DEI Strategic Planning Blueprint
Curious about creating a DEI or Anti-Racism Strategic plan? Below are a few of the steps I often take an organization through to determine and create a working plan. I hope this can serve as a blueprint for you as you begin your DEI work. Reach out if I can be of support as you move farther along in your journey and put plans into action.
Take Stock. You have to know where you are beginning to see where you’re going.
Take note of what demographics you currently have and which you don’t.
Compile what past DEI initiatives have happened
What are the mission, vision, and values of your organization?
Get feedback from employees. This might mean implementing a (short) survey plus empathy-based listening sessions to learn more about your employee's experiences. Or it could mean looking at the results of surveys you already send and making the plans needed for shifts staff have already identified.
2. Ask Why. Now that you have all the above listed out, it’s time to assess:
Why are some demographics missing from your organization? Why are some over-represented?
How did your past DEI initiatives go? Why did they go that way?
Do we see the mission, vision, and values of the organization reflected in on-boarding, current employee engagement, and off-boarding processes?
What do employees really think about how the organization is doing? Are their experiences good ones? Consider how some demographic groups may feel different than others?
3. Think Big. Now that you’ve audited and assessed, it’s time to think about where you want to be as an organization in the future. We can’t just look at this year or next we have to think further out. Incremental change can often be long lasting so let’s set up a plan that includes a vision of 1, 5, 10 years. This vision will include your ideas, the staff, the board of directors, your customers/clients, and the community. Co-creating this plan is a powerful process.
4. Set Goals. We can do this in a few of the ways listed:
Data collection or internal audit
Create time-bound markers within your DEI strategic plan. I recommend SMART goals that help groups make progress along the way and show the changes that occur.
Integrate DEI into staff meetings or 1:1 check-ins so it’s constantly a part of the culture and process.
Create a culture of ongoing opportunities for professional development, growth, and education.
5. Be Accountable. Now that you have some ideas, goals, and initial plans, you have to build in steps to assess and reassess progress and report to the organization.
How will you celebrate the successes and prepare to take on the challenges together?
How will you revisit the areas that you seem to keep hitting up against challenges?
How are you tracking progress so that the process is also a valuable part of the outcomes?
These steps are a great jumping-off point for building a plan. I encourage DEI plans to be highly accessible and editable because you will continue to learn and grow throughout the process. Let me know if I can help you make a DEI plan, review something you’ve created or want to brainstorm the best route for your organization.
