Accomplishments
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001
Governance
In order to fulfill the ambitious work plan and meet the demand for help regarding inclusiveness, the IPC forms over 10 task teams. These volunteer groups, led by staff, meet as needed to advise, support and communicate the work of the IP.
The improved structure and move away from standing committees allow the group to:
- accomplish a specific task to complete aspects of the IP Strategic Plan;
- carry out work between IPC meetings, allowing the IPC to focus on the big picture;
- enable members to share their expertise in order to advance inclusiveness; and
- learn from each other and get to know each other better.
Educational Opportunities for IPC Members
The IPC reaffirms the importance of staying grounded in their work, increasing their knowledge, and shifting their behaviors as individuals, as the IP, and as a community. A team is created to plan and host expanded educational sessions. The group works on how best to integrate these trainings into the structure of the committee.
Creating a New Learning Community
The bulk of the Ford Foundation grant will be re-granted to a new round of Learning Community Organizations who will go through a two-year process to become more inclusive of people of color. The grantmaking committee, consisting of volunteers from the IPC and previous grantees, develops and oversees the grantmaking process.
Ten selected organizations will:
(1) Receive small grants ($7000) for two years devoted to an intensive inclusiveness process. Grantees commit to making a $3000 annual match.
(2) Use our workbook, Inclusiveness at Work, to articulate their commitment to inclusiveness, partake in some form of inclusiveness/diversity training, complete an organizational assessment, create concrete institutional goals, and develop a specific plan to accomplish those goals.
(3) Participate in quarterly Learning Community meetings in which they have the opportunity to receive technical assistance on various aspects of the workbook and, most importantly, learn from one another.
(4) Work with Katherine Pease and OMNI Institute who will guide and evaluate, respectively, the process.
Inclusiveness Collaborative (the original Learning Community)
The Inclusiveness Collaborative of previous grantees meets regularly since the official end of their grants at the end of 2007. With minimal help from the IP and with facilitation assistance from Katherine Pease, the group works "to catalyze nonprofit organizations in Metro Denver to be more inclusive and collaborative in order to maximize their impact."
Colorado Funders for Inclusiveness and Equity
The funder group hosts a discussion about inclusiveness in grantmaking, particularly as it relates to site visits and the question on the Colorado Common Grant Application. The funder network develops a shared participation leadership model.
Board Access and Empowerment Summit
In collaboration with the Colorado Black Chamber's Chamber Connect program, the IP organizes the Board Access and Empowerment Summit. This opportunity connects about 50 nonprofit organizations working to become more inclusive of people of color with over 60 emerging leaders from the African American community. Planning immediately begins to develop quarterly follow-up sessions for participants in 2010.
Why Inclusiveness? Published
Content is compiled and developed to create a new publication, Why Inclusiveness? The document includes reasons for doing the work, with stories and data.
Evaluation Plan
A updated logic model is completed and an Evaluation Plan is developed.
Conference: "Building Inclusive Organizations: Talk to Action: Our Next Steps on the Journey"
The IP, guided by a volunteer task team develops a day-long inclusiveness conference in early November 2009. The conference will offer a series of speakers, break out sessions, and learning opportunities for nonprofit organizations working to develop tools and strategies to connect with diverse communities. A new session is developed to bring caucusing into the tool boxes of general market nonprofits. This session is a demonstration of a tentative willingness of nonprofits to explore and address internal/external power inequities. Of all the sessions, it is the most provocative. The conference will be held on an urban college campus, and we anticipate participation to hit our full capacity at 250 registrants.
Consultant Consortium
A discussion group of consultants working with nonprofits on inclusiveness issues will be organized at the conference. An outside facilitator will guide them through a conversation to determine ways the IP can support their work.
Governance and Planning Evolves
In February 2008 the IPC revises the mission statement for the Inclusiveness Project (IP). In doing so, the committee reaffirmed its commitment to focus on racial equity and explicitly state the project's commitment to advancing inclusiveness in the philanthropic community.
The mission of the Inclusiveness Project is to engage with Metro Denver nonprofit organizations, including funders, to become more inclusive of people of color.
