Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
TheCarpinoGroup has a proven record of working with organizations serving diverse populations and is committed to meaningfully engage those whose voices and lived experience can, and must, help inform the decisions that will impact them.
We approach our work with humility because we recognize that the color of our skin has afforded us privilege and access that historically has been unavailable to others. While we still have much to unlearn and so much more to learn, it is a journey to which we are deeply committed. That is one reason we took advantage of United Way’s 21-day Equity Challenge and continue to refer to the resources available there. In addition, serving as a volunteer mediator for child custody and visitation cases has heightened our self-awareness of implicit bias and underscored the importance of being non-judgmental.
When we work with clients to strengthen their governance structures, we actively challenge them to examine the composition of their boards with respect to diversity and inclusion. We then help these agencies pro-actively identify and recruit persons-of-color and others who can bring the qualifications, diverse perspectives, and thought leadership that are so critical to effective governance.
As we help clients craft identity and mission statements as part of their strategic planning efforts, we encourage them to think about whether and how they will express their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, regardless of race, age, ethnicity, or gender identity and expression.
Finally, a key element of our strategy development process is the creation of a strategy screen, a set of criteria that the strategic planning team will use to vet possible strategic responses to the key issues, challenges, or trends impacting an agency and those it serves.
A criterion that we recommend our clients include in their strategy screens is whether a proposed strategy will enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion within specific programs, the organization, or the community. That criterion, coupled with robust stakeholder and community engagement, should help ensure that the strategies included in a client’s final plan – as well as the strategies it will consider in the future – will move the agency closer to achieving its diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.