Establishing a Firm Foundation
Our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts inspire all of us at BWF to pursue a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive world—one where DEI is in our DNA.
Our DEI Journey
BWF’s DEI journey began in 2019, when new leadership assumed the helm of the firm. The road we’ve traveled has brought us to this moment of greater understanding and deeper awareness. Though we first began with a checklist of things to get done, we quickly realized that success was contingent not upon completing a list of tasks, but on creating a foundation that would underpin our work going forward.
To date we have reached many important milestones that have created the foundation we need.
Dedicating Resources
- Created DEI Guiding Principles
- Retained DEI consultants to help surface various perspectives and insights and provide important support and coaching
- Hired BWF’s first-ever human resources manager
- Established the DEI Council
Affirming Our Culture
- Conducted assessments to establish a baseline and identify areas of opportunity and any obstacles to creating a truly inclusive environment
- Administered firm-wide surveys to gain feedback on belonging, fairness, impact, and respect
- Launched ongoing trainings to expand cultural awareness, develop a shared language, and foster real dialogue about these critical issues
Creating Equity
- Updated policies (i.e., volunteer time off, firm holidays, calendaring of all predominant religious observances, and parental leave) to reimagine how we think about work as a firm
- Expanded roles and career pathways to open doors for more diversity and flexibility on the work/life continuum, helping to both attract and retain great employees
- Provided compensation transparency by openly communicating salary ranges in job postings and sharing pay scales with applicants and current employees to promote pay equity, attract accomplished and high-achieving talent, and increase employee satisfaction
- Developed an inclusive hiring guide to help mitigate biases and create practices to build a more diverse and inclusive workforce
Providing Thought Leadership
- Released white paper titled “Considering Data Inclusivity” by Shannon Cooper and Joelle Clemons, who also presented a webinar on Making Data Inclusivity Click.
- Contributing thought leadership to the nonprofit industry is a perennial goal.
At BWF, our DEI foundation is based on people, place, and practice—areas of focus that now inform our future course of discovery and action.
The Road Ahead
Our work continues as we seek to infuse DEI intrinsically throughout the firm’s hiring, onboarding, and marketing as well as within the career pathways for team members. In our efforts, it has become clear that even small changes make an impact, and we have begun to realize important changes.
BWF leadership is committed to continuing to invest resources in DEI training, professional development, and the gathering of quantitative data to evaluate progress. As we continue on our journey of discovery and continuous improvement, we will set ambitious goals and monitor our progress to keep us moving ever forward.
We know there is more to learn and to do, and the BWF team—high-performing individuals with intellectual curiosity, a penchant for collaboration, and a desire to support and elevate one another—is ready to meet the challenge.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
BWF exists to empower nonprofits to achieve impact and imagine new possibilities, we are committed to collaboration, integrity, and discovery – creating a workplace where everyone can thrive as individuals with unique perspectives. Our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion drives our ability to provide innovative solutions and create the best outcomes.
The BWF team is committed to bringing our learnings and insights to our partners in education, healthcare, public and human services, arts and culture, faith-based, and environmental and animal organizations, empowering them to further infuse DEI into their work to better our world and realize their own DEI goals.