When revisiting the outcomes, goals, and strategies of the IP during two strategic planning retreats in the first quarter, the Committee emphasizes their value for broad participation and an inclusive planning process. This leads to the involvement of close to 60 community members in crafting the IP's vision within the context of the revised mission. With their input, a 2009-2012 Strategic Plan is finalized.
Engaging Grantmakers
In Colorado, a Common Grant Application (CGA) is widely utilized and accepted by a majority of the larger foundations. A revised version of the CGA is launched in spring 2008 and includes - for the first time - a request for information about an organization's inclusiveness.
We partner with the Colorado Association of Funders to host a presentation for local Colorado funders by Henry Ramos and Mary Ellen Capek from Diversity in Philanthropy on September 3, 2008. This presentation leads to the creation of a funder network, Colorado Funders for Inclusiveness and Equity (COFIE). Funders from this group create a shared purpose, develop web site and host educational sessions.
Inclusiveness at Work in the Legal Community
An organization formed to help law firms, law schools and legal nonprofits become more diverse and inclusive approaches The Denver Foundation about rewriting the Inclusiveness at Work workbook for the legal community. The organization develops a cohort of law firms in Denver to pilot the legal version of the workbook.
Second Evaluation Completed
Results from the evaluation shows that inclusiveness is more than a moral imperative. It is also a strategic tool for increasing programmatic effectiveness, staff morale, and community collaboration. Nonprofit organizations report that as a result of their efforts to become more inclusive, they now provide more effective client services and have established more positive work environments. Some even report increased success in the areas of public relations, board governance, and fundraising.
Inclusiveness Collaborative
The original group of grantees decide to continue meeting, rename themselves the Inclusiveness Collaborative, develop goals, and recommit to learning from each other while advancing inclusiveness within their organizations.
Consulting, Training, and Presenting
The IP continues to be approached from nonprofit organizations, funders, and collaborative. The IP Program Officer, with support from committee members and other staff meet one-on-one with nonprofits, present workshops at conferences, and conduct trainings.
Web Site
An outside consultant is hired to convert printed resources, including the workbook, into Web-based tools. http://www.nonprofitinclusiveness/ is launched.
Second Round of Ford Funding
The IP receives a two-year grant for $200,000 to create a second Learning Community of grantees, host a conference, and implement pipeline strategies.
Speaker's Bureau: "Tools For the Journey"
Entitled, "Tools for the Journey," this presentation includes testimonies from organizations going through inclusiveness processes, explores the organizational benefits for becoming more inclusive, and provides an opportunity for participants to think about their organization's inclusiveness and what they can do to build that inclusiveness.
Nonprofit Internship Program
In response to focus group findings, an internship program is created to provide undergraduate students, many from communities traditionally underrepresented in the nonprofit sector, with paid internships in nonprofit organizations while building the capacity of the host organizations.
Workshops for Nonprofits and Individuals
ENII Outreach Consultant, The Community Resource Center, designs and implements a series of workshops. "Building Inclusiveness" is designed for Metro Denver nonprofits looking to become more inclusive of people of color; "Connecting to Opportunities" is a series designed to connect emerging leaders of color with opportunities in the nonprofit sector as donors, board members, volunteers or staff.
Conference: "Building Inclusiveness: Stories from the Journey"
ENII and the Community Resource Center host a second conference for nonprofit organizations looking to become more inclusive of people of color. Nearly 300 individuals from the nonprofit community attend this day-long event. The conference features volunteers and staff leaders from a variety of nonprofit organizations engaged in inclusiveness work and emphasizes the transformative impact of inclusiveness, as well as the challenges in engaging in the work at a deep and meaningful level. A majority of the conference takes place in a peer-to-peer format, allowing participants to learn from others who are doing the work.
