Diversity + Inclusion: Association Assessment Tool

LAST YEAR, TSAE published our Diversity + Inclusion Association Assessment Tool as a resource for our members to use in their own Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. With this being our DEI Issue, we wanted to bring it back again for those of you who are new or may have missed it in the past.

The benefits of a diverse organization include innovation, increased engagement, and economic growth. A diverse membership brings a range of useful perspectives to the table and there is a significant competitive advantage for an organization that can optimize the differences in their people. An organization that can match its own internal diversity with the external diversity of its customers will satisfy its target audience and prosper in the process.

The TSAE Diversity, Equity, + Inclusion assessment is an annual opportunity for TSAE’s Board and Executive Director to evaluate progress toward achieving the vision articulated in the DEI Purpose Statement. The annual assessment identifies opportunities to ensure we are delivering on the key elements of the TSAE DEI Purpose Statement.

The TSAE DEI Strategic Initiative group developed a four-point strategy that focuses on building a diversity-focused culture within TSAE, evaluation on execution of our DEI strategy, how we are serving as a model for our TSAE members on effective practices, and measuring the member perception of our efforts in this work. The DEI Assessment will be performed in the spring of each year and presented to the TSAE Board and Executive Director for review and discussion at our spring meeting. This timeline will ensure that the TSAE Board can provide suggestions going into the annual strategic initiative planning session in the summer each year.

Each category has five questions. Up to five points may be earned for each question, for a potential score of 100. Partial credit may be given for items under development.

Thank you to the Texas Society of CPAs for sharing their tool with us. We hope you find it beneficial to your own organization.

A downloadable version of the Assessment Tool can be found at associationleadershipmagazine.com.

Instructions:

Each category has five questions. Each question should be scored from 0 to 5. Up to 5 points may be earned for each question, for a potential total score of 100 over all four sections. Partial credit may be given for items under development. The following key is to be used as a guideline when assessing points for each question.

• 0 – Not applicable/no work done at this time
• 1 – Work is in the beginning/development stage. Nothing has been executed on at this time
• 2 – Some efforts have been executed but not on any constant basis.
• 3 – Approximately able to execute on this 50% of the time over the course of the year.
• 4 – Fairly constant effort over the course of the year.
• 5 – Constant performance over the course of the year

BUILDING A DIVERSITY-FOCUSED CULTURE

• The association has published a diversity statement adopted by the Board of Directors and annually reviews to confirm direction and commitment to that statement
• The association has incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion into its annual strategic objectives
• A plan is in place to recruit a diverse board and committee leadership
• The board has incorporated diversity into their annual self-performance evaluation
• The association includes DEI in its orientation of board and committee leadership

EXECUTING A DIVERSITY STRATEGY

• The association has a diversity, equity, and inclusion committee or designated champion
• DEI commitment and committee has clearly stated objectives and measurable goals
• The association reported status of achieving goals to the members
• Diversity is built into internal and external communications
• The association has a plan to promote diversity goals to members and volunteers

SERVING AS A MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE PRACTICES

• The association includes diversity as a strategy to fill speakers and all volunteer leadership
• The association has a meeting policy addressing accessibility, food, and other items that would be of interest to diverse members
• The association has an action plan to address DEI in its recruitment and renewal efforts
• The association has prioritized outreach in the industry and partners whose DEI practice aligns with the association
• The association regularly distributes resources, research, and examples to members on effective DEI efforts

MEMBER PERCEPTION

• 80% or more of members are satisfied with the association’s commitment to DEI
• 80% or more of members are satisfied with the association’s practices of DEI
• 80% or more of members feel that the association fosters an inclusive environment
• 80% of members feel that they see themselves reflected in the volunteer leadership (board and committees)
• 80% of members feel that they see themselves reflected in content providers for the association

TOTAL SCORE:

ASSESSMENT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

• OVERALL:
• BUILDING A DIVERSITY-FOCUSED CULTURE:
• EXECUTING A DIVERSITY STRATEGY:
• SERVING AS A MODEL FOR EFFECTIVE PRACTICES:
• MEMBER PERCEPTION: