I first learned about “D+I,” or “Diversity plus Inclusion,” from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) where I am a long-standing member. This was three years ago when the ASAE Board of Directors approved its D+I statement and strategic plan that encapsulates its commitment to D+I, pledging to: (a) practice inclusion; (b) pull in diverse backgrounds and perspectives to enrich group capabilities; and, (c) point out opportunities to support equitable work environments and behaviors.
For ASAE and many other associations, D+I is both a business principle and practice. Thanks to ASAE’s D+I Committee, it has now greater capacity to support associations and industry partners in developing their own D+I concepts, policies, and practices to improve organizational outcomes.
When US-based Save the Associations organized a webinar entitled, “Where Everyone has a Seat at the Table: Achieving Inclusion in Associations,” I immediately signed in to attend. Save the Associations is a virtual show hosted by founder Sarah Sladek, of which my organization PCAAE is a global partner. The phrase—having a seat at the table—means that one is part of a conversation and has as much to say as anyone else around the table.
The one-hour three-part interview-type show anchored by Sarah featured six associations and their leaders: Association Forum President and CEO Michelle Mason; School Nutrition Association CEO Patricia Montague; Association for Women in Science CEO Sandra Robert; Hispanic Marketing Council Executive Director Horacio Gavilan; National Association of Realtors General Counsel and Chief Member Experience Officer Katie Johnson; and, Pedro Juan Windsor, managing director of ABA Center for Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession of the American Bar Association.
Ideas and resources for associations I got from the session are as follows:
The Association Forum has a Welcoming Environment Resource Center designed for association executives interested in learning, practicing, and implementing a WE at their association. AF defines WE as the creation of a sense of belonging and connectedness that engages individuals in an authentic manner in which uniqueness is valued, respected and supported through opportunities and interaction.
The American Bar Association (ABA) has a Diversity and Inclusion Center that promotes collaboration, coordination, and communication to advance ABA’s Goal III—to eliminate bias and enhance diversity and inclusion throughout the Association, legal profession, and justice system. It also has an ABA Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council to collaborate and communicate on diversity and inclusion efforts and initiatives.
The National Association of Realtors has Diversity and Inclusion Grants that provide funding to state and local realtor associations to enhance the inclusion of diversity in their leadership and collaborate with local chapters of national multicultural real estate organizations.
No one disputes that D+I matters. However, amidst the convergence of demographic, social, and technological shifts, many associations still face the challenge of starting or sustaining progress in D+I. It helps that ASAE has the Association Inclusion Index, an online diagnostic tool for membership organizations seeking to measure and improve the management of their current D+I philosophies, policies, and practices.
How’s your association’s D+I initiative doing?
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The excerpt was taken from “KPMG Thought Leadership, A balancing act: Privacy, security and ethics.”
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