2023 Racial Equity Update

A Journey from Learning to Doing

Since 2016, Fair Chance has made great progress in our Race, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (REDI) journey. Our work has been catalyzed and monitored by a cross-departmental staff Racial Equity Task Force and a Board Racial Equity committee. We have incorporated racism and discrimination into our mission statement to explicitly define the communities we serve. We have re-examined and changed our internal policies and practices to address inequity and bias.

Our REDI work is a journey because it is not linear nor is it ever over. Progress may seem incremental when we want to make big changes quickly. In 2023, we had to delay some major REDI work due to budget and staff capacity. Despite this setback, we were able to progress in our REDI work in ways that position us to be a stronger, more equitable organization.

New board member orientation at Fair Chance alumni partner Healthy Babies Project in Ward 7
ROLES 2022 ACTIVITIES
Leader
  • REDI Lens applied at board level during succession planning and review of board committee charters
  • Onboarded two POC board members to the board. Board is majority people of color.
  • Held board orientation at a partner location in Ward 7
  • Continued to hire and support people of color in leadership positions at Fair Chance
Employer
  • Improved onboarding practices, including salary calculation explanation for new hires; explanation of racial equity work during onboarding; and updated pronoun and dress policy in employee handbook
    • Diversified candidate pool for auditor selection, resulting in BIPOC-led firm
    • Formed cross organizational, cross functional office space task force
    • Added long-term disability coverage to employee benefits
    • Changed name of HR Working Group to People and Culture Working Group to reflect shift to centering people in our policies, values and behaviors
    • Added two-way feedback to performance alignment system to address power dynamics in feedback conversations
Capacity Builder
  • Introduced Maketa Wilborn’s racial equity lens to examine how we approach our work with community-based organizations
  • Continued to update application process for DC programs to address equity concerns
  • Leaders in the Pathways Program reflected on the impact their social identities (race and gender) had on their leadership and management style
  • Improved data collection methods, including asking alumni how they would like to receive the data back and reducing the burden of data collection for Pathways Partners
  • Expansion of Alumni Resource & Capacity Hub (ARCH) to provide additional capacity building to alumni.
  • Held Executive Director Learning Community (EDLC) and webinars on topics such as poverty reduction; cybersecurity; advocacy; and endowments for small nonprofits
Resource Generator
  • Hosted Fair Chance Roundtable that brought together 90 nonprofit leaders, donors, and foundation representatives to discuss issues of community-based nonprofits.
  • Selected and supported equitable selection of vendors for special events
  • Had partners share their stories directly with donors at the Dubliner Golf Classic and Fair Chance Fund quarterly calls
Advocate
  • Served as convener and fiscal sponsor of Coalition for Nonprofit Equity
  • Held workshop with Coalition for Nonprofit Equity to brief DC nonprofits on progress made with DC government on covering indirect costs
  • Co-Authored Op-Ed Washington Business Journal about DC’s failure to implement Nonprofit Fair Compensation Act of 2020 and its impact on nonprofit sector
  • Co-hosted focus group with DC Commission on Poverty Advocacy for community-based organizations
  • Co-hosted a webinar with DC Action on how to advocate as a small nonprofit
2023 Fair Chance Roundtable
The journey to institutionalize our REDI has taught us is that in the journey, we can discover new questions, new approaches, and new thinking. In 2024, we will re-engage H3 Diversity to address how power shows up in our work culture and build our capacity to address power dynamics. We will also continue to collaborate with organizations and entities that share our mission to create racially equitable communities where every child succeeds. In this process, we will become a better place to work; an expansive resource for community-based nonprofits; and a stronger advocate for the nonprofit sector and workforce.
2023 Pathways Partnership Graduation