September 29, 2005 | Read Time: 1 minute
Inclusiveness at Work: How to Build Inclusive Nonprofit Organizations
by Katherine Pease
With this workbook, the Denver Foundation has created a blueprint for nonprofit organizations seeking to increase the diversity of their employees and incorporate the needs and perspectives of different groups of people as they design and carry out their programs.
Becoming “inclusive” can help charities better serve their clients and improve the job satisfaction of their employees, the book says. It also raises the potential for tapping into new donor pools, improving the efficiency of programs, and reaching out to new clients and audiences.
But charities must make an organized and long-term effort if they are to embrace inclusiveness, the book says. Its pages are divided into 18 “modules” that guide nonprofit groups through every step of the process.
The book includes advice on creating a committee of staff and board members to lead the process, hiring people from outside the group to conduct training on inclusiveness, and making the case for inclusiveness within an organization. It discusses how to tailor a plan for embracing diversity to an individual organization and its clients, and offers assistance in putting that blueprint into practice. Checklists, worksheets, and a list of other resources on the topic are among many materials designed to smooth an organization’s transition.
The workbook is a product of the foundation’s Expanding Nonprofit Inclusiveness Initiative.
Publisher: Denver Foundation, 950 South Cherry Street, Suite 200, Denver, Colo. 80246; (303) 300-1790; http://www.denverfoundation.org; 185 pages; $35; ISBN 0-9768209-0-0.
