Tech-powered strategies to track and achieve your DE&I goals
Mission-driven organizations and associations continue to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives as an expression of their mission and values. Many have crafted and implemented DE&I policies for their board and for their organizations. The goals of those policies are to produce a more diverse and inclusive environment within the organization and the communities they serve, as well as for their donors, vendors and partners.
Boards and organizational leaders who are serious about meeting DE&I goals also ensure that successes and challenges are tracked and reported. However, most nonprofits or charities are not in the financial position to hire DE&I directors and staff to manage this reporting.
This is where board management software can help your organization measure and report on your DE&I efforts.
What you’ll learn
- Decide how to measure progress for DE&I initiatives
- The data your board needs for decisions around DE&I
- How to establish accountability and transparency
- Tips for choosing software to support DE&I
- How to use board management software to drive impact for DE&I
Defining DE&I goals and selecting metrics
Developing goals for your DE&I initiatives is a crucial step, but it’s not as simple as just setting priorities and making a list. DE&I can have various definitions. It’s important for everyone in your organization – the board, leadership, and employees – to understand what you want to accomplish with your DE&I initiatives.
Once the goals are created, then you must decide how you will measure progress and success, and what metrics you will use.
Board management software can help your board and leadership define DE&I, develop and set goals, and create metrics to measure progress. It offers a central place to collect and view research and other documents for board members and others to collaborate as you go about defining how you will measure DE&I initiatives for your organization.
Collecting and analyzing data
Data on DE&I efforts informs board decisions in two main ways. First, you can gather data to find out your strengths and weaknesses in areas the board has defined before you set your goals. Then, as your initiatives get rolling, you can use data to track progress toward those goals.
A central place for collecting data is essential in these efforts, and board management software allows you to store that information digitally and in one location, easily accessible by board members and staff. This data will help you adjust efforts or even go in different directions if necessary, helping to support data-driven decision-making around DE&I.
Establishing accountability and transparency
Nonprofits are increasingly under scrutiny by the communities they serve and their business partners. Your constituents value DE&I efforts, and they want to know that you are making progress toward the goals of creating a more equitable and diverse society, within your organization and in the work you do.
The fact that you are committed to tracking progress in your DE&I efforts demonstrates your willingness to be held accountable for that progress. Use secure workrooms and collaboration tools for your committees and workgroups who are tackling DE&I. During projects and also when work is completed, your organization can share news of that on its communication channels.
Tips for nonprofits for choosing a board management software partner to track and measure DE&I
Nonprofits and charities have neither the workforce bandwidth nor the budget to spend a lot of time building custom online platforms, but a board management software partner who understands their unique needs can help make DE&I tracking and reporting streamlined, allowing board members easy and intuitive access to the data and reports they need.
Here are some features to look for when selecting the right platform and partner for DE&I tracking and accountability for your organization:
User-friendly features: Look for a system with features that are easy for board members and staff to use. The ease increases the likelihood of board members, staff and others actively engaging with the platform, leading to more comprehensive and reliable tracking and decision-making.
Security and privacy measures: Given the sensitivity of DE&I data, robust security and privacy measures are important. Encryption, secure storage and compliance with data protection regulations are essential to safeguard confidential information. Granular user permissions ensure that only those that need access to the data and information have it.
Collaboration features for DE&I committees: If your nonprofit has dedicated DEI committees or task forces, choose a platform with collaboration features tailored to their needs. Shared workspaces or workrooms, document collaboration, and communication tools can enhance collaboration and streamline how you measure your DE&I goals. BoardEffect facilitates collaborative decision-making by streamlining communication and information sharing among board members, and allowing them to work on key documents and in workrooms together, helping to foster a culture of openness and inclusivity.
Reporting: It’s important to have a central location where you can load up reports that help the board monitor progress, identify trends, and adjust DE&I initiatives as needed. BoardEffect offers a centralized place for tracking and reporting on key DE&I metrics, ensuring transparency and accountability. This also helps board members prepare for meetings effectively when DE&I progress is being discussed and tracked.
Customized data collection: Through features like customizable surveys and polls, organizations can collect pertinent data on board demographics, inclusion perceptions and equity practices. A customizable report library can host reports that aid in data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
Benchmarking: You need to be able to compare your DE&I metrics against industry standards or similar organizations. Benchmarking provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of your initiatives and highlights areas for improvement.
Regular auditing and compliance tools: The inclusion of auditing and compliance tools for DE&I metrics helps ensure that your organization is in compliance with relevant regulations and standards while being transparent and accountable.
Scalability: Your DE&I goals may evolve and expand as your organization does the work and collects more data. Software should be able to accommodate increased data complexity, additional metrics, and a growing user base without compromising performance.
Using board management software to drive impact for DE&I
Choosing a board management software partner for measuring and tracking DE&I goals involves careful consideration. By using key features, mission-driven organizations can leverage technology to measure progress, drive accountability and achieve meaningful outcomes in their DE&I initiatives.
BoardEffect is designed with the unique needs of volunteer boards in mind. Our nonprofit board management software streamlines board processes, enhances and delivers secure communication, helping you to become an efficient and effective board. It offers a centralized place for setting goals, tracking and reporting on key DE&I metrics, and ensuring transparency and accountability.
Through features like customizable surveys and polls, organizations can also collect pertinent information, such as demographics, skillsets and other key data to help inform inclusion and equity practices.
BoardEffect also facilitates collaborative decision-making by streamlining communication and information sharing among board members and allowing them to work on key documents and in workrooms together, helping to foster a culture of openness and inclusivity. The customizable report library can host reports that aid in data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement.
By harnessing governance technology, mission-driven organizations can not only measure but also enhance their DE&I efforts, reinforcing their commitment to creating positive social impact.
Contact us for a demonstration of BoardEffect to see how it can support your board and organization in measuring and reaching your DE&I goals.
