United Way of Central Indiana
OUR PLEDGE TO THE COMMUNITY
United Way of Central Indiana is united with our community in opposing racism. We acknowledge that racism, both implicit and explicit, exists in our community and presents significant barriers to the achievement of economic well-being and quality of life for many in the communities we serve. United Way is committed to listening, learning, and amplifying the voices of our Black neighbors. We will do so in a manner that demonstrates respect for all. We will bring our resources, influence, and convening leverage to the table to address systemic racism that limits opportunities for a disproportionate and growing number of people in Central Indiana. While we cannot promise perfection, we are committed to accelerating progress toward racial equity as individuals, as an organization, and as an active community leader. This racial equity pledge is part of our broader commitment opposing all forms of racism and discrimination affecting members of our community.
PLEDGE 1
Organizational
Focus Area: Workplace
United Way will enhance our efforts to promote racial equity in our people practices (including hiring, training & development, and promotions), diversity in procurement, marketing & branding, and in the celebration of philanthropy.
2022 PROGRESS
In 2022, UWCI began the process of re-evaluating its talent strategy to include three major components:
We evaluated every job description in the organization and create job descriptions based on work performed and skills, knowledge and abilities to successfully work in the role. This process had a goal to focus on demonstrated skills and competencies and not degree completion. This shift to skillsbased hiring opens opportunities to a larger population of potential employees who are often excluded from consideration because of degree inflation. This skills-based talent strategy also enables UWCI to respond to change for more efficiently and creates more agility in the organization.
We created a title structure to ensure that all existing and future positions at UWCI has consistent titles to align with roles and responsibilities. This also creates a clearer path for career advancement and professional development for our team members.
We completed a compensation analysis for our non-executive positions with new skills-based job descriptions and new titles to ensure market compensation. The analysis demonstrated 88% of our positions were in step with market compensation. The other 12% were adjusted to align with current market compensation.
In 2022, United Way of Central Indiana initiated its Vendor Diversity Policy with a primary goal to provide equal access to opportunities for those who demonstrate the ability to add value and provide high-quality goods and services that are competitively priced and reliable; and who area aligned with UWCI’s values of inclusion, courage, accountability, respect and excellence. United Way will seek vendors with a clear and compelling commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion as demonstrated by their stated philosophy, community engagement, and staff and leadership diversity, particularly for those individuals assigned to work with United Way. To date, 36% of United Way’s total expenses for vendors was to minority-owned businesses (Black, Asian-Indian, Hispanic and Indigenous American).
United Way actively promotes its 401K benefit to all employees; however, an internal audit indicated that employees of color were less likely to invest enough in the program for a number of reasons. Through timely education sessions and improved onboarding processes, our participation rate is now higher than the industry average.
Earlier in 2022, United Way added another sub-goal to its internal DEI effort and created a unified language and culture for its employees. Each month, robust, in-person discussions with subject matter experts discuss DEI topics, and weekly “Word of the Week” employee engagements help lift a common vocabulary within United Way. To date, 30 vocabulary terms and monthly in-person events have engaged approximately 70% of staff.
2021 PROGRESS
United Way performed an employee equity compensation audit and a 401k utilization study, is conducting a vendor diversity audit, has revamped the recruitment process including a new applicant tracking system and onboarding process, has hired Warren Dukes as our Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, has increased its spend with Black and Brown media and began celebrating diversity through themed months like Women’s History, Black History, LGBTQA+, etc.
PLEDGE 2
Data and Research
Focus Areas: Prosperity
United Way of Central Indiana will use data on poverty and ALICE (Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed) populations to drive improvements in human services that support the Black households disproportionately represented therein. United Way will also use this information to update members of our community on racial disparities in impacts.
2022 PROGRESS
As part of United Way’s equity work, the Grassroots and Faith-based Initiative successfully launched last year with five organizations participating, and this fall, United Way is accepting applications for a second round of the program. The effort is meant eliminate barriers for small to midsize organizations led by or serving people of color to collect client and program data, customize data systems, understand outcomes and train staff.
United Way has long collected and analyzed data to understand the needs of the community and inform its decisions and strategies. For the first time, this data is now available to the public via United Way’s website. The Impact United Dashboard is an interactive tool that illustrates community need and the response of United Way’s partners in Boone, Hamilton, Hancock, Hendricks, Marion, Morgan and Putnam counties. www.uwci.org/impactunited
2021 PROGRESS
United Way is utilizing ALICE and other community level demographic data to inform its impact strategy and to address gaps in services and racial disparities. ALICE, an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained Employed, is a new way of defining and understanding the struggles of households who earn above the Federal Poverty Level, but not enough to afford a basic household budget. Our current processes and applications for impact funds and accreditation include extensive data reporting requirements around diversity, equity, and inclusion, and assessment to ensure community organizations have established plans to collect demographic data on their client population. Information from these applications is used in funding, accreditation, and capacity building strategy development. United Way’s impact dashboards and reports consist of data disaggregated by race, ethnicity and geography to understand how our current impact strategies are impacting Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) households, especially those in high ALICE zip codes. United Way has also launched the Grassroots and Faith-Based Data Initiative pilot to enhance the impact reporting and data collection capacity of five grassroots and faith-based organizations that are primarily serving Black households in Central Indiana.
