After hosting and participating in a few different equity trainings in 2016 and 2017, including an anti-racism training and organizational assessment cohort, The Intertwine Alliance took a step back and thought about how we can more effectively support our partners in this area. After some strategic planning with our staff, board and key thought partners, we developed the Equity & Inclusion Cohorts. 2018 was the first year we implemented the program, and we are continuing to evolve the program to best serve and support our partners and the region.
In this first year, we:
- Collected Expression of Interest forms from organizations interested in participating. These EOIs collected information on organizational needs and current understanding around DEI, leadership commitment, and goals in participating.
Put out an RFP and collected proposals from training providers that had them report what types of training (individual consciousness raising, organizational assessment, etc), they were able to provide.
Grouped organizations based on information collected in the EOIs into four cohorts.
Convened each cohort and supported them in selecting the provider that would best meet their DEI goals. Thank you to DRC Learning Solutions and the Nonprofit Association of Oregon for serving as year one providers; your wisdom and guidance made all the difference!
Created a budget for each cohort and allocated grant funds to each.
The participating organizations:
- Participated in various trainings, workshops and follow-ups over the course of a year.
Paid into the program to support organizational buy-in.