Consulting for Transformative Culture Change
To advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we have to transform the way we work
and interact with one another. As we do this, an honest evaluation of ourselves and our organization is critical to determine how we are shifting into creating a new culture of belonging.
Assessments
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) Individual and organizational assessments are critical components and often the first step in the process of cultivating a DEIB culture.
• Organizational assessments measure how inclusive your organization is, where the gaps are, and what hidden problems might be. Most organizations choose to only do an organizational assessment.
• However, we believe that individual assessments are just as critical to help measure where we all stand and what implicit biases we hold.
• The process is inclusive of boards, leadership, all staff, and key stakeholders. In the end, you’ll be equipped with the data, findings, and recommendations to support your organization in taking its next steps towards building a culture of DEIB.
People & Culture
How do we foster a culture of equity, inclusion, and belonging through people & culture?
Did you know that human resources (HR) were developed and cultivated out of systems of oppression and rooted in the enslavement of Black/African Americans?
We can help your organization shift from HR to truly focusing on people and workplace culture. We support organizations in
• reviewing and recommending changes to HR policies and practices through an equity and inclusion lens;
• consulting around recruitment and retention - particularly for employees who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; and
• coaching for nonprofit leaders and BIPOC/Global Majority staff
Board of Directors
Boards should reflect the communities they serve. But 84% of boards are white, and 90%+ of board chairs are white. How do we reimagine Boards to be accountable to the communities they serve? Furthermore, how do we recruit for and retain “diversity” on the board?
It goes beyond the board matrix. We help examine your current Board’s culture including existing barriers that may prevent or discourage potential members from joining.
We also provide
• training on nonprofit essentials through an equity lens for board members
• support with creating a board equity and inclusion plan; and
• designing for a board evaluation process that takes into account feedback and support to the communities served.
It is important to cultivate an inviting, power-sharing, and resource-sharing environment because we often have staff who are survivors. Through an assessment/audit, we can assess where your nonprofit is in terms of readiness to move towards creating that culture change. This is important before moving into ongoing and repeated training because it will require that we learn and unlearn the power, privilege, biases, and systems that we may have benefited from.
True culture change requires committed leadership willing to do the internal work that it takes to recognize their own biases, gaps, and issues that contribute to systems of oppression. The internal work includes everyone from the board to directors to managers to front-line staff.