Racial Equity Pledge Toolkit
Welcome to GLI’s Racial Equity Toolkit! This was created to help businesses who have already signed Greater Louisville’s Racial Equity Pledge and plan to utilize the GLI and EquityVested Inclusion Index to help them live up to their commitment. For each principle accompanying the Pledge, there is a correlating section of the Toolkit that will provide you with resources and guidance to help you improve in any of those areas. Keep in mind these resources are not comprehensive, but rather a good starting point for you and your business. Stay tuned for more resources to assist you on our shared journey of advancing economic inclusion.
If your company has helpful resources for a section of the GLI Racial Equity Pledge Toolkit and are not listed, please contact Dana Johnson ([email protected]) to be included.
in this toolkit
This toolkit is intended to help businesses of all sizes implement or improve upon diversity, equity, and inclusion practices they currently have in place. Topics covered in this toolkit include:
- Instituting Formal DE&I Policies
- Developing and Empowering Black Talent
- Supporting Black-Owned Businesses Through Equitable Vendor Spend
- Championing Transparency
- Building Empathy Through Mentorship
instituting formal de&i policies
1) Do you have a formal Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy for your Company or Organization, have you re-visited that policy for effectiveness in the past 12 months, and is that policy posted on your website?
IF NO: Below are a few resources to help you start the process. In addition to these resources if you are considering outsourcing this element of the pledge, please consider using our discounted human resources program that can be found here. You can also view the GLI policy as an example.
Additional resources include:
- Anti-discrimination policy
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace: 2021 HR Survey
- How Can You Change the Diversity and Inclusion Status Quo at Your Company?
- How Inclusion Helps Companies Succeed – Wharton University of Pennsylvania
- How to Build a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program – Glassdoor
- How to Foster Workplace Diversity – Workable
- What is Diversity Management? A Complete Guide
IF YES: Great, your company is on the right path. Here are some great articles on how other companies are ensuring their policies are effective and up to date:
- 10 Companies with Effective DE&I Policies
- Brown-Forman
- GE Appliances
- Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case
- Humana
- LG&E KU
- Norton Healthcare
2) Has your company leadership undergone Unconscious Bias Training in the past 12 months?
IF NO: Please use the following resources in this section to get that training in motion:
- Don’t Give Up on Unconscious Bias Training — Make It Better
- What is the Purpose of Unconscious Bias Training?
Below are partners that can help with training:
Bellarmine University | Director of the Office of Identity and Inclusion
Joseph Frazier | [email protected]
JCTC | Assistant Director of Diversity and Inclusion
Ariel Snow | [email protected]
Metro United Way | Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Trent Findley | [email protected]
Racial Healing Project | Founder and CEO
Rashaad Abdur-Rahman | [email protected]
Simmons College of Kentucky | Vice President of Community Engagement
Von Purdy | [email protected]
Spalding University | Executive Director of the Center of Peace and Renewal
Chandra Irvin | [email protected]
The Muhammad Ali Center | Director of Programming
Erin Herbert | [email protected]
University of Louisville | Director of Diversity Education and Inclusive Excellence
Marian Vasser | [email protected]
IF YES: Great, your company is on the right path. Don’t stop there! Here are some other Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion topics you can include in future trainings:
- Five Essential Topics for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training
- Best Diversity and Inclusion Training – How to Do it Right
developing & empowering black talent
Do you have formal hiring practices including diverse candidate consideration for your company, and does your company track their metric of diversity of staff and leadership?
IF NO: Below are a few resources to help you start the process. In addition to these resources if you are considering outsourcing this element of the pledge, please consider our discounted human resources program that can be found here and our discounted staffing program that can be found here.
