As I have said multiple times before, doing no harm should in my opinion be the low bar of a value owned and practiced by all nonprofits. I know of course this is singularly my belief as there are indeed nonprofits whose missions in and of themselves result in doing harm.
Boards are the owners of these values and the practices that ensue based on these values. So it is or perhaps should not be surprising that inequitable practices that effectively do harm are alive and well throughout nonprofits. A recent Chronicle of Philanthropy article highlights the level of inequitable practices around gender and women specifically. The recent Candid salary report that was the subject of the Chronicle article "highlighted that Women CEOs at nonprofits earn 75 percent of what men do. For fundraisers, the difference is about 10 percent. In Alaska, women who work at nonprofits earn about 79 percent of what men earn. In New Jersey, women chief financial officers make 38 percent less than their male counterparts."
The Chronicle article went on to note "But lower pay is just one of the many ways that women are treated inequitably at nonprofits. About 70 percent of nonprofit employees are women, yet they do not rise to leadership in the same proportion as men do. Women make up about 60 percent of the leaders of small nonprofits. They account for only a quarter of the leaders of the largest groups. And at least one study shows that women of color face even greater pay gaps and more obstacles to career advancement than white women." And one last point: Some studies show pay disparities between women and men across nearly all groups and positions.
So, do no harm - nonprofits? NOT! Back to the 3-legged stool paradigm: the nonprofit fills the void between the public sector and the for-profit sector. Doing no harm - NOT BEING INEQUITABLE - that's part of the void! The sector via its boards must in my opinion revisit its values and commit to change - yes, even in a pandemic.