Comments on: Let’s Hear More About Work for Diversity and Inclusiveness http://www.tristaharris.org/lets-hear-more-about-work-for-diversity-and-inclusiveness Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:35:56 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul Bachleitner http://www.tristaharris.org/lets-hear-more-about-work-for-diversity-and-inclusiveness/comment-page-1#comment-1106 Paul Bachleitner Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:04:10 +0000 http://www.tristaharris.org/?p=928#comment-1106 You're welcome, Charles! You’re welcome, Charles!

]]> By: Charles http://www.tristaharris.org/lets-hear-more-about-work-for-diversity-and-inclusiveness/comment-page-1#comment-1104 Charles Sun, 13 Sep 2009 17:38:23 +0000 http://www.tristaharris.org/?p=928#comment-1104 Paul - Thanks for the helpful information! Paul – Thanks for the helpful information!

]]> By: Paul Bachleitner http://www.tristaharris.org/lets-hear-more-about-work-for-diversity-and-inclusiveness/comment-page-1#comment-1103 Paul Bachleitner Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:06:37 +0000 http://www.tristaharris.org/?p=928#comment-1103 Charles, I'm sorry I haven't replied sooner. I just returned from a long Labor Day weekend. Foundations vary too widely for me to discuss their work adequately in general terms. As you note, foundations' diversity work can result in changes externally and internally or in few measurable changes at all. Let me site a couple examples from my case study of foundations that have shown change. <a href="http://denverfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow">The Denver Foundation (TDF)</a> has been a leader of the field in communicating its work and making progress for change. In 2001, it launched the Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative (ENII), a research effort to increase inclusiveness in nonprofits. The program was successful and from the results they launched efforts internally to become more diverse. People of color now occupy more than 50% of its board seats and account for 60% of its management staff. TDF has also interacted with external constituents by making ENII permanent as a new program with a separate website, <a href="http://nonprofitinclusiveness.org/" rel="nofollow">www.nonprofitinclusiveness.com</a>. The website offers a number of very practical, useful features: including study results, a workbook for nonprofits and philanthropies to become more diverse, and a database of consultants who can help organizations become inclusive. Other efforts, such as those of the C.S. Mott Foundation, are promoting new media as a means to connect. Mott features a website section devoted to its <a href="http://www.mott.org/ourissues/Race%20and%20Reconciliation.aspx" rel="nofollow">Race and Reconciliation</a> work. The site is a repository of dynamic info about its work on race, its grantees, their work, and related information and news, including podcasts and videos. People can quickly find information they want and share and learn more about it. Measuring the success hasn't been without challenges. But Mott is receiving a lot of positive responses through feedback from users and grantees and through high attendance at events promoted through the site. Ford, Packard, and Marguerite Casey are the other organizations in the case study, and they've also done some great work by communicating diversity and serving as an example of positive results. Of course, their results aren't, and won't necessarily be, the same for other foundations. But the foundations seem to be establishing ideas for a model that others could adopt, either in full or in part. The conversation about communicating work on diversity still has a long way to go, but the framework for the conversation is emerging. Charles, I’m sorry I haven’t replied sooner. I just returned from a long Labor Day weekend.

Foundations vary too widely for me to discuss their work adequately in general terms. As you note, foundations’ diversity work can result in changes externally and internally or in few measurable changes at all.

Let me site a couple examples from my case study of foundations that have shown change. The Denver Foundation (TDF) has been a leader of the field in communicating its work and making progress for change. In 2001, it launched the Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative (ENII), a research effort to increase inclusiveness in nonprofits. The program was successful and from the results they launched efforts internally to become more diverse. People of color now occupy more than 50% of its board seats and account for 60% of its management staff. TDF has also interacted with external constituents by making ENII permanent as a new program with a separate website, http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness.com. The website offers a number of very practical, useful features: including study results, a workbook for nonprofits and philanthropies to become more diverse, and a database of consultants who can help organizations become inclusive.

Other efforts, such as those of the C.S. Mott Foundation, are promoting new media as a means to connect. Mott features a website section devoted to its Race and Reconciliation work. The site is a repository of dynamic info about its work on race, its grantees, their work, and related information and news, including podcasts and videos. People can quickly find information they want and share and learn more about it. Measuring the success hasn’t been without challenges. But Mott is receiving a lot of positive responses through feedback from users and grantees and through high attendance at events promoted through the site.

Ford, Packard, and Marguerite Casey are the other organizations in the case study, and they’ve also done some great work by communicating diversity and serving as an example of positive results. Of course, their results aren’t, and won’t necessarily be, the same for other foundations. But the foundations seem to be establishing ideas for a model that others could adopt, either in full or in part. The conversation about communicating work on diversity still has a long way to go, but the framework for the conversation is emerging.

]]> By: Charles http://www.tristaharris.org/lets-hear-more-about-work-for-diversity-and-inclusiveness/comment-page-1#comment-1101 Charles Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:09:54 +0000 http://www.tristaharris.org/?p=928#comment-1101 Paul, I appreciate your comments and questions about how foundations are or are not communicating their work about diversity and inclusiveness. And, I'd like to emphasis Jan Jaffe's question - what are we doing differently as a result of diversity and inclusiveness? I'd hope foundations continue to emphasize how their organization has changed since being intentional about being more inclusive. Have their funding strategies changed? Have their program areas been expanded in scope? Do foundations have a better understanding about how different social issues impact different populations differently? Are foundations talking about their work differently? Communicating work in diversity and inclusion means also describing the way an organization has changed. Paul, I appreciate your comments and questions about how foundations are or are not communicating their work about diversity and inclusiveness. And, I’d like to emphasis Jan Jaffe’s question – what are we doing differently as a result of diversity and inclusiveness? I’d hope foundations continue to emphasize how their organization has changed since being intentional about being more inclusive. Have their funding strategies changed? Have their program areas been expanded in scope? Do foundations have a better understanding about how different social issues impact different populations differently? Are foundations talking about their work differently? Communicating work in diversity and inclusion means also describing the way an organization has changed.

]]>