Diversity - Bringing a diversity of perspective into your practice means understanding that it is important to comprehend and align values and actions to address key issues like: structural racism, intersectionality, sexism, ableism, homophobia, racial identity development, and anti-racism, among others. Diversity also invites us to understand how race and racism are operationalized, how white privilege is embedded in our institutions, and how internalized racism is promoted and sustained. Note: It is possible to name, acknowledge, and celebrate diversity without doing anything to transform the institutional or structural systems that produce, and maintain, racialized injustices in our communities.
Equity - The effort to provide different levels of support based on an individual’s or group’s needs to achieve fairness in outcomes. Working to achieve equity acknowledges unequal starting places and the need to correct the imbalance. The principle of equity acknowledges that there are historically underserved and underrepresented populations, and that fairness regarding these unbalanced conditions is needed to assist true equity in the provision of effective opportunities to all groups.
Inclusion - When persons of different backgrounds and identities are valued, integrated, and welcomed equitably as decision-makers and collaborators. Inclusion involves people being allowed to grow and feel/know they belong. Diversity efforts alone do not create inclusive environments. Inclusion involves a sense of coming as you are and being accepted, rather than feeling the need to assimilate. When an organization is inclusive, all members feel valued, respected, and confident in speaking up and being heard without reprisal. An inclusive space makes people feel like they belong in the work they are doing with the organization. Improving inclusivity requires a long-term commitment and intentional effort, and strong leadership that values reflective holistic approaches to growth.
Belonging - An ongoing practice to create collective and specialized affinity, mission, or values aligned community building practices. Belonging means having spaces and communities where all people can feel a sense of belonging, where we can be ourselves and be visible, where our stories are amplified, and where our heritage and experiences are recognized. Creating a sense of belonging can include actions like equal accountability across organizational leadership and other management staff, decision-making opportunities for key organizational tasks shared throughout the organization, equitable and accountable grievance policies and practices; representation in experience and role throughout leadership, making room for holidays or time off to be honored in an employee's benefit package according to their belief system.
Accessibility - Accessibility is the practice of making information, activities, and/or environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible. The efforts should result in the most equitable outcome and provide people with the resources they need to engage in the most uncompromised way. Disability inclusion is a broad term to describe approaches to advance access and inclusion for people with different abilities. A disability justice approach centers on the priorities and approaches of those most historically excluded groups, such as people of color, women, immigrants, and people who identify as LGBTQIA+. Access may also be the ability of a person to digest the resources or information available. For instance, a resource meant to help people means nothing if they cannot afford it, attain it, read it, find it in their region, or if the resource is spread too thin to accommodate the population(s) in need.
References
1. Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management.
- Supports: Inclusion, Belonging (conceptual model linking belongingness + uniqueness)
2. Braveman, P. (2006). Health disparities and health equity: Concepts and measurement. Annual Review of Public Health.
- Supports: Equity (clear conceptual discussion of equity vs. equality and measurement implications)
3. Web Accessibility Initiative (W3C). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1. World Wide Web Consortium.
- Supports: Accessibility (technical and policy standard for making information and services usable)
4. Kosa, K., Rentschler, R., & Lerman, S. (2024). A multilayer, multimethod web and language accessibility analysis of US nonprofit organization websites. Nonprofit Management & Leadership.
- Supports: Accessibility in the nonprofit sector (empirical assessment of nonprofit websites and WCAG compliance)
5. “Diversity, equity, and inclusion in nonprofit management” (book chapter). In: Handbook / Edward Elgar Publishing (chapter overview).
- Supports: Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (sector-focused synthesis and managerial implications)
6. Cyril, S., Kan, M., Maulbeck, F., & Villarosa, M. (2021). The racialization of philanthropic and nonprofit organizations: A critical analysis of white supremacy and economic injustice in the sector. In Edward Elgar collection.
- Supports: Diversity, structural racism, white privilege (critical sector analysis)
7. Phelps, S. (2022). Why are we still struggling with diversity, equity, and inclusion in nonprofit governance? (sector report).
- Supports: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity (nonprofit governance challenges and evidence)
8. Le Roux, K., & Kelly, K. (2022). Racial diversity and organizational performance in the US nonprofit sector. In: Racial diversity and nonprofit performance (chapter).
- Supports: Diversity (empirical link to board and leadership racial diversity)
- Supports: DEI definitions and how nonprofits report/account for them
10. Antonsich, M. (2019). Making organizations more inclusive: The work of belonging. Organization Studies.
- Supports: Belonging (theoretical/practical framing of belonging as distinct from inclusion)
11. Othering & Belonging Institute (UC Berkeley). What is Belonging? (brief explainer/resource).
- Supports: Belonging (practitioner & research-oriented definitions and frameworks)
12. MDPI / Sustainability: “Diversity, equity, and inclusion and the salience of publicly disclosing demographic data in American environmental nonprofits.” Sustainability.
- Supports: Diversity, Inclusion, Equity (empirical work on disclosure, transparency, and sector practice)
13. MDPI / Societies or related journals: “Web accessibility for people with disabilities …” and related reviews (examples of scholarly work on accessibility and social inclusion standards).
- Supports: Accessibility (critical perspective on WCAG and social inclusion outcomes)