These questions will help reveal the essential ingredients that can contribute to a more inclusive organization.  You need to ask these questions as an outsider would.  In fact, it would be helpful to have members of minority communities do the assessment with you.  To evaluate how accessible your organization is to people from minority groups, ask:

1.  Does your program have clear, forceful policy statements about the commitment to inclusiveness?  There should be verbal and written statements from the director and board president, which are endorsed by the full board.

2.  Does the staff and board membership reflect the ethnic and cultural mix of the community and children served?  If not, what efforts have been made to recruit minority members?  Do members of the staff or board have ties to any of the minority communities?

3.  Does your program actively communicate with the minority communities by:

• Making personal calls on leaders in the minority communities?

• Making presentations to minority organizations?
• Placing articles and recruitment ads in minority newspapers and newsletters?
• Inviting members of minority groups to provide training on their culture for volunteers and board members?

4.  Does your program conduct initial and ongoing training on cultural awareness for volunteers, staff, and board?

5.  Is your program accessible and appealing to a broad range of potential volunteers?

6.  Do you provide any financial reimbursement for volunteer expenses such as mileage, long distance phone calls, childcare, or parking?

• Is your training offered at a time that is convenient for people who cannot easily miss work?
• Do you have in place strategies to accommodate people who have language limitations?
• Can you provide assistance in report writing for people whose writing skills are limited?

7.  Is your office and training facility warm and inviting to people of various cultures?  Is your office physically accessible to the handicapped?

8.  What do your printed materials look like?  Your materials should show a broad mix of people from various cultures.  However, these materials should not convey "tokenism" or pandering to any particular group.  People from culturally diverse background need to know that the messages are not addressed exclusively to them.  They need to see that other people beside themselves are concerned with building a culturally diverse organization.  Furthermore, whites need to know that the institution values the contribution of people of color -- that they do belong.  (More on printed materials later).

9.  Do you collect and maintain demographic data to help in planning and evaluating your efforts?  At a minimum you should be collecting:

10.  Data on the gender, age, and ethnic composition of the children your program serves.

11.  Data on the demographic composition of your community.

12.  Data on the gender, age, and ethnic composition of your staff, volunteers, and board members.

These and other questions that no doubt will occur to you will help you determine what changes need to be made and which changes are most pressing.  Once you have begun to create a more accessible organization, you are ready to begin looking at recruiting more minority volunteers.

What are the Next Steps?

The term cultural competence is most often applied to the ability of an individual to work with someone of a different ethnicity, culture, or race.  However, cultural competence is not just an individual issue:  it is also an agency or program issue.  Developing a culturally competent program requires the same self-evaluation process required of any individual.  You have to take a critical look at all aspects of the program to see what changes might be needed to make your organization more open and inclusive.

Before you tackle this challenge, be aware of two prerequisites.  Anne Bryant, in her article "Creating a Multicultural Association," says that if you do not have these two critical ingredients, "do not pass go, do not even pretend you can accomplish this goal."  The essential elements are:

• A team approach to leadership.

Becoming a culturally competent and multicultural organization takes understanding, commitment, and persistence on the part of staff, board members,and volunteers.

• A firm belief by everyone that becoming a diverse organization is as important as any other goal in the program's strategic plan.

There will be varying levels of belief at first.  If you have board members or staff who are going to resist the process, begin to work immediately on convincing them.

There are two reasons that these elements are so crucial to success.  First, achieving multiculturalism takes more than nice, neat action strategies that, once articulated, can be initiated, implemented, and later evaluated.  You must examine literally everything about your program:  its mission and goals; staff and leadership composition; policies and practices; nomination, election, and hiring practices; its public relations and recruitment plan; training; volunteer management practices; and even its physical facility.  Every board and staff member will be tested at some point.  If any member of the team is not willing to engage in creative problem solving, you limit the number of ways to achieve the goal.  Second, as we have said before, it takes time to achieve this goal, and one can become disheartened.  Commitment to the long haul is key.

Establishing a Committee on Diversity

While planning for and implementing a plan to attain a culturally competent program is the responsibility of staff and board, establishing a minority advisory committee reflective of the demographic make up of your community can be one of your most important management assets.  The committee can provide wisdom and insight as well as practical advice.  In addition, the members can provide a link to the minority community as well as good public relations.

You should establish criteria for membership on the committee, such as representation from particular minority groups or special expertise.  After the criteria have been established, match candidates to the criteria.  For greatest involvement and best results, limit the committee to a maximum of 7 - 9 members.

In approaching candidates, be sure to be clear about what their duties will be, how often they will meet, the amount of time that will be required, and the particular expertise each person is being asked to contribute (i.e., marketing, development of Spanish language materials, community contacts, etc.).

Meetings of the committee should be scheduled at times and locations convenient for the members.  Prepare and send agendas and reading materials well in advance of each meeting to ensure maximum use of time.  It is also important to let the advisory committee know what you did with its advice.  If you did not use its advice, the committee will expect to know why.  Prepare periodic written progress reports to keep the committee informed about your progress, and elicit their help in periodically evaluating how well you are meeting program goals.

Overcoming Resistance

Any organizational change inevitably encounters some form of human resistance.  Of course, people who are affected by any change usually experience some emotional turmoil.  Even changes that are positive or rational involve loss and uncertainty.  Nevertheless, for a number of different reasons, individuals or groups can react very differently to change -- from passively resisting it, to aggressively trying to undermine it, to sincerely embracing it.

John P. Kotter and Leonard A. Schlesinger, in their article "Choosing Strategies for Change," say that to predict what form the resistance might take, leaders need to be aware of the four most common reasons people resist change.  These include:

• A desire not to lose something of value,
• A misunderstanding of the change and its implications,
• A belief that the change does not make sense for the organization.   

1.  a low tolerance for any change.

Once you anticipate what form the resistance will take, you can plan proactive strategies to deal with it.  Kotter and Schlesinger suggest several effective strategies:

2.  Education and Communication

One of the most effective ways to overcome resistance to change is to educate people about it in advance.  Communication of ideas helps people see the need for and the logic of the change.  This process can involve one-on-one discussions with your staff and volunteers, presentations to the board and/or volunteers, memos or articles in your newsletter.  Education and communication is particularly effective when resistance is based on inadequate or inaccurate information.  Having a member of a minority group conduct some cultural awareness training before you announce new diversification goals might be a good strategy.

3.  Participation and Involvement

If you involve the potential resistors in some aspect of the design and implementation of the change, you can often forestall resistance.  With a participative change effort, you have the opportunity to listen to the people who will be affected and use their advice.

4.  Facilitation and Support

Another way you can deal with potential resistance to change is by being supportive.  Acknowledge that developing cultural and ethnic sensitivity requires challenging long-held notions and beliefs and can cause discomfort.  Simply listening one-on-one can help to diffuse resistance that is based on fear and anxiety.

This article was reprinted with permission for the CASA Network.

http://www.casanet.org/program-management/diversity/cultural-competence.htm