“Sioux Empire United Way values, champions, and embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion and we support holding ourselves accountable to these. We stand united with our community and remain dedicated to building awareness and meeting the needs of children, vulnerable adults, and people in crisis.”
This short statement of support was approved by Sioux Empire United Way’s Board of Directors in June 2020 and would become the first step in our organization’s deepened commitment to building a sustainable system for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our organization and our member agencies and programs.
In the past year, our Board of Directors has:
• Approved a dedicated Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee as an integral component of the Board structure.
• Identified opportunities to incorporate DEI into the Community Impact process.
• Set requirements for DEI training for all members of the Board of Directors and SEUW staff.
Sioux Empire United Way’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee have identified additional goals, including building a visual dashboard of DEI data to help guide decision-making and follow our progress, provide capacity-building opportunities for our member organizations, and more effectively communicate the importance of DEI in our work to the community. This work is guided through local needs as well as United Way Worldwide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion framework.
“In the first six months of meetings for the DEI committee, we have been strategic in setting our goals, acknowledging the great work happening through multiple organizations within our community, and identifying opportunities of growth within our own organization,” said Brenda Kibbe, Volunteer Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. “Our DEI work has only just begun, but our Board recognizes the importance of this work for our organization, our funded agencies, and our community.”
