RECRUITING MINORITY STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS
The ultimate goal of a CASA/GAL program should be to have a staff balanced in gender,
culture, and ethnicity. However, given that most CASA/GAL programs have limited staff
resources, this may be a long-term goal.
When staff openings do occur or program expansion becomes a possibility, aggressive
efforts should be made to seek applicants who provide the balance you need. In many
cases this will mean that you will be seeking ethnic minorities. You will get more
minority applicants if you have already established ties with the minority communities
through the appointment of a minority advisory committee and public awareness
activities targeted at minority groups. However, it is normal to expect skepticism from
these communities regarding the sincerity of your intent. Have patience. If nobody
applies the first time, keep trying. People will be watching to see how committed you are
to hiring minorities. Other considerations in hiring minorities include:
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Be sure that your program has a clearly defined personnel policy describing nondiscriminatory hiring practices. Be familiar with the policies and prepared to
discuss them with any applicants. Check with your legal counsel to be sure
personnel policies and job announcements comply with the law.
Have a diverse panel of interviewers. Involve board members, advisory
committee members, and/or community representatives in the interviewing
process.
In the interview, be sensitive to different cultural patterns of speech, selfpromotion, and general responses to questions.
Seeking Minority Staff Members
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Word of mouth is the best recruitment tool. Send job announcements to the
members of your board and advisory committee. Follow up with personal phone
calls to solicit help in spreading the word. Ask for their suggestions of individuals
in the minority community who might know potential candidates.
Check to see if there is a minority placement agency in your area.
When you publish job announcements, target minority publications, professional
organizations, and minority colleges.
Send notices to local chapters of minority organizations such as the Urban
League, National Association of Black Social Workers, League of Latin
American Citizens, etc.
Contact other minority professionals you work with for their suggestions of
individuals who might be interested in the position. Minority social workers,
attorneys, and court workers who are part of the informal network will know who
is looking for a job or who might be interested in changing jobs.
Do not hesitate to make contact with individuals you would like to apply for the
position even if they are already employed. Some people may desire to change
jobs but are not actively looking. Those who are not interested are usually
flattered to be asked, and may in fact refer you to others who are looking.
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If you can afford the time, keep the position open for awhile. It takes time for the
word to get around and you may get your best applicants weeks after your first
announcement.
When a Minority Staff Member Comes on Board
If you are a majority-culture manager or supervisor, it will be your job to help the new
staff person settle into the new job. In initial stages, be sensitive to cultural differences in
patterns of communication. Respect that there may be a need for privacy. Share your own
personal information (i.e. about family, children, etc.) if you wish to set a tone of
friendliness, but you may find a new staff person is more formal at first. This formality
may continue longer than you expect.
“Never tell a minority you are "color-blind." It simply isn't possible to be truly sensitive
to another person without being able to see them within the context of their cultural
heritage.
Tell the person why you hired them -- for what qualities and strengths so that they know
what you are looking for them to add to your team, and start out on the foundation of
strengths they already have. Address the lurking question: "Was I hired just because I'm a
person of color or did they see my strengths?"
Remember that mistakes are a part of the innovative and learning process. Be conscious
of how you handle mistakes. Look carefully before assuming that a new approach is
necessarily a mistake.
Humor is used to diffuse tension, but often reveals other truths. Ethnic humor is rarely
appropriate. It highlights the power differential, control issues between prevailing and
historically-oppressed cultures, and almost never works. Usually humor masks some
discomfort. As a manager, confront racial and ethnic humor.
Prior to hiring a minority person, offer cultural sensitivity training with existing staff so
that they can be aware of their own values and sensitive to the importance of cultural
differences. Don't assume that any one minority person can speak for his or her entire
group since differences within cultural groups can far exceed similarities.
Work to create an atmosphere where personal relationships lead to learning opportunities
and a supportive team which is beneficial to all.
Seeking Minority Board Members
Many of the strategies that are effective in recruiting minority staff are also applicable
when you are seeking minority board members. Again, word of mouth is the best tool
available. Board members, staff, volunteers, and minority advisory committee members
may be able to suggest individuals who have the time, expertise, and willingness to serve.
Identify leaders of minority communities through reading local minority publications.
Check with your local United Way to see if they are participating in a national program to
train minorities to serve on community boards. Also, don't overlook the church as an
entrée into minority communities. Churches in many minority communities serve not
only their members' spiritual needs, but are also a source of leadership within the
community.
When potential board members are identified, it is important to provide them with
information about CASA/GAL as well as a clear understanding of the expectations of
board members. A face-to-face visit after they have had time to review the material and
formulate their questions is an important next step. It is preferable to have both staff and
board represented at these visits. Again, as with hiring staff, it may be difficult to get
someone to be the first minority on your board. Be persistent and continue developing
contacts in the minority community.
Source: National CASA Association