Ongoing Program: The Inclusiveness Project
ENII Steering Committee and staff create proposal for The Denver Foundation Board of Trustees. On July 25 the Board votes to make ENII an ongoing program of The Denver Foundation with a commitment to use four percent of the money available for unrestricted grants beginning in 2008, approximately $220,000. The name of the initiative is replaced with a new name, the Inclusiveness Project, to demonstrate a stronger, lasting commitment to the work. The Board of Trustees also approves a new strategic plan for the whole foundation that includes updated values. Inclusiveness and Equity are now articulated as two of the four core values of The Denver Foundation.
Leadership and Management
As a result of the decision by the Board, a full-time Program Officer is hired. The ENII Steering Committee becomes the Inclusiveness Project Committee (IPC), an official committee of the Board of Trustees. The practical impact of this is that the committee now has more responsibility and a closer relationship to the Board of Trustees than previously.
Creation of the Learning Community
The Steering Committee creates a grants process and ENII provides grant support to twelve organizations, dubbed the Learning Community, to support their efforts to become more inclusive. The Learning Community begins to meet quarterly.
ENII Steering Committee chair transition
Dean Prina, chair since 2001, steps down. Rich Lopez, member of the Board of Trustees becomes new chair.
Kellogg Grant
ENII is awarded a grant from Kellogg for $187,000, with a granting period of January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2008. The grant allows ENII to:
(1) support a part-time Program Manager
(2) support the evaluation team and research efforts
(3) conduct marketing and outreach within Metro Denver
Strategic Plan Updated
The Steering Committee continues to update the Strategic Plan as it is implemented.
Pipeline Research
The Steering Committee seeks input from individuals within Metro Denver communities of color about ways to engage people of color in the nonprofit community. Consequently, ENII hosts two conversational meetings with more than 100 individuals of color, and conducts a survey of 110 college students and young nonprofit professionals from communities of color.
A Report from the Pipeline Published
A Report from the Pipeline summarizes information from the two meetings and survey. This publication outlines some elements in the experiences of individuals of color, personally and within the sector, that may lead to increased involvement as staff, board, volunteers, and donors for nonprofit organizations, and those elements that can deter involvement.
Workplace Research
Katherine Pease administers an online survey to collect perceptions and experiences of people of color and white people who work in nonprofit organizations - a total of 569 individuals who work in Colorado nonprofits provide information about their experience in the sector. The survey includes questions regarding perceptions of race-related discrimination and conflict in nonprofit workplaces and job satisfaction levels.
Inclusiveness at Work Published
After completing research to identify best practices and barriers to become more inclusive, the Steering Committee wants to provide nonprofit organizations with tools and resources to help them become more inclusive. Inclusiveness at Work, an 18-module workbook, is designed to help nonprofit organizations develop their own tailored blueprint for inclusiveness. Authored by Katherine Pease, The Denver Foundation staff, and members of the Steering Committee, the workbook helps nonprofits walk through a six-step process toward becoming more inclusive. Approximately 1500 workbooks have been distributed to date, both through sales and as gifts to Denver Foundation grantees.
Speaker's Bureau Presentation "Tools for Building Inclusiveness"
Entitled, "Tools for Building Inclusiveness," a presentation is created to provide an overview of ENII, information about the best practices and barriers outlined in Inside Inclusiveness, and to describe the process to become more inclusive that is outlined in Inclusiveness at Work.
Conference: "Diversity & Beyond"
ENII and the Community Resource Center, a local management support organization, hosts a conference for nonprofit organizations interested in learning about inclusiveness and to promote the workbook. Three hundred people attended, with more than two hundred on a waiting list.
First Evaluation Completed
Evaluation findings confirm the need for leadership and commitment around inclusiveness issues in Metro Denver nonprofit organizations.
Ford Grant
A grant from the Ford Foundation for $250,000 is awarded with a granting period from July 1, 2005 to December 31, 2007. The grant enables ENII to
(1) provide grants to nonprofits to become more inclusive
(2) hire researchers to establish a data-driven correlation between nonprofit effectiveness and inclusiveness
(3) support ENII staff and consultants
Continued Support of ENII
ENII submits grant proposals to the Ford Foundation and W.K. Kellogg Foundation to support the implementation of the 2005–2008 Strategic Plan. The Denver Foundation Board of Trustees votes to extend ENII's work through at least 2008; contributing $50,000/year plus staff support.
