What Diversity Dimensions Count? Reporting Practices of the Largest U.S.-Based International NGOs

Abstract The composition of leadership and staff working at international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) has gained increased scrutiny from funders and other stakeholders. This attention is often driven by how diversity of INGO personnel matters for organizational performance and perceptions of legitimacy. In the United States, disclosing demographic information about leadership and staff remains voluntary. In this study, we analyzed how the top 1 % of U.S.-based INGOs self-reported demographic data about their personnel using GuideStar’s organizational demographics reporting system. Building on the GuideStar system, we propose a novel demographic diversity score (DDS) designed to ascertain and compare INGO reporting practices. We find that the most frequently reported role category is the organization’s leader, while the leading reported demographic categories were gender and race/ethnicity. We also find that the current GuideStar demographic reporting system highlights social identity-based diversity categories, while not covering functional or cognitive dimensions. The DDS can help INGO leadership and staff have conversations about two questions relevant for performance and legitimacy: what specific diversity dimensions matter to a given mission (1), and how much reporting of such information is appropriate for engaging stakeholders (2). Specific choices and trade-offs in answering each of these questions are elaborated. As diversity issues have become more controversial in U.S. public discourse, this research not only advances our understanding of how demographic composition matters but also frames further discussions about possible reforms of nonprofit (self-)regulatory frameworks focused on demographic issues in the United States and elsewhere.