Diversity and Inclusion Statement

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

VISION statement We envision local communities where all individuals and families achieve their full potential through education, income stability, and healthy living.
MISSION STATEMENT To improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our communities. We accomplish this mission through forging innovative partnerships, finding new solutions to old problems, cultivating the best resources, and by inspiring individuals to join the fight against our communities’ most daunting challenges.

DIVERSITY and INCLUSION COMMITMENT & DEFINITIONS

Greater Gallatin United Way strives to be a model of diversity and inclusion, with our board of directors, staff and volunteers reflecting the diverse identities of our community and the many faces, cultures and walks of life that proudly make up our world. We respect, value and celebrate all aspects of identity including gender, age, ability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, religion or spirituality, political ideology, and other identities not listed here. We know that disparities exist among traditionally underserved populations and that bringing diverse individuals together allows us to collectively and more effectively address the issues that face our communities. It is our aim, therefore, that our partners, strategies and investments reflect these core values.

Definitions:

di·ver·si·ty (d-vûrs-t, d-) n.: the quality of being different or unique at the individual or group level. This includes age; ethnicity; gender; gender identity; gender expression; language differences; nationality; parental status; physical, mental and developmental abilities; race; religion; sexual orientation; LGBTQI; skin color; socio-economic status; work and behavioral styles; the perspectives of each individual shaped by their nation, experiences and culture—and more. Even when people appear the same on the outside, they are different! We recognize that individuals often have intersecting identities many of which are not visible, yet are equally valued, respected, and seen as sources of strength.

in·clu·sion (n-klzhn) n.: a strategy to leverage diversity. Diversity always exists in social systems. Inclusion, on the other hand, is intentional and must be created. In order to leverage diversity, an environment must be created where people feel supported, listened to and able to do their personal best.

DIVERSITY and INCLUSION STATEMENT of PRINCIPLE

More than 125 years ago, the diverse community leaders who founded United Way crossed cultural, religious and economic boundaries to make a difference through collective action. Today, diversity and inclusion remain vital to achieving our mission, living our values and advancing the common good. United Way fosters and promotes an inclusive environment that leverages the unique contributions of diverse individuals and organizations so that we can collectively and effectively create opportunities for a better life for all. United Way takes the broadest possible view of diversity, going beyond visible differences to affirm the essence of all individuals including the realities, background, experiences, skills and perspectives that make each person who they are. Engaging the power of diverse talent and partners results in innovative solutions and the community ownership necessary to address complex community issues.

Diversity and inclusion are at the heart of what it means to LIVE UNITED.

BEST PRACTICES for INCLUSIVE PARTICIPATION & OUTREACH of Greater Gallatin United Way Initiatives and Programs

Organizations that make their inclusion strategy a priority and share its importance with others are more effective. They attract a loyal base of partners, volunteers, and donors who recognize that they are valued by the organization and its initiatives and programs. Outreach efforts communicate the commitment the Greater Gallatin United Way (GGUW) board of directors and staff have made to diversity and inclusion. GGUW will assess external and internal participants’ experience at key GGUW outreach efforts in evaluating the organization’s diversity and inclusion practices. The following are GGUW’s criteria for measuring the inclusiveness of GGUW’s initiatives, programs, workgroups, boards, committees, events and outreach.

Board, Staff, Committees, Program, and Event Participation

  • GGUW board of directors, staff, committees, programs, and event participation is assessed regularly and diversity and inclusion will be an ongoing topic of conversation for planning events and projects.
  • New membership/recruitment for GGUW board, staff, committees, programs, groups, events, projects, and initiatives is thoughtfully considered for inclusivity with a goal to have participants reflecting under-represented, diverse populations.
  • Invite lists and speaker/facilitator selections for GGUW events, programs, and trainings are thoughtfully considered for their inclusivity. We strive to be at least as diverse as our community’s population and make each event more inclusive and diverse than the one before it.
  • All events will be evaluated for diversity and inclusion using a combination of demographic data and participant feedback collected through voluntary and anonymous means. 

As a best practice, we want to develop and implement a measure of evaluation for diversity and inclusion at all events. This may include demographic variables + experience – Did people actually feel included for their contributions and perspectives in the event? How are we doing? We may include a voluntary process for diversity / identity inclusion / disclosure through anonymous satisfaction survey / paper / web-based survey / polling through text messaging during events. We aim to watch out for tokenizing. We aim to educate and help normalize asking these questions.

All Types of Outreach

  • Regularly use diverse images that represent all aspects of identities in our community in GGUW outreach, including advertising, direct mail, promotions and other vehicles.
  • Communication efforts regularly highlight the activities in which GGUW impacts and engages with diverse communities.
  • Diversity information is reflected in GGUW communications and is up-to-date.  GGUW’s vision to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve is frequently cited in communications outreach.
  • We will always include our diversity and inclusion statement in materials. Targeted Communications

Targeted Communications

  • GGUW tailors our communications to be culturally sensitive and inclusive. We consider which messages, or which presenters, would best appeal to particular audience segments. If we don’t know, we will ask
  • We will make decisions based on feedback from surveys and other information sources.