Unconscious Bias

“When we recognize bias,
we are able to make
equitable decisions” 

(Paylocity Bridge Talks: DEIA 2024) 

Unconscious bias is a preference for or against something or someone that happens automatically without realizing it. Unconscious biases are something everyone has because it is part of the human condition. These preferences are shaped by past experiences, upbringing, or stereotypes that we are not always cognitively aware of. These biases impact how we treat others, often unfairly, even when the intention is different. 

Through a Nonprofit lens, at an institutional level, these biases show up in various ways and influence who organizations partner with or their developmental practices. Additionally, these biases can create a narrow view of funding that is sought out when there could be more available if these biases are challenged. Furthermore, biases show up in our everyday lives in how we interact with our communities. Here are a couple to note and ways to combat them:

Conformity Bias

Conformity bias is the act of adjusting one’s beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors to match those around you, usually to avoid tension or conflict. When teams conform to the dominant views, they might overlook or undervalue diverse community needs, resulting in programs that don’t effectively address the issues at hand. Additionally, nonprofits might tailor their messaging or programs to align with what is currently favored by donors, rather than focusing on the genuine needs of the community they serve.

Alternatively, from a donor perspective, conformity bias can perpetuate existing power dynamics and bias which influences how donors distribute their funds, set requirements, and priority limitations.

In all the roles in the nonprofit sector, being confident in your given position could not only expose other unseen biases, but also bring in outside perspectives that could better the performance of your organization.

Confirmation Bias 

Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor information that confirms one’s preexisting beliefs or values while disregarding or minimizing information that contradicts them. The difference between confirmation bias and conformity is that confirmation bias is about reinforcing personal beliefs, while conformity bias is about aligning with the group’s beliefs.

An example may be that nonprofits may only focus on positive outcomes that align with their mission while ignoring negative results or critical feedback, leading to an inaccurate assessment of program effectiveness. This is also reflected in seeking grant opportunities as confirmation bias can result in a reliance on traditional funding sources, potentially neglecting emerging issues or innovative funding opportunities.

By expanding thought processes and seeing the full picture of successes and improvements, organizations can expand their growth beyond what is expected.

The list goes on of the different types of unconscious bias but the most important thing is to recognize where they stem from and how to overcome them. To combat these biases here is a brief list of action items to limit these unseen barriers:

1. Facilitate and invite an open environment to have difficult conversations. 

Building a work community of transparency is crucial in social impact fields as how one communicates with its staff will translate into communication with community members.

2. Integrate critical thinking exercises into team meetings to challenge assumptions and encourage the exploration of alternative solutions.

If your company has a singular approach to its development, notice what is being limited or ignored when diverse source-seeking is absent.

3. Encourage constructive feedback. 

If team members feel unnoticed or not listened to, that becomes problematic in collaboration. If a team can not take critical feedback from each other, it won’t be able to grow and understand feedback from donors or partnerships limiting their success on multiple fronts.

4. Exposure to different cultures and sources of information.

Analyze how and when data is getting reported.  If there are patterns of gaps, one-sidedness, or inconsistencies in any presented information it may be time to switch up.

5. Create data-driven evaluations for your organization to have objective evidence for assessment. 

Data that can complement and validate personal experiences is key to increasing funding and organizational development. 

However, when biases go unchecked they can develop into microaggressions and other harmful tactics that increase the inequities many organizations work to eliminate.

Microaggression

Microaggressions speak of one’s bias or prejudice that questions a person’s identity, which usually isn’t covert, but is masked in a pseduo friendly, like tone. While many people don’t realize the intent behind harmful comments or behaviors, it’s a form of oppression that reinforces power differentials between groups despite its intent. Some examples include:

“Where are you actually from?”​

This question invalidates that a person couldn’t be a part of a dominant community based on their appearance or experiences.  

“I don’t see color. I’m color blind.”

This dismisses the importance of race and ethnicity in shaping a person’s identity and experiences and how they interact with the world. If you are working with or serving vulnerable populations; by not acknowledging systemic racial inequities, it removes the fact that people of color face unique challenges and prejudices based on their race. When doing that you can not fully address an issue if you can’t fully see who that person or community is. Other behaviors may look like:

• Underrepresentation in Stories: Actively seeking out stories and images that predominantly feature certain demographics, while marginalizing the experiences of others.

   

• Overgeneralizing Experiences: Assuming that all individuals from a particular background share the same experiences or perspectives.

   

• Cultural Appropriation: Utilizing cultural symbols or practices in programming or marketing without understanding or respecting their significance.

It’s important to note that these intangible harm tactics are just as dehumanizing as covert action. One example is the emotional effect: 

Emotional Labor

“This refers to racist microaggressions that People of Color regularly endure because of conscious or unconscious, systemic racism, and it can cause anxiety, depression, and even physical symptoms that take a toll on bodies and souls…People of Color are expected to give White people the benefit of the doubt because they don’t know better or didn’t intend to be racist. This takes an emotional, spiritual, and physical toll on people of color, and affects how they move through a white-dominated society” (R-Squared, 2024 https://www.r2hub.org/library/overt-and-covert-racism ). ​

Conclusion

In the nonprofit sector, microaggressions can undermine inclusivity, employee morale, and the effectiveness of programs aimed at serving diverse communities. Through these assertive assumptions, there is an emotional labor that is always involved. Emotional labor can be defined as the mental obstacles individuals from marginalized groups are forced to cope with, respond to, or mitigate the effects of subtle, often unintentional, discriminatory comments or behaviors. 

An example of a practice to decrease microaggressions and release potential existing emotional labor, is to involve community members in program design and evaluation to ensure that initiatives are culturally relevant and effectively address their needs.

Microaggressions can significantly impact the nonprofit sector by creating barriers to inclusivity, collaboration, and effective community engagement. By actively recognizing and addressing microaggressions, nonprofits can foster a more inclusive environment, enhance team dynamics, and better serve the diverse communities they aim to support.

As community workers, we must recognize our biases and microaggressions, so we can break the cycle of inequalities and efficiently uplift our communities.