Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Commitment Stretches Across All Dimensions of Our Work
It takes genuine and lasting commitment to make true equity and inclusion a reality in our communities. Compass is committed to this journey. We help nonprofits transform communities for the good of society by providing them equal access to business professionals who volunteer their talent and time. Within our own organization, we make diversity, equity, and inclusion a priority.
Compass is driving change by incorporating DEI in all that we do – within our own organization, in the nonprofits and leaders we serve, in volunteers who help deliver on our mission, and with our corporate partners and donors.
Investing in our Employees and Boards
Our DEI Initiative is action-based, led by a team of Compass board members, employees, and community members from Greater Washington, Greater Philadelphia, and Chicago.
We know that diverse groups increase innovation and creativity and make better decisions. We are working to ensure that our employees and board members bring varied perspectives, experiences, and networks to enable us to better serve nonprofits and engage diverse volunteers.
We are recruiting and building our own diverse boards to guide our work in each Compass city and enhancing our hiring practices to help us create a diverse workforce. We continue to evaluate and evolve our practices to foster an inclusive environment for board members and employees.
Supporting Nonprofits
Consulting
Compass focuses on providing support to nonprofits addressing the most pressing issues in our communities. Our high-touch, personalized consulting services are at the core of our work and community engagement. We seek to serve nonprofits whose missions drive equity and support marginalized populations. We also recognize the significant inequities faced by Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and Latinx-led organizations. Compass prioritizes and ensures significant representation of BIPOC-led and BIPOC-serving organizations among our consulting clients. The nonprofits we serve benefit from pro bono consulting services, and in turn, build stronger communities.
Board Governance
The Sorkin Center at Compass provides resources to support nonprofits in their own DEI work. Education sessions focused on racial equity and social justice are open to all nonprofit leaders and board members. The Sorkin Center offers a six-month Leadership Cohort for Executive Directors to create a DEI Plan for their organization. Cohort modules are led by corporate DEI professionals who also provide individual mentoring. On Board, our board matching program, prioritizes placing candidates from historically under-represented groups onto nonprofit boards to help nonprofits increase board diversity.
Engaging Volunteers
Compass is working hard to bring our volunteer opportunities to more people. We understand the value of having professionals on our consulting teams who reflect the populations in the communities our nonprofit clients serve. We know that diverse teams lead to the strongest outcomes, including the delivery and adoption of potentially transformational project recommendations. Diverse teams also create a strong pipeline of future civic leaders as many Compass volunteers join nonprofit boards, donate to nonprofits, and stay engaged in the nonprofit sector.
To increase volunteer diversity, Compass is expanding our network through partnerships with professional and affinity organizations and corporate business resource groups. We continue to assess and improve our volunteer recruiting processes, training, team building, and messaging to ensure inclusivity.
Embarking on Our Journey
We embrace our diversity, equity, and inclusion work as we learn and grow. We realize this is a journey. We may make mistakes along the way, but we are unwavering in our commitment for the long-term.
