Commitment to Diversity From the Top
By Brian A. Gallagher, President and CEO, United Way of America

United Way’s commitment to diversity begins in the United Way of America boardroom, motivates our national staff, and extends throughout our network of more than 1,300 local United Way organizations that cover the entire country. It’s more than just a footnote to our mission and vision statements. Our commitment to diversity holds an honored place in all of our work. It’s at the heart of our approach to improving communities and lives throughout our nation…

As part of our strategy for developing outstanding United Way staff, we conducted separate forums with women, young (under 40), Latinos, African Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) leaders to talk about how the United Way system can become more inclusive and responsive. One immediate step we’ve taken was to create national business resource groups to provide an opportunity for continued dialogue with one another, as well as to guide the United Way system in developing strategies and programs for emerging markets.

United Way of America has been a catalyst for a renewed focus on diversity at the local level by establishing a membership requirement that addresses this priority directly.  To be a member of the United Way system, each of the 1,315 local and state United Ways must adhere to a locally developed and adopted diversity statement to ensure volunteers and staff broadly reflect the inclusiveness of the community they serve. Inclusiveness is also a key element of our newly revised Standards of Excellence, which define what ‘best in class’ operations look like for the United Way system.

  Our efforts on diversity are driven not only by our belief that it’s the right thing to do, but also on an understanding that it provides us with a competitive advantage.  Our research shows that when local United Ways work with target markets and focus on initiatives of interest to them, both leadership giving and investor involvement in the community increase. The result is improved lives and improved communities. Not only is diversity core to our organization’s beliefs, but the numbers show that it’s also the best way for us to achieve our mission.  Our success is rooted in a movement that is fully inclusive and responsive to the rich diversity of our nation.
 
 - Excerpt from CEO Initiative magazine, a publication of Diversity Best Practices, December 2005
 
 

Definitions
di·ver·si·ty (d-vûrs-t, d-) n.: the quality of being different or unique at the individual or group level.  This includes work style, parental status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, skin color, language, age, mental and physical abilities—and more.  Even when people appear the same on the outside, they are different!
in·clu·sion (n-klzhn) n.: a strategy to leverage diversity.  Diversity always exists in social systems.  Inclusion, on the other hand, must be created.  In order to leverage diversity, an environment must be created where people feel supported, listened to, and able to do their personal best.  


Diversity and Inclusion: A Statement of Principle
United Way of America will continually strive to be a model of diversity and inclusion. The United Way of America’s Board of Trustees, staff, and volunteers must reflect all of the many faces, and walks of life, which proudly make up our nation. Together we genuinely demonstrate the principles of diversity and inclusion which enrich all communities.

To value diversity is to respect and appreciate race, religion, skin color, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical abilities, age, parental status, work and behavioral styles and the perspectives of each individual shaped by their nation and experiences. To be inclusive is to leverage diversity by bringing together unique individual backgrounds to collectively and more effectively address the issues facing our communities.

It is our aim, therefore, that United Way of America’s partners, strategies, and investments reflect these core values. Diversity is a critical component to achieving success in an ever-changing environment. Everyday we experience the dramatic changes occurring in our country: changing demographics and changing needs. Our ability to employ effective inclusion practices and to make them an integral part of our business will enable United Way to fulfill its mission of improving lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities.

Approved by United Way of America Board of Trustees
March 14, 2006

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