Welcoming Environment® Best Practices

Strategic Priorities:

  • Make diversity part of the strategic plan for the entire organization.
  • Create a formal diversity & inclusion plan with metrics and hold staff and members accountable.
  • Incorporate diversity and inclusion sensitivity training for volunteer leadership and organizations staff.
    • The Profiles in Diversity Journal, is a bimonthly emagazine focusing on diversity/inclusion in business, government, nonprofit, higher education and military settings. The focus of the journal is senior leadership, best practices, workforce diversity strategies, and recognition of employee contribution. 
  • Focus on outreach globally, both cultural and language.
  • Benchmark your internal organizational metrics to the industry’s metrics.
  • Offer products and services in global languages and delivery methods.

Governance Structure:

  • Ensure that the diversity of your membership is reflected in your organization’s membership.
  • Showcase the organization’s diverse leaders.
  • Have succession planning for the organization’s diversity plan.
  • Create a diverse nominating committee for board nominations with formal written guidelines. 
  • Standardize requirements and interview questions for potential board members.

Membership and Programs:

  • Identify the point at which individuals become interested in the field your association represents and reach out to diverse populations at that time (high school, undergraduate, etc.).
  • Go to where diverse members are and recruit those members.
  • Establish affinity groups or Shared Interest Groups that cater to various shared interests within the membership.
  • Match less involved members with more involved members for mentoring purposes.
  • Partner with more diverse organizations on programs and events.
  • Include diverse faces in marketing materials including the organizations website.
  • Invite diverse speakers as faculty to education programs.


Sponsored by