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About ENII
- What is the Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative (ENII)?
Why did The Denver Foundation decide to focus ENII on issues of race and ethnicity?
- What else are The Denver Foundation and ENII doing?
- Is The Denver Foundation itself “walking the talk”?
- As a predominantly white-run organization, does The Denver Foundation have the skills and background to do this work well?
- Why should we care about inclusiveness?
About Inclusiveness at Work and Inclusiveness Initiatives
- How is Inclusiveness at Work put together?
- ENII focuses on race and ethnicity. What if we want to focus our inclusiveness initiative on more than race and ethnicity?
- Where do we/how do we find staff and board members of color?
- How much will an inclusiveness initiative cost?
- Are there diversity and inclusiveness consultants or trainers who you recommend? How much do they charge?
- How much time do the Executive Director and other staff members need to dedicate to an inclusiveness initiative?
- How long will an inclusiveness initiative take?
- The workbook is so huge! Do we have to complete the whole thing?
- Some members of my organization aren’t on board regarding inclusiveness. How can I help them to see the value in inclusiveness and this workbook?
- Will The Denver Foundation provide grants/where can we get funds for this?
- How did you develop the model described in Inclusiveness at Work? Who/what resources were consulted?
- Will there be a second edition of the workbook?
- What is the Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative (ENII)?
A: The mission of the Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative (ENII) is to enhance the effectiveness of Metro Denver nonprofits by helping them become more inclusive of people of color. ENII develops research and tools to help organizations achieve this goal. Since its launch in 2001:
Ø ENII has conducted qualitative and quantitative research about inclusiveness in Metro Denver nonprofits, compiled in the publication: Inside Inclusiveness: Race, Ethnicity, and Nonprofit Organizations.
Ø Staff and volunteers have made presentations on the best practices and barriers to inclusiveness to more than 1,500 board and staff members of nonprofits.
Ø The Denver Foundation’s on-line Technical Assistance Database includes numerous local consultants who provide services in the areas of diversity and inclusiveness.
Ø The newly-published workbook Inclusiveness at Work: How to Build Inclusive Nonprofit Organizations helps nonprofits develop their own customized inclusiveness blueprints.
Ø Twelve organizations have received grant support to work on building inclusiveness using the model outlined in Inclusiveness at Work.
Future ENII efforts will work at the individual, organization, and sector-wide levels to help foster inclusiveness. ENII is based on the belief that more inclusive organizations are more effective in achieving their missions.
- Why did The Denver Foundation decide to focus ENII on issues of race and ethnicity?
A: For three reasons.
Ø First, the demographic changes in Colorado are having a significant impact on nonprofit organizations and many nonprofits are not well equipped to respond to the changes.
Ø Second, race continues to be a significant, unresolved issue in our society and we believe that there is a continued need to have focused conversations and efforts that look at race.
Ø Finally, The Denver Foundation, in its work in the community, often heard that people were interested in information and resources related to inclusiveness, and specifically related to race and ethnicity. ENII was designed to respond to those community questions.
- What else are The Denver Foundation and ENII doing?
A: We are working on the sector-wide, organizational, and individual levels to continue bringing the message about the importance of inclusiveness to nonprofit organizations throughout our community and nationally. In addition to our presentations and grants to help a small group of organizations become more inclusive, we are developing strategies to reach out to communities of color and connect people with opportunities to serve in nonprofits. Information on all of our outreach efforts will be posted on www.denverfoundation.org.
- What is The Denver Foundation doing? Are you “walking the talk”?
A: The Denver Foundation is two years in to its own formal internal inclusiveness initiative. Led by a committee of staff and board members, this initiative has informed the writing of Inclusiveness at Work, in addition to applying many elements of the workbook process to The Denver Foundation.
- As a predominantly white-run organization, does The Denver Foundation have the skills and background to do this work well?
A: The Denver Foundation has committed significant time, energy and financial resources to ENII and to learning about nonprofit inclusiveness. In addition, ENII is directed by a Steering Committee of community leaders, almost all of whom are people of color. This group makes all of the critical decisions regarding this project.
- Why should we care about inclusiveness?
A: Inclusiveness has a demographic, mission, business, and equity imperative for nonprofit organizations. Inclusiveness affects the bottom line of nonprofit organizations: for example, organizations with more inclusive fundraising efforts will likely find that they can tap into more sources of funding.
Nonprofits are charged with improving their community and the lives of the people in their community, whether it is by providing mental health services, enrichment through the arts, or food to the hungry. As our community demographics change, nonprofits will need to understand and be able to meet the needs of a more diverse population if they wish to remain relevant and more effectively fulfill their missions.
- How is Inclusiveness at Work put together?
A:
Ø The workbook includes an introduction and a pre-test.
Ø The pre-test is followed by eighteen modules.
Ø Each module is marked by a tab.
Ø The modules begin with an overview of content, and then the text for that module. In most modules, you will also find a case study about a fictional organization going through the process.
Ø Last, the modules include blank worksheets for your organization to fill out. The worksheets are also included in fillable PDF format on the CD-ROM.
Ø The workbook ends with several appendices, including the original ENII research report from 2002, a partial list of resources, and a fax-back form for your comments.
- ENII focuses on race and ethnicity. What if we want to focus our inclusiveness initiative on more than race and ethnicity?
A: That’s no problem. While the workbook was designed for organizations that will focus on race/ethnicity, there are steps throughout the workbook that provide information on how to proceed if you have a broader focus area. Furthermore, The Denver Foundation recognizes that all forms of inclusiveness are essential.
- Where do we/how do we find staff and board members of color?
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