How to get started:
- A Data-Driven Approach to Hiring More Diverse Talent – Harvard Business Review
- Diversity in the Workplace: The Case for Building a Diverse Team – Workable
- Diversity in the Workplace: Why it Matters and How to Increase Inclusion – Workable
- Hiring Manager Toolkit: HR Templates and Tools
- How To Alter Your Hiring Practices To Increase Diversity – Forbes
- How to Hire for Diversity – Glassdoor
- Meaningful Metrics for Diversity and Inclusion
- Measuring Progress
Tools for recruiting diverse candidates:
- 10 Eye-opening Best Practice Strategies to Diversity Recruiting
- 12 Ways to Attract and Hire Diverse Job Candidates
- Diversity and Inclusion: 7 Essential Early Talent Recruiting Strategies – Handshake
- Diversity Hiring: 6 Steps to Hiring More Diverse Candidates
- Recruiting for Diversity – Harvard
- Using Technology to Increase Fairness in Hiring
Tools for interviewing:
- 6 Illegal Interview Questions Not to Ask — and Legal Alternatives – Workable
- How to Conduct a Structured Interview
- How to Document Interview Feedback for Your Hiring Team
Tools for finding diverse talent:
10 Ways to Attract and Hire Diverse Candidates
Bellarmine University | Associate Director, Career Development
Matt Real | [email protected]
Louisville Central Community Center | President & CEO
Kevin Fields | [email protected]
Louisville Urban League | Director, Center for Workforce
Betty Fox | [email protected]
Simmons College | Director of Career Services
Debra Mayberry | [email protected]
Spalding University | Career Development Coordinator
Kimberly Palmore | [email protected]
Sullivan University | Senior Director of Career Services
Sam Mannino | [email protected]
TKT & Associates | Chief Administrative Officer
Kimberly Bunton | [email protected]
University of Louisville | Director, University Career Center
Bill Fletcher | [email protected]
V-Soft Consulting | Senior Business Development Manager
Greg Kennedy | [email protected]
IF YES: Great your company is on the right path in ensuring your hiring practices include diverse candidates. Take a look at companies excelling in diversity recruitment:
- Five companies with innovative diversity hiring programs
- 14 Companies With stand out – And Effective – Diversity Recruiting Strategies
supporting black-owned businesses through equitable vendor spend
Do you track diverse vendor spend, including MWBE and Black-Owned vendor spend, and have you set goals around MWBE and Black-Owned vendor spend for your company this year?
IF NO: Please use the following resources in this section to address this need.
How to get started:
- 4 Essentials for Successful Supplier Diversity Management
- How Marriott International and Wells Fargo Worked to Find and Foster Growth in Diverse Suppliers
- Multi-Tier Diverse Spend Tracking and Why it is Important
- Supplier Diversity Tracking, Metrics and Reporting
- What is Supplier Diversity?
Resources for supplier diversity goals:
- How to Increase Supplier Diversity Spend
- How to Set Smart Goals Based on Industry Standards
- Key Metrics to Assess the Success of Your Supplier Diversity Program
Management platforms that can help your business:
- Coupa (Supplier Management Platform)
- Simfoni (Spend Analytics and Spend Automation Products)
- SupplierGATEWAY Tier-1 Diversity Tracking (Cloud-Based Supplier Management Platform)
National organizations that can assist with the identification of small and minority suppliers:
- Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce (APAAC)
- National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
- National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
- National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
- National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC)
- Native American Chamber of Commerce (NACC)
- United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
- U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN, for Disabled-Owned Small Businesses)
- Vets First Verification Program (for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses)
- Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
Local organizations that can assist with the identification of small and minority suppliers:
- 7PM Group
- Black Community Development Corporation
- BuyBlackLou
- Change Today Change Tomorrow
- Civitas Regional LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
- Kentuckiana Hispanic Business Council, Inc. (KIHBC)
- NAWBO Kentucky
- NOIR Black Chamber of Commerce Inc.
IF YES: Great, you are focusing on the areas needed to ensure your company is tracking diverse spend. Here are some great articles on how other companies are championing transparency in their organizations:
- Learning from the Top 50 Organizations that Support Supplier Diversity
- See Corporations that Share the Social Responsibly to Track and Spend More with Black-Owned Businesses
championing transparency
Does your company report its staff diversity metrics including company leadership and Board of Directors (if applicable) diversity, and your MWBE and Black-Owned vendor spend?
IF NO: Please use the following resources in this section to address this need.
