Advance the DEI goals of increasing the racial, ethnicity and gender diversity of the team, as well as meeting the signed obligations of the Act On Pledge including:

1. Creating safe spaces to have difficult conversations;
2. Unconscious bias education;
3. Peer to peer learning;
4. Creating and sharing strategic DEI plan with the Board of Directors. 

Action Learning Project #1: Substantial Dominant Culture Survey (launching in January)

• Learning question: How might we ensure Substantial’s culture is inclusive and not driven only by the dominant group?
• 100 day actions: Finalize survey, administer in January, share learnings at first all staff training, workshop antidotes (e.g. in DEI Working Group and at second all staff training)
• Build Working Group capacity to establish new action learning project around antidote ideas

Action Learning Project #2: Client Facing DEI Initiative Best Practices (in-development)

• Learning questions: How might we connect Substantial’s DEI efforts to client engagements?
• Idea: Host a roundtable with industry partners/leaders for a lively discussion on the topic, with actionable takeaways led by Substantial (highlighting best practice solutions)

C. All-staff Training

Two-hour mandatory staff training sessions (dates TBD). Develop and circulate a learning agenda for ongoing learning in-between training sessions.

Pre-session Learning Agenda

• Summary DEI Assessment Report and Dominant Culture Survey Report
• The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) Future Fluency Podcast Episodes 8-10 on bias
• Identity and intersectionality (target and agent rank) (Diversity Wheel, Agent/Target Rank)

Session 1 content includes:

• Overview of DEI initiative
• DEI Vocabulary and Bias
• Review key takeaways from DEI Assessment and Dominant Culture Survey

Session 2 content includes:

• Identity: Target and Agent Rank Skills Build (intersectionality)
• Dominant culture antidotes                               

D. People Manager + Leadership Team Training

Two 90-minute People Manager + Leadership Team training sessions led by Moving Beyond. The focus of these sessions is to build on the all-staff training efforts and provide those leading in the organization with additional skills to support living into the organization’s DEI goals.

E. Strategic DEI Plan

Building on the Q1-Q2 DEI Workplan, develop a Strategic DEI Plan with KPI’s (with opportunities for leadership input and buy-in), culminating in sharing it with the Substantial Board of Directors.

F. Follow-up Staff DEI Assessment

Conduct a follow-up survey to assess changes and identify indicators of success and areas of needed improvement for the DEI Initiative. Share results with DEI Working Group + People Managers.

TBD.