PLEDGE 3
Grantmaking & Community Investments
Focus Areas: Prosperity
United Way of Central Indiana will strive to invest at least $5 million annually in human service organizations primarily serving Black clients through our portfolio of grantmaking.
2022 PROGRESS
This past year, 29 grants were given to organizations led by African American or Black/Hispanic individuals; 56 grants were given to organizations serving 50% or more of BIPOC clients. Since 2017, more than $112 million in grants has been awarded to organizations led by African American or Black/Hispanic individuals and organizations serving 50% or more of BIPOC clients.
United Way looks to accelerate the cycle of innovation in our sector through the testing of promising practices that can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our service delivery and outcomes. Social Innovation establishes an opportunity to capture the best, brightest and most innovative approaches to combat poverty in our community, especially those that support equity and community collaborations. This year, 86% of Social Innovation partners received $1.2 million in grants and reflected a diverse group of direct service providers, not accredited by United Way.
2021 PROGRESS
From July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021, United Way has invested $9.44 million in grants primarily serving Black clients. We utilize grant making values that call out inclusion and prioritize diversity across racial, ethnic, geographic and special populations. We offered equity trainings through the Nonprofit Learning Center, provided capacity building grants to Black-led and Black-serving populations, and are requiring partners to report on client race and ethnicity.
PLEDGE 4
Advocacy & Public Policy
Focus Areas: Education, Prosperity
United Way of Central Indiana will explicitly integrate the elimination of systemic racism in its annual public policy agenda which is designed to remove barriers to economic success.
2022 PROGRESS
United Way of Central Indiana went into the 2022 session of the Indiana General Assembly with the goal of improving access to early childhood education, housing, transportation and mental health services – systems that disproportionally affect communities of color in our state. United Way advocated in support of:
House Enrolled Act 1361 to prevent families who receive Child Care Development Fund assistance from losing benefits due to a student in the home earning income up to $15,000 through programming geared toward furthering their education/training.
Legislation increasing access to safe, reliable, affordable housing.
Legislation to help increase access to mental health services for Hoosiers and to collect data to inform future policies.
Alongside transportation, food security and financial stability partners, United Way helped mobilize advocates to kill damaging legislation sought to stop bus transit expansion, expand predatory lending practices, and limit access to SNAP benefits.
For its 2022-2023 legislative agenda, United Way and its coalition partners will continue advocating for policy initiatives that reduce disparities in education, health and economic outcomes.
2021 PROGRESS
United Way has partnered with the Indianapolis Urban League (IUL) to identify and engage on issues to advance racial equity at the Indiana Statehouse, provided capacity building support to the IUL to support a full-time advocate at the Statehouse, and developed an equity policy evaluation and rubric.
PLEDGE 5
Thought Leadership & Convening
Focus Areas: Education, Health, & Prosperity
United Way of Central Indiana commits to convene and educate community members about the local history of systemic racism and the current realities of racial disparities to empower them to make a positive change in the community. These forums will address Health, Housing, Food Insecurity, Transportation, Education, and Financial Stability.
2022 PROGRESS
United Way hosted a summer educational series based on the novel and hit Netflix series, “Maid,” by author Stephanie Land. The memoir covered important topics in Land’s personal journey through poverty, including the “benefits cliff,” early childhood education, and domestic violence survivorship. Experts spoke about the additional barriers people of color experienced within the context of Land’s book. Land, who is white, also emphasized and educated her audience that her story is one of privilege, as now a published author. “Black writers don’t often see the same opportunities, she said, and society doesn’t like to hear from people about their stories of struggle, including those who have experienced systemic racism.” Hundreds of individuals, supporters, agency partners and advocates attended the series.
United Way re-vamped its successful Poverty Simulations – immersive programs for workplace employees – to include racial disparity data and a deeper understanding of how people of color face systemic racism in housing, transportation, employment and healthcare. ___ individuals participated in 2022.
2021 PROGRESS
To better understand the history of racial injustice in policies that create and perpetuate barriers to services, resources, and opportunities for Black Americans, United Way created a virtual learning series, “Understanding the Roots of Racism.” The nine virtual sessions featured experts in the fields of health, housing, food insecurity, transportation, education, financial stability, mental health, career building, and social capital and civic engagement – all focus areas within United Way’s community impact strategy.
Join us in the important work of creating racial equity in Central Indiana.
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