What are some strategies for creating a safe space for diverse voices in your philanthropy organization?

It’s important to understand that trust and psychological safety are different. Trust is built 1:1, psychological safety happens in groups. You first need trust to have safe spaces. This is important if you are going to assess your organizations DEI values and how they live out day to day - because you will need both to gather meaningful feedback and data. All this said, I’d recommend a few considerations for assessing: 1) ensure that survey data can be broken down by race so that you can evaluate differences in experiences. 2) organize focus groups in affinity and ensure a trusted facilitator from the same racial identity. 3) be mindful of how different “tasks” are from culture - (policy vs sense of belonging).

Listen Deeply: Foster open dialogue through active listening workshops & surveys, prioritize marginalized voices, and acknowledge lived experiences. Challenge Bias: Conduct unconscious bias training, diversify leadership and decision-making, and implement equitable hiring practices. Empower & Amplify: Provide mentorship and career development opportunities for diverse staff, promote their expertise in grantmaking and communications. Celebrate Differences: Organize cultural events, create employee resource groups, and champion inclusivity in grantmaking and advocacy campaigns. Seek Continuous Feedback: Regularly assess internal culture, conduct anonymous surveys, and adjust policies based on diverse perspectives.

Converger las ideas de grupo Mediante la lluvia de ideas o brainstorming permite la motivación e interés en el desarrollo institucional.

Safe space is the most difficult category because of the fearful won't dare move away from silence, and the extroverts may dominate the safe space, which doesn't help with collaboration. Rules should be tailored by minutes, topics and teams. These starting agendas give safety a reasonable set of options where the voices can be heard, and the teams can be formed with time limits, so that domination can't be overwhelmed by the extroverts. I have seen introverts take a big leap into the topics and teams when they feel safe in the timed sequences. I've done some category searches between extroverts and introverts and see a large majority with introverts being able to grow topics, teams and rules being followed much more than the extroverts.

Community-centered feedback is at the core of understanding how your organization is perceived in the DEI arena. Engaging in open, honest, and sometimes difficult conversations can help an organization identify opportunities to provide more authentic representation and enhanced services.

Creating a network of stakeholders, constituents, and community supporters in the form of an advisory council can help facilitate a safe space for this kind of open dialogue. Surveys are one entry point to feedback. Bringing in a third-party facilitator to conduct raw and sometimes anonymous interviews is another way to allow community members to feel confident and safe providing necessary input.

I agree with the writer above and also have a few recommendations. - trainings and workshops are good starters but won’t “train people up”, practice will. Adopt common group agreements and get comfortable with sharing how people are showing up when there are mis-alignments. - believe: when you listen to learn from others, believe the person sharing. Chances are what they are sharing is very hard. To give difficult feedback and then not be believed will shut down a space. - listen to understand, not to respond or judge. - do not expect or ask people of color to share their stories of injustice irrespective of trauma. It is not their job to educate others.

Facilitate open dialogues and learning sessions within your philanthropic organization. Encourage employees to share their experiences, perspectives, and insights. Implement diversity and inclusion training programs to foster understanding and awareness. Continuous learning initiatives can create a more informed and empathetic environment, promoting mutual respect among diverse voices.

There is no set way to engage with people. Our approach should be nearly as diverse and original as the people we come in contact with. We must embrace an evolutionary process to reach the people we serve.

I am a firm believer that we need to reiterate our mission statement often. It’s so easy to get caught up in the mundane and monotony of life and work that’s e forget why we do what we do. A charge to remember our purpose puts in perspective why our work is so important.

Identify the goals and strategies that you have decided on. Clearly outline then for leaders and departments, share-out - to get engagement and action make sure that many across your team and others are a part of these discussions! - prioritize, share out plan. - The plan or DEi roadmap will help inspire actions. - revisit goals and priorities often, several times a week/month.

Define clear diversity and inclusion goals for your philanthropic organization. Develop actionable steps and initiatives to achieve these goals, ensuring they align with your overall mission. Transparently communicate these objectives to the entire organization, fostering accountability and a shared commitment to creating a safe and inclusive space for diverse voices. Regularly assess progress and adjust strategies as needed.

Actively celebrate and support diversity within your philanthropic organization. Recognize and acknowledge cultural events, heritage months, and achievements of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Foster an environment that values diverse perspectives and contributions. Implement inclusive policies that address the unique needs of different communities. By doing so, you'll create a culture that embraces and uplifts the richness of diversity within your organization.

Vielfalt der Geschlechter, des Alters, der Kulturen, der Sprachen und der Ausbildung schaffen einen Denkraum der Den heute vielfach vorhanden Tunnelblick weitestgehend verhindert. Flache Hierarchien und eine offene Diskussionskultur sowie Transparenz im Handeln gleichzeitig Freir?ume er?ffnen, schaffen eine Atmosph?re für kreative L?sungsans?tze.

Regularly seek feedback from employees, especially those from diverse backgrounds, to understand their experiences and gather insights. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement in your organization's inclusivity efforts. Demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement by implementing changes based on the received feedback, fostering an environment where diverse voices feel heard and valued.

Capacity training on DEI and Intersectionality.This will ensure that those without lived experiences of marginalization can learn and appreciate the beauty and necessity of DEI

Encourage collaboration and networking opportunities both within your organization and with external partners. Building connections across diverse groups fosters a more inclusive environment. Engage with external organizations or networks that focus on diversity and philanthropy to exchange ideas and best practices. Collaborative efforts can lead to a broader understanding of diverse perspectives and enhance the impact of your philanthropic initiatives.

Contributions through the portals of philanthropy ‘does not’ always have to be monetary. This is important. Many programs need commodities, counsel, research, mentorship and being a seat on their board. All of this is value-added and can make a great impact over the course of time. Utilizing these offerings can be the difference maker with many programs when they know these services are available.