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The success and vitality of San Diego arts and culture organization is the result of intentional inclusion of the entire community.
- Diversity Initiative Advisory Committee
Frequently Asked Diversity Questions
FY 2007 Organizational Support Program
This FAQ sheet is derived from questions posed by our contractors concerning the Organizational Support Program and diversity issues. We will expand the sheet with more commonly asked questions as they present themselves.
Question: Will the quality of our response to diversity issues impact our FY 2007 Organizational Support Program (OSP) rank?
Answer: Absolutely. As with any other questions concerning operations, programming, financial management or cultural tourism, for example, the panel expects that you will respond to questions concerning diversity issues fully and to the best of your ability. It is far better to provide a complete and candid response to diversity issues - even if it suggests that your organization is not where it would like to be - than not to respond at all. We will work to insure that your panel comments reflect the quality of your responses, and that your rank is commensurate with the quality of our comments.
Question: What exactly will the panel look for in our responses?
Answer: The panel would like to know that your organization is aware of San Diego's population demographics, that it values diversity and intends to become more inclusive through active planning. For applicants that are beyond the planning stage, the panel wants to hear of the work that is already being done to achieve or sustain diversity throughout every aspect of your organization.
Question: Our organization has already made a strong commitment to diversity and our efforts are evidenced by a diverse board and staff and programming that reaches and engages a broad sector of San Diego's population. After we tell our story the first year, will we be penalized in subsequent years because we are already performing at such a high level?
Answer: The panel will recognize those that are already succeeding at making their organization more inclusive. The panel comments will reflect their awareness and appreciation. Our advice to these trail blazing organizations is to bear with us as we wait for other groups to catch up. Celebrate the fact that you get it, but remember that everyone has room for improvement. Think of ways that your organization can stretch and tell us about them. What risks might you take to set new standards for yourself and for your field? If you do a good job of telling your story this year and into the future, and your overall work is truly outstanding, you will be rewarded with a rank that reflects your accomplishments.
Question: How will the panel evaluate the diversity of organizations, like ours, that are ethnically specific? We already have the people on our board and staff and within our audience that other organizations are trying to reach.
Answer: Organizations whose missions are specific to one ethnic or cultural group, such as African Americans, Mexican Americans or German Americans, can benefit from making their boards, staffs and audiences inclusive - just as any other organization can. The key is to develop a plan that identifies points of entry that are appropriate for your organization. For example, it may not be realistic to expect that you will build a diverse board before you have cultivated a diverse audience, because often volunteers and other supporters grow from your audience base. What is important is that your organization has a vision of an inclusive organization and is proactively taking the steps to make that vision a reality.
Question: Our small organization produces an art form that attracts a very limited following. The likelihood that we will ever be able to engage people from other ethnicities than our own is highly unlikely. Is diversity possible for every organization?
Answer: Diversity has a role within every organization, regardless of art form or budget size. The first step toward becoming more inclusive is to consider all the dimensions of diversity. Diversity is not just about ethnicity, for some organizations, the diversity of its participants may be more concerned with age, socio-economic background, profession, or other demographic characteristics. An honest evaluation of your organization - from the programming that you produce to the people you engage - will reveal areas in which your reach could be broadened to result in greater vitality and sustainability for your organization.
Question: I understand how diversity can be demonstrated in nearly all sections of the Review Criteria Narrative except Financial Management. What does diversity have to do with how we manage our money?
Answer: You're right. The Financial Management section of the Review Criteria Narrative is not about diversity. All that it is intended to do is provide the panelist with a snapshot of the organization's financial health. It should elucidate other sections of the Review Criteria Narrative, the Budget Summaries and the Budget Summary notes, which should all tie back to the goals and objectives.
However, there are ways for even this section to help you support your diversity commitment. For example, in the Human Resources sub-section of Operations (Narrative Review Criteria), an applicant may mention that it plans to hire a community outreach specialist next year who will focus on increasing participation among Latinos visiting from across the border. You may want to mention in the Financial Management section how the cost of adding this new position, the costs of the marketing and outreach campaign and the projected income from increased ticket sales from these new audience members may impact your financial status. Given the other information provided in the application, the panelist reading this financial detail may feel more convinced that you are taking your diversity commitment seriously.
Question: Obtaining some of the demographic information the OSP application requests isn't always easy. People are of mixed race and heritage and don't easily fit into one box or another. Some information, such as sexual orientation is personal and unless volunteered, not for the asking. I don't want our organization to be held accountable for providing information that may even be illegal to ask for.
Answer: When you recruited members of your board, for example, there were things that you knew about those people that made their involvement in your organization desirable. Their educational background, work experience, wealth, connections to certain social or cultural groups or even personality were qualities someone considered as useful to your organization's growth and survival. Our purpose in asking you to describe your board's demographic profile is to get you to share that type of information with us. If you don't have access to some information, a good guess will suffice or decline to answer. The demographic information is just one piece of information we use to get an idea of the type of people who are behind your organization.
Question: Because diversity could be a part of everything we discuss in the OSP application, I'm concerned that the Commission hasn't allotted enough space to tell our story.
Answer: The Commission is mindful of the work load that our volunteers assume when serving on a panel and your need to have your application receive the most thorough and thoughtful review possible. To decrease panel fatigue and to streamline your proposal writing process, we limit the amount of paperwork to what is absolutely necessary. Even with our expanded interest in diversity issues, we believe that with good grantsmanship, applicants can make a compelling case for support within the limitations of our standardized application.
Question: What is the purpose of requiring Short Form applicants to respond to the Diversity Commitment statement and to have the entire proposal reviewed by a Commission Advisory Panel? Couldn't the review just wait until latter when we cycle back into Long Form?
Answer: The Commission knows from experience that applicants who apply in the Short Form category - particularly for the full three-year period - often see their ranks decrease upon re-entering the Long Form process. This is because Short Form applicants are often unaware of important changes that have been made while they are on break from the Long Form process. Because the diversity issue is important and revisions to the application are so substantial, the Commission wants to insure that Short Form applicants will not be at a disadvantage when re-entering the Long Form process, due to lack of familiarity with changes in the application.
Tips for Kick Starting a Diversity Initiative
Programming:
- Sponsor a community roundtable for input - and consider how it might influence future programming and services decisions.
- Disucss what drives your programming decisions.
- Discuss what is on your stages and in your exhibits that speaks to a broad section of San Diego’s population.
- Consider collaborations and partnerships outside your usual choices.
- Consider urban or satellite sites to expand your programming to more communities.
Governance:
- Develop a community relations or advisory Council.
- Consider diversity resources from hospital boards, retired educators, principals and school board members, chambers of commerce and business improvement councils.
- Meet, network wth or possibly join associations and organizations in different communities.
- Consider new policies for and methods of board giving.
- Make use of the many diversity websites that include job postings and listings.
- Make the effort to meet and network with executives of diverse businesses.
Marketing:
- Market your programming in more than one language.
- Make sure your bilingual marketing is appropriate to the community you are targeting.
- Consider exhibitions/collections that represent San Diego’s very diverse immigrant communities.
Diversity in the News
Consultants
Dr. Steven Jones
Jones and Associates
Diversity and Organizational Change Consulting
www.jandaconsult.com
For more information contact Linda Sokol at lsokol@sandiego.gov
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