A key goal of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund and a major component of the strategic plans adopted by our Boards in 2015 and 2018 is a commitment to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion which continues to this day. Our objectives are to increase the participation of people of color on our Boards to 35% and on our staff to 30%, to ensure that all our offices are working with and in communities of color and that our campaigns reflect the needs and concerns of communities of color. To do this, we will work to identify the ways in which racism and other oppressions have affected our organization, take steps to eliminate these oppressions from our organization and its operations, and contribute through our work to the goal of ending racism in society.
As of June 2020, 38% of the members of the Boards of Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund were people of color. Results from our Winter 2020 staff survey showed that 25% of Clean Water’s staff were people of color, up from the first survey several years ago but still below the goal the organizations have set.
Key elements of our justice, equity, diversity and inclusion plan are:
- Setting specific goals for specific goals for different parts of the organization
- Monitoring progress towards these targets, using an annual staff survey and information from staff reviews and exit interviews
- Regularly convening a Diversity Council of board and staff to drive the process and monitor progress, and requiring states to set up a workgroup or committee to address the diversity and equity issues
- Increasing efforts to recruit staff of color, broadening efforts to retain staff of color, providing staff of color with additional support and resources and evaluating managers on their performance in these areas
- Increasing our programmatic efforts in and with communities of color and low income communities, and encouraging all offices to work with communities of color; also, ensuring that our campaigns don’t have negative impacts on communities of color
- Dedicating additional resources to these diversity and equity efforts, providing assistance, training and resources for efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse staff
- Incorporating diversity elements into all areas of strategic plan, future campaigns and activities of the organizations over the next three years.