in collaboration with many industry partners – in the process of developing a Fundraiser’s Bill of Rights.
Toward the end of the day, Hawken said to those who have experienced gender-based violence, “You are not alone. You are not to blame. We will take turns standing on each other’s shoulders.” Bernard added, “Even telling a friend or a spouse is an act of courage. Spread your wings but if you can only spread them a little bit, that’s okay.”
A final word from those participants. One said, “Today made me stronger to admit that I am one in four,” while another said, “I feel less alone than I did two years ago,” and another said, “I was worried today would be triggering but I’m leaving feeling so empowered and energized.” It is clear that NDOC has become a life-changing annual event for many who attend, and a vital place of conversation for our sector.
Founded in 2019, the National Day of Conversation is a full-day of digital sessions to raise awareness about the sexual harassment of front-line fundraisers in the non-profit and charitable sectors. In a 2018 Harris Poll survey, one in four female fundraisers report being sexually harassed by a colleague, board member, or donor. Our goal is to make that number zero.
This article was sponsored by Bridgeraise on behalf of the National Day of Conversation.
Susan Fish is a writer/editor at Storywell, a company that helps individuals and organizations tell their story well. She has written for the nonprofit sector for more than two decades and loves a good story.
