How to Build Inclusive Cultures in Nonprofits

If you're setting goals to create a more inclusive workplace in 2025, my experience may save you time, money, and unmet expectations. ✅ Quick Wins (low effort, high impact) Start with team psychological safety. Inclusion is felt most in everyday team interactions—meetings, feedback, problem-solving. 👇 Use tools like: 1. The Fearless Organization Scan to uncover blind spots and team dynamics. 2. Debrief session with an accredited facilitator to discuss results openly and set clear, actionable improvements. 3. Action plan with small shifts in behavior, like leaders modeling vulnerability, asking for input first, or establishing "speak-up norms" in meetings. These micro-actions quickly build team inclusion and unlock collaboration. 🏗️ Big Projects (high effort, high impact): To create sustainable change, invest in structural inclusion. 👇 Focus on: 1. Inclusive hiring & promotion practices: build diverse candidate pipelines and train interviewers on bias mitigation. 2. Inclusive decision-making: ensure diverse perspectives are integrated into key business decisions. 3. Inclusive leadership: train leaders to actively foster diverse perspectives, intellectual humility, and trust in their teams. Empower leaders to align inclusion with business goals and make it part of their day-to-day behavior. 🎉 Fill-ins (low effort, low impact): Awareness events (like diversity month) are great for building visibility but should educate, not just celebrate. 👇 For example: 1. Pair cultural events with workshops on how diverse values shape workplace communication. 2. Use storytelling to highlight how diverse perspectives lead to tangible business wins. 🚩 Thankless Tasks (high effort, low impact): Avoid resource-heavy initiatives with little ROI. 👇 Examples: 1. Overcomplicated dashboards: focus on 2–3 actionable metrics rather than endless reports that don’t lead to change. 2. Unstructured ERGs: without clear goals and leadership support, these often become frustrating rather than empowering. 3. One-off training programs: A two-day training on unconscious bias without follow-up or practical tools is a missed opportunity. 💡 Key Takeaways 1. Inclusion thrives where it’s felt daily—in teams and decisions. 2. Start with quick wins to build momentum and tackle big projects for systemic change. 3. Avoid symbolic efforts that consume resources without measurable outcomes. 🚀 Let’s turn inclusion into a tangible, strategic advantage that empowers your teams to thrive in 2025 and beyond. _____________________________________________ If you're new here, I’m Susanna—an accredited team psychological safety practitioner with over a decade of experience in DEI and inclusive leadership. I partner with forward-thinking companies to create inclusive, high-performing workplaces where teams thrive. 📩 DM me or visit www if you want to prioritize what truly works for your organization. 

I almost didn't post about today, which is International Day of People with Disabilities. Yes, disabled people live with disability every single day. Still, awareness days matter. They spark conversations and, ideally, actions. The difference lies in allyship: - Performative allyship: Companies post today, then go silent until next year. - Genuine allyship: Companies make progress every day. This year’s theme is “Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress.” True progress means disabled people must be seen as leaders, not just participants. Too often, we’re underestimated, told “it’s a lot of work,” or only considered for roles tied directly to our disability. I know this firsthand. I held many nonprofit PR, marketing, communications, and digital roles. It's more than enough experience for a VP role. No one asked. The one time I put my name forward, I didn’t get it. Fortunately, that changed recently! I was asked if I wanted to take on an officer role with a nonprofit board. That's why I devote much of my volunteer time with this organization more than any other. Another time, I applied to a committee addressing issues that affect all residents, including people with disabilities. The two chosen were leaders of nonprofits serving disabled communities. They didn't have someone with lived experience. That’s not inclusion, and it doesn’t advance social progress. Meanwhile, I’ve run a successful business for 20 years. Not by “resting on my laurels,” but by working hard. If companies want to foster disability-inclusive societies and advance progress, here are steps to start: 1. Normalize accessibility as part of culture, not an exception. Make accommodations seamless and proactive so disabled employees don’t have to fight for them. This fosters inclusion at the systems level. 2. Create pathways into leadership, not just entry-level roles. Mentoring and coaching should explicitly prepare disabled employees for management and executive positions, not stop at “support roles.” 3. Pairing with experienced colleagues should be reciprocal. Disabled employees bring lived expertise. Encourage two-way learning so inclusion advances social progress across the organization. 4. Invest in professional development with equity in mind. Training should be accessible, funded, and scheduled during work hours. This signals that leadership growth is valued for everyone. 5. Include disabled voices in decision-making, not just consulting. Representation must extend to strategy tables, boards, and leadership committees. Progress requires lived experience shaping policy and culture. 6. Measure and report progress. Track how many disabled employees are in leadership pipelines and roles. Transparency drives accountability and societal progress. #Accessibility #MerylMots Image: White generic person figure with a flourish around its top half and International Day of People with Disabilities

Day 3 of: What Black People Actually Want Today’s focus: Nonprofits Almost every nonprofit board I’ve worked with has included at least one openly racist, sexist, or homophobic board member. And almost every time, excuses were made: “They’re learning.” “They mean well.” “They bring in money.” That “learning” too often happens at the expense of Black staff, who are expected to tolerate harm, educate adults with power, or stay silent for the sake of funding. Let me be clear: no amount of money justifies sacrificing the dignity and humanity of Black employees. If nonprofits are serious about equity, here’s what needs to change: 1. Make values non-negotiable in board recruitment. Stop assuming alignment. Vet for it. Ask direct questions about race, power, equity, and accountability before someone joins. 2. Do not make staff responsible for board members’ growth. If board members need development around equity, hire external coaches. And make continued board service contingent on real growth, not intention. 3. Establish clear standards and consequences for board behavior. Sexual harassment, racist comments, or abusive conduct should trigger immediate action, not private excuses or prolonged tolerance. Boards shape culture. And culture tells Black staff whether they are protected, or expendable. #blackhistorymonth #day3 #culturestrategist #executivecoach #shiftedconsulting #Blackhistory365 #100yearsofBlackHistory

Exclusion doesn’t always look cruel. (sometimes it actually looks kind of…normal) It’s the “team offsite” at a venue w/ stairs & no ramp. The “high-energy culture” that penalizes introverts. The “camera-on policy” that affects neurodivergence The “professional” standard that attacks cultures. The “fast-paced culture” that ignores flexible needs The “diverse leadership” w/ no diverse representation Exclusion hides behind good intentions & unexamined systems. It’s not just a behavior. Sometimes it’s architecture. And here’s the paradox: You can’t build inclusion until you see exclusion. What you don’t measure, you can’t move. What you don’t name, you can’t change. So start there. Audit your environment with curiosity, not guilt. Ask your teams: - Who consistently has to ask for exceptions? - What “standards” are just norms acting as policies? - Where do we still only expect others to adapt to us? Inclusion isn’t just a moral stance. It’s an operational strategy. Expose exclusion and you expose: - inefficiency - turnover - missed talent Address it and you build - belonging - innovation - trust. That’s not just feel-good work. That’s future-proof leadership an organization where people WANT to perform (not “have to”). #dei #hr #shrm #inclusion #ndeam #belonging #workplaceCulture #accessibility [image description: A picture of me on stage in front of 100 people in the audience wearing a blue suit with a social media graphic that says my name and a message saying the best way to achieve inclusion is to expose exclusion. ]