2005–2008 Strategic Plan
The early success and activities of ENII lead The Denver Foundation and the Steering Committee to create a four-year strategic plan for ENII. The plan is constructed to provide three additional years of comprehensive programming from 2005–2007 and one additional year to complete the programmatic work, to document and publish the results, and to effectively explore exit options in 2008. The four-year strategic plan is based on a framework which assumes that in order for the nonprofit community in Metro Denver to become more inclusive, change will have to happen at three levels simultaneously: (1) at the sector-wide level, (2) at the organizational level, and (3) at the individual level. The Communications, Organizational Resources, and Pipeline Subcommittees are developed to address ENII's programmatic strategies for each of these levels.
Inside Inclusiveness
Inside Inclusiveness: Race, Ethnicity and Nonprofit Organizations: A Research Report on Nonprofit Organizations in Metro Denver summarizes the findings from the qualitative research. The goal of this publication is to identify best practices from organizations that are highly inclusive of people of color, and to identify barriers - either real or perceived - that prevent nonprofit organizations from becoming highly inclusive.
Speaker's Bureau: "Inside Inclusiveness"
A presentation is developed to provide an overview of ENII and information about ENII's initial research and the best practices and barriers outlined in Inside Inclusiveness.
Grantees: "The Original 3"
ENII provides grant support to three organizations to support their efforts to become more inclusive.
2001–2004 Logic Model
ENII develops (retrospectively) a logic model describing ENII's efforts to assess and build inclusiveness in Metro Denver nonprofits. The logic model includes ENII's operating assumptions and theories, inputs and outputs, and a description of activities and expected outcomes and impact. The logic model also reaffirms ENII's focus on race and ethnicity.
Initial Plan
The ENII Steering Committee creates a plan to first research inclusiveness in nonprofits and then to develop tools to help nonprofits become more inclusive.
Initial Research
The Denver Foundation contracts with a student and faculty member of the University of Colorado at Denver Graduate School of Public Affairs and with consultant Katherine Pease to conduct quantitative and qualitative research about the inclusiveness practices of Metro Denver nonprofits. The initial research surveys more than 700 nonprofits in Metro Denver with budgets of more than $500,000 (210 nonprofits complete the survey). The research team perform in-depth case studies with 11 of the organizations. The Steering Committee provides input into the research's focus and help develop questions. In review, the major findings in this report included:
- Latinos, the largest community of color in the Metro Denver area, were significantly underrepresented both on the boards and staff of area nonprofit organizations. Although Latinos at the time made up 17% of the population, they made up only 13% of nonprofit staff members and 7% of nonprofit boards.
- Ninety-four percent of organizations reported that they did not keep track of the ethnicity of their donors.
- Over half of the organizations (58%) were interested in designing a comprehensive diversity strategy, 52% provided training to staff on racial/ethnic inequality, and 23% had diversity committees.
- Less than half (48%) actively recruited people of color for board positions.
- A quarter of nonprofit boards had no board members of color.
Creation of ENII (Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative)
In April 2001 The Denver Foundation decides to give a gift, in the form of a focused initiative, to the Denver Metro community. After time and deliberation, The Denver Foundation's Board and staff creates ENII as a vehicle to help the community benefit from an increased knowledge of and commitment to inclusiveness. The Board votes to contribute $50,000/year until 2004.
Focus Groups about Race and Ethnicity
The Denver Foundation convenes two focus groups of African-American and Latino leaders to hear about issues of race and ethnicity in the nonprofit sector. This guidance is very instructive in ENII's initial planning process.
Creation of Steering Committee
A 30 member task force of community leaders is convened; they appoint the original ENII Steering Committee members. The ENII Steering Committee creates its mission: "to enhance the effectiveness of Metro Denver nonprofit organizations by helping them become more inclusive of people of color. Recognizing that all forms of inclusiveness are essential, The Denver Foundation and the ENII Steering Committee, agree that the focus of this initiative is on issues of race and ethnicity.
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