How Far Are You on the DEIB Continuum?
Promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging has become a critical priority for organizations across various sectors. In the realm of advancement, it is essential to assess where your team or division stands on the DEIB continuum. This will allow you to identify a clear path forward that is efficient, responsible, and doesn’t lead to staff burnout or a failure to truly address systemic barriers to cultural competency. In this article, we explore how advancement professionals can assess their institution’s DEIB maturity and make the critical changes needed to identify and create strategies to dismantle the systemic barriers in advancement.
This continuum of services is foundational to the development of a robust institutional DEIB journey.
Understanding the DEIB Continuum of Services
Developed in partnership with industry experts, CASE has developed a continuum of services that functions as a comprehensive framework for organizations to evaluate their DEIB efforts and develop a path forward. The continuum comprises various elements, each representing a different form of cultural competence and responsiveness. It is important to note that progress along this continuum is not necessarily linear, and organizations may excel in some areas while needing improvement in others.
We believe that advancement is the pathway to social change. Your advancement office can drive change and provide social justice solutions that will advance education—transforming lives and supporting educational attainment. Our DEIB continuum of services will help you embark on this journey.
1. Define Your Ultimate Goal:
Organizations must begin the DEIB assessment process by identifying their ultimate goal. Is it to foster a strong sense of belonging among their stakeholders, for example? By clarifying the objective, teams can align their strategies and initiatives accordingly.
2. Evaluate Cultural Competence:
A critical aspect of DEIB assessment is to evaluate the presence of policies and practices that either foster or hinder a positive climate or culture. Advancement professionals should ask themselves if their organization has any policies that are actively destructive or promote cultural incapacity. For instance, hiring practices may inadvertently create barriers for underrepresented groups. Rethinking job description requirements, such as educational qualifications, can help remove unnecessary barriers and allow for a more inclusive talent pool.
3. Address Cultural Blindness:
The belief that “treating everyone the same” is the most effective approach often leads to cultural blindness. Organizations need to recognize that different groups have diverse needs and experiences. Advancement professionals should reflect on whether their organization understands and accommodates these differences adequately.
4. Strive for Cultural Pre-Competence:
Cultural pre-competence signifies an awareness of the existing gaps and challenges within an organization. Organizations with an awareness of these weaknesses must be open to change and actively seek growth opportunities.
5. Achieve Cultural Competency:
Cultural competency represents the stage where organizations act appropriately in terms of resource allocation, responsiveness to challenges, and the ability to pivot when needed. Advancement professionals should aim for this level of proficiency by continuously assessing their organization’s progress and adapting strategies accordingly.
Engaging Leadership and Colleagues
Breaking the cycle of failed DEIB efforts requires a comprehensive approach. This should include the buy-in of staff, leadership, and board members. Advancement professionals may find it beneficial to involve a third party, such as CASE, to facilitate these discussions. This external perspective can help identify goals, strategies, and the rationale behind them, paving the way for a path forward.
Sustainable Progress and Resource Optimization
It is crucial to approach DEIB efforts as an ongoing commitment—this is a lifelong walk, not a sprint or even a temporary marathon. Advancement professionals must take a critical and honest look at their organization’s progress, identify areas that require enhanced focus, and allocate resources wisely. By maximizing efficiency and avoiding burnout, organizations can ensure their DEIB initiatives yield positive outcomes.
Support for the Journey
CASE has a wide range of products and services to develop and strengthen the skills, processes, and resources that your organization needs to meet your quantitative and qualitative DEIB goals.
An advancement-centric assessment tool, created to aid our member organizations in taking inventory of DEIB maturity and organizational DEIB readiness.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Training
CASE provides bespoke DEIB training for our members, to operationalize DEIB goals and expand leadership, staff, and DEIB committee capacities.
Advancement Leadership Consultation
Expert OIC staff provide assessment and custom consultations grounded in research & practitioner experience.
A retention solution performed by identity-centered executive advisors who offer confidential counsel and serve as credible sounding boards to help diverse senior leaders navigate dynamic organizational cultures.
CASE offers two early-career programs to assist with recruiting diverse professionals into the advancement profession: the CASE Graduate Trainee Program (a yearlong residency) and CASE Advancement Internship Program (an eight-week summer program).
CASE Career Central provides employers access to applicants of diverse backgrounds to assist with your organization’s recruiting needs.
Premier Executive Search
Lindauer and Richmond Associates—both premier global search and talent firms, longtime CASE Educational Partners, and industry leaders on DEIB—have partnered with CASE to ensure that equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging are well integrated into all facets of their recruitment search processes.
Conferences, Seminars, Workshops, and Toolkits
Continued education content and resources delivered to advancement professionals to expand DEIB acumen. In addition, content from the CASE Library can be curated to supplement toolkit resources.
Utilizing CASE’s Services
CASE’s Advancement DEIB continuum services provide invaluable resources to support organizations throughout their DEIB journeys. These services act as a guide to help advancement professionals navigate each stage of the continuum effectively. Beyond the DEIB Continuum Services, CASE also offers many DEIB resources for members in our Inclusion Toolkit.
Assessing the progress an organization has made on each of the parts of the DEIB continuum and charting a path forward is a multifaceted process. Advancement professionals can play a vital role in driving meaningful change by utilizing resources such as CASE’s Advancement DEIB continuum services. By engaging leadership, collecting data, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement, organizations can make significant strides toward a more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and belonging-focused future.
