Ensuring people from underrepresented communities are recruited and advanced is far more beneficial for an organization than recruiting or advancing any one individual. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) attempts to level the playing field to allow the best ideas to flourish, connect talented individuals from underrepresented backgrounds with opportunities that those in the majority often have unfair access to, and empower the best organizations to thrive. Done right, creating diverse, equitable, inclusive organizations yield greater profitability, innovation, and smarter teams.

When employees who are different from their colleagues are allowed to flourish, the company benefits from their ideas, skills and engagement. The retention rate of those workers also rises. Here are five practical strategies for creating an inclusive environment.

1. Educate your leaders. Your organization’s executives and managers will be instrumental to your DEI efforts. Leaders — especially middle managers — must be held accountable for results. Leaders should be expected to demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and, more importantly, to be responsible for the environment in their respective departments. Ongoing feedback from their own managers will help to hold them accountable, as does tying the goal to their performance evaluations.

2. Form an inclusion council. Consider forming a council comprised of a dedicated group of eight to 12 influential leaders who are one or two levels below the CEO. Carefully select them for their passion and commitment to inclusion. They need to be “a channel for communication” between the rank and file and the C-suite, and that includes advocating for inclusiveness in discussions with top executives when necessary. Ideally, councils should be involved in goal-setting around hiring, retaining and advancing a diverse workforce and in addressing any employee engagement problems among underrepresented employee groups.

3. Celebrate employee differences. One of the most important ways to show employees that you respect their backgrounds and traditions is to invite them to share those in the workplace. It’s well-known that diversity in teams leads to better decision-making, greater innovation and, ultimately, higher returns. Inclusion is what connects people to the business, and we believe it’s one of the core reasons that diverse employees stay with organizations that recognize and celebrate diversity.

Grassroots – Creative fundraising during a pandemic webinar on May 20, from 1- 2:15 p.m. This session will explore the fundamentals of fundraising and how to adjust when you can't meet in person. Presented by United Way of Central Indiana. Cost: $15. Register

Operating in crisis: Diversifying your revenue webinar on May 25, from 1-2:15 p.m. Moderators will share what has been taking place in the market and share navigational tips to prepare for the future. Presented by United Way of Central Indiana. Cost: $15. Register

Discovering and creating earned revenue streams for your organization information session on May 20 and 27. With a commitment to empowering organizations serving our community, CICF and its affiliates partnered with consulting firm CauseImpact to offer a premier cohort consulting package to a select number of agencies to develop new, more sustainable initiatives. Register 

What triggers nonprofits to register for charitable solicitation? webinar on June 8 at 11 a.m. Learn what triggers a requirement to register, the importance to maintain compliance, and best practice recommendations going forward. Cost: Free. Presented by VonLehman CPA & Advisory. Register

Find meaning in the data webinar on June 10, from 10 a.m.-noon. Learn how to clean the data you gathered, analyze tables in Excel, and develop and interpret clear, impactful charts. Presented by SAVI Data Literacy. Cost: Free. Register