TiER1 Performance Solutions
OUR PLEDGE TO THE COMMUNITY
TiER1 Performance is a strategic consulting firm of 260+ people with 8 offices across the US, including our Indianapolis location, which has 24 employees. We are committed to creating a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture within our company and our communities. Racial equity requires us to acknowledge where disparities show up across our systems and to recognize how it impacts our employees, our customers, and community. We commit to challenging behaviors and mindsets with a long-term commitment to learning. Our Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) team will regularly assess our cultural and strategic practices to ensure we are aligned to our commitments and progress. For more information about our IDEA Journey, please visit this page.
PLEDGE 1
Support Black and African-American led community organizations and initiatives with a focus on mental health and wellness
Focus Areas: Health, Education, Prosperity
Utilize our Social Impact Project Grants Program as a means to fund and/or support organizations who provide mental health and wellness resources to Black and African American communities. We will also commit to dedicating up to 200 service hours annually with Indianapolis-based organizations that directly support mental health and racial and social justice initiatives to help the advancement of our local Black and African American community. We will promote those same organizations’ mental health and wellness initiatives and resources within TiER1 and through our active customer and social media networks.
2022 PROGRESS
Sponsored a team and raised $2,120 for Dayspring Center as part of the Walk for Dreams event. Supported Exodus Refugee group with a large clothing and household items drive. It was a big success! We continue to support Irvington Counseling Center through our Social Impact Grant, hosting their entire team for continued strategy activation brainstorming sessions. We also supported the search for and hiring of their summer intern, who helped Irvington Counseling Center with their BIPOC wellness fund and LGBTQIA+ support services. For more information about our Social Impact Grant, click here.
2021 PROGRESS
In process! We have stood up a special GiVE (service time off) initiative dedicated to Irvington Counseling Collective to help achieve their goal of full funding for their BIPOC Mental Wellness Fund and to serve 100 individuals in the Indianapolis area in their first year. We’ve donated 90 service hours (and counting!) of support toward designing the fundraising initiative and are now transitioning to creative and communications support.
We donated 30 service hours and $1,260 in support of the DaySpring Center’s Walking for Dreams event to benefit homeless families and their children. We are also a sponsor of DaySpring’s Jack Doyle All Star Bowl Event on October 18th, giving $3,000 and providing a team of participants and spectators in support of homeless children of Indianapolis and associated programs to better their lives.
PLEDGE 2
Focused, priority spending with Black-Owned Businesses
Focus Areas: Prosperity
We will intentionally invest in Black-Owned Businesses, for our Indianapolis regional events, office, and project needs throughout 2021 so that a minimum of 50% of our total Indianapolis region spend is with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) owned businesses.
2022 PROGRESS
We are on track to exceed our Spend goal for the year. As of Oct 1st, 2022, we've spent $6,900 in support of BIPOC Indianapolis businesses, which is 50% of total regional spend. In September, we hosted a successful Client Open House at our new Indy location in the Ft. Ben area for over 50 guests. All food and dessert vendors were local BIPOC, women-owned businesses. Our t-shirt and printing partners were BIPOC businesses, and we raffled off a wonderful "Hoosier Pride" gift basket full of items from local BIPOC and women-owned businesses. We also promoted these businesses during the event and on social media for several weeks leading up to the event, as part of our Back Home Again TiER1 Indy Event and Marketing Campaign.
2021 PROGRESS
On track! In our Indianapolis region specifically our BIPOC spend is up over 200%. Currently, 40% of our total spend is with BIPOC businesses. We've partnered with numerous BIPOC businesses to cater meals and special events, and to create "Hoosier Pride" swag boxes of local goodies to send to all 260+ employees as part of our January 2021 Virtual Annual Kick Off Meeting that was sponsored by our Indy office. Marsha's Specialty Desserts, Tea's Me Cafe, Garrett's BBQ, and La Hacienda have been frequent partners throughout the year. Starting in July, the Indy region began having IDEA Journey "meet ups" monthly at a BIPOC restaurant to have a conversation about DEI while supporting our BIPOC spend pledge. Gordon's Milkshakes and Yaso Grill are the first two BIPOC businesses for these meet ups.
At a company level, we've created an online BIPOC Marketplace and linked it to our Founders Awards Ceremony, held twice a year. Award winners receive $250 and can search the BIPOC Marketplace to purchase items of their choice. The first award recipients shopped the BIPOC Marketplace in Q1. Our next awards ceremony is in early Q4. Even outside of the Founders Awards, our 8 regions are adding to and leveraging the BIPOC Marketplace for regional events, meals, and gifts specific to their offices. In September, we will have our Annual Company Meeting (ACM) in Cincinnati, OH. While planning is still underway, we partnered with ROCKaBLOCK apparel in Merrillville, IN for the design and purchase of 291 themed t-shirts for the ACM. In addition, we are partnering with several Cincy-based BIPOC businesses for food and other event support.
PLEDGE 3
Launch of University and College Internship & Scholarship Program to Increase Racial Diversity
Focus Areas: Education, Workplace
We commit to:
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Partnering proactively with Central Indiana universities, colleges, and student resource groups that promote the needs of Black and African American student populations.
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Launching a Diversity Scholarship Program with Central Indiana university and college partners to increase racial representation within fields such as creative design, technology, and communications.
2022 PROGRESS
We continue to strengthen our campus partnership with DePauw University. In February, the Indy region sent a team of five people, including our Director of DEI, to DePauw to speak on "Day in the Life of a Consultant" for the larger DePauw student body with an intentional call out and marketing effort to BIPOC students and student groups. We also met with students at a special reception at the Center for Diversity and Inclusion to promote our TiER1 internships and BIPOC scholarship. We've since gone back to DePauw this past fall for another career fair and reception at the DEI Center. The number of BIPOC student intern and early career hire applications have increased as a result. We have just begun our campus champion program at IU School of Informatics, on their Bloomington campus and hope to expand our BIPOC student reach there as well.
For more information about our Diversity Scholarship, please visit: https://tier1performance.com/diversity-scholarships/
2021 PROGRESS
In Process! Since Q2, we've been partnering with DePauw University in Greencastle, IN specifically in support of BIPOC students. We are working with DePauw's Director of Career Services & Employer Relations to plan DEI workshops for students this fall semester. Possible topics include: "How to ask questions about DEI in a job interview", "Steps to prepare yourself to be equipped to navigate DEI in the workplace," and "Leveraging your DEI competence with employers-why DEI competence makes you a better applicant." TiER1's DEI Strategy Director is in the planning stages now for these workshops, including a 15-minute TEDTalk-like event that includes a TiER1er who is active in their IDEA Journey and eager to support & network with DPU BIPOC students, targeted for November 3rd. We are also reaching out to student run BIPOC organizations to see what opportunities exist for talking with BIPOC students about careers, resume and networking, etc.
Join us in the important work of creating racial equity in Central Indiana.
Email us to learn more.
