Our Internal JEDI Work
Access Fund is actively working to make the organization itself a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable place, and a better place for people from all backgrounds to work and thrive.
Staff and Board Diversity
In early 2018, shortly before our JEDI Associate position was created, Access Fund had never had more than one person of color on staff at a time. By 2020, 20% of our staff were Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC), including several members of our leadership. As of 2022, that number has increased to roughly 35% of all staff and 40% of VP level and up staff. Access Fund’s employees include those who identify as Black, Brown, Asian, white, mixed-race, Muslim, Jewish, and gender nonconforming.
Our board has also grown considerably more diverse—from having one person of color on the board in 2016, to having people of color make up 23% of our board in 2020. In addition, many of our board members are leaders within our community when it comes to equity and inclusion. Access Fund’s board includes those who identify as trans, Latinx, Asian, and mixed-race.
Similarly, our board has progressed in terms of gender parity. As of 2021, women compose 40% of the board, up from 15% in 2010.
Our staff breakdown by gender identity in 2019 was 40% women, 50% men, and 10% who identified as neither. As of 2022, AF staff are now ~50% women, ~45% men, and ~5% nonbinary. Increasing representation of women on our leadership team was a priority in 2019, and the percentage of staff at the VP level and up has grown to 40% in 2022.
The JEDI Associate position was created in late 2018 and has since grown to lead or assist with much of the work described here.
Workplace Needs and Culture
In late 2019, we completed an internal JEDI assessment. This assessment measured numerous factors related to JEDI, using both qualitative and quantitative metrics: staff understanding of JEDI concepts, training needs specific to JEDI, staff attitudes toward JEDI, workplace satisfaction and experience as related to identity, and more. The results indicated several areas of strength, as well as critical areas for growth. Specifically:
Staff of color on average felt highly included, valued, respected, and heard, even to a higher degree than their White colleagues.
There was an extremely high level of buy-in for JEDI work among all staff and a solid understanding of basic concepts.
In terms of areas for growth, staff felt they needed more resources and training on how to integrate JEDI in their day-to-day work. Ensuring that staff have the tools to fulfill JEDI in their programmatic work is a current/ongoing project, as of 2020.
In addition, there was a discrepancy between the quality of the experiences of men and women at Access Fund, with women on staff generally feeling somewhat less valued, respected, and heard than their male colleagues. To address these issues, since the baseline assessment, we have:
Conducted in-depth interviews with all women on staff to gain a more complete understanding of the inequities and challenges facing women at Access Fund.
Used our qualitative and quantitative data to craft an in-depth gender equity plan, reviewed by all women on staff, outlining major steps to improve the experience of working at AF for women.
Hosted a roundtable discussion with all women on staff and our executive director to get direct feedback on the plan, women’s experiences, and implementing solutions.
Hired consultants to implement in-depth, multi-month training on key gender-related topics and also assisted with making internal structural changes to improve the representation of women on our leadership team, among other tactics.
Reimagined and restructured our executive team to be more representative of our community. Today (2022), 40% of Access Fund executive team roles are held by women.
Implemented several internal adjustments to improve quality of life (standardizing annual review systems, standardizing remote work and flexible schedule policies, analyzing promotion and compensation practices to ensure fairness, etc.)
Following these efforts, in 2021 we issued a second assessment to remeasure key workplace satisfaction metrics, and we found major progress. Specifically around gender equity, AF staff who identify as women now report higher levels of job satisfaction than their male colleagues (which amounted to a ~15% increase in job satisfaction scores for women compared to 2019), with male-identifying staff members having no reduction in their own level of job satisfaction as compared to 2019.
In addition to major gains in gender equity, other highlights from the 2021 JEDI assessment included:
Significant growth in staff comfort with JEDI principles and on integrating JEDI into day-to-day work (9-16% increases depending on the question), across all seniority and demographic ranges. Despite gains here, there is still major room for growth in these categories, and improving all staff’s ability to utilize JEDI in their work is a priority for 2022.
Continued high levels of job satisfaction among staff of color (essentially no change from 2019’s already high levels).
We have added to our staff handbook a JEDI policy that clearly states Access Fund’s commitment to JEDI in the workplace and our intention to support the identities of each of our staff members. The policy also lays out expectations in terms of staff conduct specific to JEDI.
Job descriptions for open positions now go through a JEDI editing lens to ensure we use inclusive language. In addition, we are getting openings out to a wider and more diverse network of candidates, by being intentional in how and where we distribute our postings. We are committed to ongoing learning and to following best practices in unbiased hiring.
TRaining
We have held JEDI trainings at annual staff retreats since 2019. In the first training, True Change Associates introduced fundamental JEDI concepts. In the second, we analyzed our internal culture and brainstormed how to implement JEDI into individual staff member’s day-to-day work. We’ve also offered online training about unconscious bias to all staff.
In 2021 we conducted a multi-month, intensive JEDI training for all staff focused on gender equity with Orange Grove Consulting. Results from this training were extremely positive: 85% of staff said the course exceeded expectations, 77% said it increased the likelihood they would recommend Access Fund to women by a great deal, and 89% said they felt Access Fund was strongly committed to JEDI.
Also in 2021, we conducted a training on the LGBTQ+ experience in the outdoors, facilitated by AF board member Nikki Smith.
After COVID-19 forced a switch to virtual meetings, we prepared meeting guidance from a JEDI lens to train staff on common pitfalls when gathering virtually. Inequitable gender dynamics within organizations take many forms but are particularly pervasive in meetings. Research has shown that virtual meetings exacerbate this trend. We intend to integrate this guidance into the gender-equity plan discussed above.
We have conducted JEDI check-ins with every staff member at AF. These are annual one-on-one discussions where staff share ways they have implemented JEDI in their day-to-day work, brainstorm ideas for future JEDI projects, outline challenges faced and resources needed, and provide feedback on the AF JEDI program in general.
To facilitate ongoing education and awareness of all staff, the JEDI Associate sends out a regular newsletter to all staff on JEDI work being done at AF and trends in the JEDI field more broadly.
Strategic Planning
Access Fund has integrated JEDI principles throughout its newly revised (as of 2021) strategic plan. The plan provides direction for our JEDI work for the upcoming 3-5 years.
As part of the plan, we have formed a JEDI committee composed of staff, board, and members of the general public to help provide thought leadership on Access Fund JEDI work and evaluate JEDI grant applications, among other responsibilities.