How to get started:
- 10+ Examples of an Awesome Diversity Report
- Diversity And Inclusion: A Complete Guide For HR Professionals
- Diversity and Inclusion: Strategy Scorecard with KPIs
- Eight Steps to Setting Meaningful Diversity and Inclusion Metrics
- ESG Pulse Provides the Rapid Insight on Areas for Improvement for the Reporting Process to Tell Your Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Story to the Capital Markets
- Getting Serious About Diversity and Inclusion as Part of Your ESG Reporting
- Increasing Transparency and Diversity Metrics
- Meaningful Metrics for Diversity and Inclusion
- Measuring Progress
- Metrics, Accountability, and Transparency
Resources on workplace diversity:
- 5 Vital Workplace Diversity Metrics & How to Use Them
- Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace: Benefits and Challenges
- How to Measure Diversity and Inclusion for a Stronger Workplace
Resources on board diversity:
- Board Diversity Snapshot: Six Recommendations for Becoming a More Diverse and Inclusive Board
- Diversity on the Board? Metrics Used by Fortune 100 Companies
- The Inclusion Imperative for Boards
Resources on supplier diversity goals:
- 4 Essentials for Successful Supplier Diversity Management
- How Marriott International and Wells Fargo Worked to Find and Foster Growth in Diverse Suppliers
- How to Increase Supplier Diversity Spend
- Key Metrics to Assess the Success of Your Supplier Diversity Program
- Read About How to Set Smart Goals Based on Industry Standards
- What is Supplier Diversity?
Resources on supplier diversity tracking:
- Multi-Tier Diverse Spend Tracking and Why it is Important
- Supplier Diversity Tracking, Metrics and Reporting
Management platforms that could help your business:
- Coupa (Supplier Management Platform)
- Simfoni (Spend Analytics and Spend Automation Products)
- SupplierGATEWAY Tier-1 Diversity Tracking (Cloud-based Supplier Management Platform)
National organizations that can assist with the identification of small and minority suppliers:
- Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce (APAAC)
- National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
- National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
- National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
- National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC)
- Native American Chamber of Commerce (NACC)
- United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC)
- U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN, for Disabled-Owned Small Businesses)
- Vets First Verification Program (for Veteran-Owned Small Businesses)
- Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
Local organizations that can assist with the identification of small and minority suppliers:
- 7PM Group
- Black Community Development Corporation
- BuyBlackLou
- Change Today Change Tomorrow
- Civitas Regional LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce
- Kentuckiana Hispanic Business Council, Inc. (KIHBC)
- NAWBO Kentucky
- NOIR Black Chamber of Commerce Inc.
- One West
Get started with these applications to better know your workforce diversity:
IF YES: Great, you are focusing on all the right pieces to ensure your business is tracking internal diversity metrics. Here are some great articles on how other businesses are keeping transparency on their internal diversity:
- Building on a Culture of Belonging: Releasing our first Diversity and Inclusion Transparency Report
- How a Diversity Scorecard Helps Salesforce Keep Equality Top of Mind for Its Leaders
- Take Diversity and Inclusion to the Next Level in Your Company Culture
- Top Ways Companies Are Measuring Their Diversity and Inclusion Progress
building empathy through mentorship
Does your company have a mentorship option in place, including youth mentorship opportunities, internal mentorship opportunities, and reverse mentorship opportunities?
IF NO: Here are some resources to help explain how these programs are good for company culture. Please consider engaging with the GLI Power to Prosper Minority Business Accelerator Powered by Interise for a Business-to-Business Mentoring Opportunity.
How to get started:
- How to Set the Strategy for Mentoring in the Workplace
- Mentoring Can Empower Your Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives
- Redefining Mentorship
- The Key to Diversity and Inclusion is Mentorship
- Top Companies for Mentoring
Here is a list of organizations that are in the Greater Louisville Community that can help you establish youth mentorship efforts:
- 100 Black Men of Louisville, Inc.
- ACE Mentor Program of Louisville
- Big Brothers Big Sisters
- CitiesUnited
- Eckford Virtual Mentorship Program
- NBMBAA Louisville Chapter
- SummerWorks
Here is a list of companies with exemplary internal mentorship programs for inspiration:
- BASF Mentoring
- Boeing 1 to 1
- CVS Learning Centers
- Experienced Commercial Leadership Program- General Electric (GE)
- Google’s STEP Program
- Google’s Summer of Code
- Intel’s Career Development: The Value Of A Mentor
- KPMG Training and Mentorship Program
Don’t think you have the capacity at your company to mentor your workforce? Take a look at these resources to outsource your mentorships:
Below are resources to reference in creating reverse mentorship programs for employees:
- Nontraditional Mentoring Programs Help Companies Develop Employees
- Reverse Mentoring: 3 Proven Outcomes Driving Change
- Reverse Mentoring at the Harford
- Reverse Mentoring Programs: Examples and Steps to Success
- Why Reverse Mentoring Works and How to Do It Right
IF YES: Great, your company is on the right track. See how other companies are leveraging their mentorship programs: