COMPANION PIECE WITH SCORECARD GEARED TOWARDS CHAPTERS. How To Start A Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee In Your Chapter

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1 COMPANION PIECE WITH SCORECARD GEARED TOWARDS CHAPTERS How To Start A Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee In Your Chapter Volunteer a person who freely offers to take part in an enterprise or undertakes a task or objective. The definition of volunteer describes anyone involved in ALA business whether it is at the chapter level or a National level serving on a Committee. Many ALA chapters started their diversity and inclusion initiatives on a shoestring budget. What if the chapter has members? What if your chapter does not have a big budget? Honestly, you do not need a lot of money in the budget to get your initiatives started. Simply ask Jenniffer Brown from the New York City Chapter. Their budget consisted of $2,000. The Scorecard was designed to help you, as a firm leader, increase awareness of and sensitivity to the differences among our workforce and to advance the concepts of inclusiveness and acceptance. To be successful in an increasingly diverse world, leaders must be able to manage and leverage the differences that exist in their workforce, suppliers, and clients to develop workplace harmony for all employees. Further, anyone who has assisted in the completion of a client s RFP knows that our clients are looking to engage firms that recognize the importance of Diversity within the workforce. Many corporations now ask for specific numbers concerning Diversity ratios and this information may carry weight in the decision-making process when referring work to law firms. The programs you develop will help to determine if your employees continue with your firms or move on to a more inclusive company. ALA s Diversity Committee realized that many members needed assistance with developing effective programs and as a result, launched the Diversity Initiative Scorecard Roadmap to Change. This scorecard is a resource that will assist

2 those who wish to develop an initiative or expand an existing program based upon a list of Best Practices. What Is Diversity and Inclusion? Diversity is about recognizing, respecting and valuing differences based on ethnicity, gender, color, age, race, religion, disability, national origin and sexual orientation. It also includes an infinite range of individual unique characteristics and experiences, such as communication style, career path, life experience, educational background, geographic location, income level, marital status, military experience, parental status and other variables that influence personal perspectives. These life experiences and personal perspectives make us react and think differently, approach challenges and solve problems differently, make suggestions and decisions differently, and see different opportunities. Diversity, then, is also about diversity of thought. And superior business performance requires tapping into these unique perspectives. WHY do business professionals need it? Clients demand it. Do it or lose business. Cultural competency; clients want to do business with firms that understand and communicate with them effectively. Organizations struggle with recruitment and retention as well as mentorship and sponsorship. Organizations must keep up with the changing demographics, or fall behind. We have 5 generations in the workforce now. Knowing how to manage or lead all 5 generations is key to any organizational success. How Does A Small Chapter Get Started? Is My Chapter Too Small? Do We Really Need This? Whether your chapter has 10 members or 300 members, the answer is yes. Small Chapters have large law firms, yes? Step 1: Form a TEAM. You can t do it alone. Well, you can, but you will achieve greater results with others working toward the same vision or goal. Be sure to get buy in from the leadership of your chapter. If Chapter Leadership hasn t asked for volunteers, then VOLUNTEER to be the Chair for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Seek out others who are passionate about the importance of diversity and inclusion. Consider sending an to the chapter members asking for volunteers who want to facilitate change. The responses will astound you. As administrators, I believe we all want to make change for the good. Page 2

3 Step 2: Define Diversity and Inclusion. What is diversity? What is inclusion? Can you have one without the other? Define these terms. It may sound easy, but we guarantee you will learn new ways of thinking as you proceed with your new committee. Ensure everyone understands what diversity is and what initial goals you want to accomplish collectively. Towards the end of the first year or at the beginning of the second year, launch your first educational session. Your members have been reading and they are curious, they now want to attend your educational session so they can hear this information in person. Contact larger firms in your area to seek out speakers. Contact the local bar association and do not overlook your business partners, they will be very happy to provide speakers, space or cater a breakfast at no cost to your Chapter. You will find that once you educate your members and provide the necessary information, you will get participation. Your committee should meet at least once every two months in the beginning because you are still learning and creating. Meeting frequently will spur exchange of creative ideas. Be organized. The Chair (and Co-Chair) should create an agenda before the meetings and share the agenda with the committee. After every meeting, a committee member should create minutes from the meeting and share with the rest of the committee to reiterate what was discussed, noting action items. Step 3: Budget You do not need a large budget especially if you are a small chapter. Call in favors from your Business Partners, member firms and local bar associations for speakers, space, drinks & snacks. Be sure to ascertain if a speaker will have AV needs prior to convening the space. Step 4: Educate Chapter Members - Begin by educating your membership about what diversity is by writing articles on different aspects of diversity. Write about various diverse individuals and how they are impacted. These can be posted on your discussion board or listserv. Don t be afraid to include pictures to further demonstrate your narrative. Update your webpage - While you are educating the membership, create a diversity and inclusion webpage on your chapter s website to post the articles you ve written and use this resource as an information tool. Step 5: Set goals for your chapter. What is it that you want to accomplish? Make sure the committee is in agreement with your goals or mission. Create a mission statement so your membership can see what the chapter intends to accomplish for diversity and inclusion initiatives. Page 3

4 Step 6: Consult with Experts/Create Relationships. You don t have to go it alone, ask other ALA chapters what they are doing. Chapters with model diversity and inclusion programs can provide ideas and creativity. Did you know that The New York City Chapter started their diversity and inclusion initiatives on a shoe string budget? If your budget allows, find outside support to get your initiative started on the right track. Use ALA s Committee on Diversity & Inclusion as a resource for recommendations and ideas. The Committee on Diversity and Inclusion created ALA s Diversity and Inclusion Scorecard Roadmap to Change for Law Firm Leaders and for Chapter Leaders. You can find this Scorecard on ALA s Website on the Diversity Page. Also on ALA s Diversity Page are monthly spotlights of significant diversity highlights and tips for how you can celebrate them in your workplace. Diversity is about creating an inclusive environment within the law firms and legal community that your chapter serves. In order to effectively accomplish this you should build relationships with various diversity groups. Building these relationships will prove very valuable down the road. Extend yourself beyond the limits of the legal environment, attend diversity events outside of law, network with various community groups outside of law, especially if you have a tiny budget, these will become resources you can tap into later Step 7: Plan Your Presence. Keep diversity and inclusion visible throughout the year by weaving it into every aspect of chapter leadership, programs and activities. Include the business partners in your diversity and inclusion efforts. After all, business partners are owners or employers of a business. Work with your business partners to become more inclusive in their hiring and retention of employees. Get out in the community and make a difference. Several chapters work closely with local high schools to mentor students about professional work life. These students might not otherwise get a first hand peek at what it is like to work in a law firm without this program. Step 8: Utilize the Diversity & Inclusion Chapter Scorecard: A Roadmap to Change for ALA Chapter Leaders. The Scorecard identifies 25 best practices to ensure success and advancement of your initiatives at the chapter level. Display the We Participate seal on your chapter s website, and share your success stories with the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion. Page 4

5 1. Getting to know each other 2. What is Diversity and Inclusion? 3. Set Goals S A M P L E INITIAL DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE AGENDA 4. Mission/Vision statement put it on your webpage 5. Education Program for calendar year Community outreach Working with high schools in area Diversity & Inclusion Scholarship 7. ALA s Scorecard for Law Firm Administrators (use of) 8. ALA s Scorecard for Chapter Leaders (use of) 9. Job description for Chair 10. Business partner involvement ~~~ Remember, it takes one individual; one person to step up and say I ll Do It, I ll Take the Diversity and Inclusion Plunge. Prepared by Ruth Fry ALA Committee on Diversity & Inclusion March 2015 Page 5