At the Community Foundation, we believe that organizational excellence is essential for achieving our mission. An essential strategy for achieving organizational excellence is to focus on supporting our staff through recruitment and retention efforts, salary and benefits benchmarking, professional development, and recognition of excellent work. This focus is lived out daily through our core value of Connectedness, as team members build relationships and genuinely enjoy spending time together.
When We Started the Certification Journey
In 2022, the Community Foundation embarked on an equity certification program with Ellequate, an employer certification and cohort-based leadership program focused on workplace equity. Ellequate helps organizations redesign workplace systems to better support employees, promote behavioral change, and strengthen organizational culture. Through this initiative, we established clear diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals based on staff input and best practices recommended by Ellequate.
Why This Certification Matters
Our pursuit of this certification stems from our belief in creating a fair, objective, and inclusive workplace. We know that fostering workplace inclusion and strong organizational systems sets us apart as a sought-after organization for passionate and engaged team members. Additionally, the certification process is an accountability tool to ensure that our DEI efforts are not just words but meaningful actions that drive change.
Benefits of the Certification
We are proud to share several key successes from our journey so far. During our team listening sessions, part of the recertification process, we celebrated our achievements and gathered feedback for further improvements. Highlights from the Employee Survey include:
· A 91% overall staff survey score—the highest in Ellequate’s membership database.
· Many scores in detailed assessment areas were at or near 100%.
· Our staff feels valued, supported, and motivated by our commitment to well-being and professional development.
These results reflect our ongoing commitment to ensuring a supportive and welcoming workplace where everyone can thrive.
The Path Forward
This journey wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of our DEI Working Group and HR Committee. The DEI Working Group, established in late 2022, has been integral in moving our goals forward. With support from the HR Committee, we’ve implemented several key policy changes that have furthered our progress toward recertification, culminating in December 2024.
Learn More
To explore our ongoing DEI efforts, visit our DEI Statement and Strategy. You can also learn more about Ellequate and its approach to workplace equity by visiting its website.
For any questions or to learn more about our equity certification process, feel free to reach out to Heidi Ludwig, Chief Operating Officer.