Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

A sector-wide commitment to building nonprofit organizations that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive in their leadership, workplaces, and service to the community.

A Shared Commitment to a Stronger Nonprofit Sector

The Nonprofit Partnership believes that building diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations strengthens both our workplaces and the communities we serve. Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Pledge provides a framework for nonprofit organizations committed to embedding these values into their leadership, governance, programs, and workplace culture.


Through this pledge, nonprofit organizations publicly commit to practical steps that advance diversity, equity, and inclusion across their operations. By working collectively, we can build a sector that better reflects and serves our community.

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Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Pledge

The nonprofit sector is a significant moral and economic force in our country and community. The sector, from the smallest start-up to the largest social service provider, employs millions of Americans. It is imperative that we ensure diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that reflect the good work done by mission-serving organizations.


Not only is diversity, equity, and inclusion the right thing to pursue and foster in our sector, it has been proven that it improves our ability to be great at our work. Building organizations that are diverse, equitable, and inclusive creates more functional and productive organizations.


In order to be successful in this realm, we recognize that effective DEI initiatives go beyond just rhetoric and are founded in very practical considerations regarding how we do business. Without effective processes and practices, DEI initiatives will flounder which ultimately hinder our ability to increase our impact.


Therefore, we commit to the following practices to ensure diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces in the nonprofit sector:

  • Planning & Policies
    • Our organization pledges to prioritize DEI in our planning processes by identifying specific DEI goals, along with timelines for accomplishing goals and key performance indicators used to measure, monitor, and evaluate progress toward goals.
    • Our organization pledges to make a public commitment to DEI by adding a DEI component to our mission, vision, and values statements, or by publishing a separate DEI statement.
    • Our organization pledges to identify staff, volunteers, and/or Board members to focus on DEI work within the organization and empower them to communicate recommendations, challenge assumptions, and champion DEI health.
    • Our organization pledges to commit financial resources to DEI work.
    • Our organization pledges to ensure that all of our policies, procedures, and practices are consistent with our DEI statements and strategy.
  • Board Operations & Governance
    • Our organization pledges to collect and analyze demographic information on Board members in order to monitor Board diversity relative to the community and nation.
    • Our organization pledges to create and uphold formal policies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in Board recruitment and operations.
    • Our organization pledges to have regular Board-level conversations around DEI and the organization’s successes and failures in this realm.
  • Programs & Services
    • Our organization pledges to ensure that diverse communities’ perspectives and needs are considered in the planning, development, implementation, delivery, and evaluation of programs and services.
    • Our organization pledges to collect and analyze demographic information on clients/constituents and to use this information to inform our activities.
    • Our organization pledges to accurately represent our diverse clients/constituents on our website, in printed collateral, and elsewhere.
  • Organizational Culture & Human Resources
    • Our organization pledges to offer DEI training to staff, leadership, Board members, key volunteers, and key partners, at least once per year.
    • Our organization pledges to create an environment in which is it possible to have difficult conversations about DEI topics by sharing clear expectations and rules of engagement for such conversations.
    • Our organization pledges to collect and analyze demographic information on employees in order to monitor staff diversity relative to the community and nation.
    • Our organization pledges to adhere to equitable hiring practices, including: publishing salary ranges in job listings for transparency; refraining from requesting salary histories from job applicants; and refraining from including degree requirements for open positions unless a given degree is materially important to the day-to-day responsibilities of the role.
    • Our organization pledges to routinely assess compensation, comparing employee salaries to industry, community, and organizational benchmarks.
    • Our organization pledges to ensure that all employees are given equitable access to professional development opportunities.
    • Our organization pledges to ensure that a formal annual review takes place for each and every staff and leadership position; that a standardized rubric is used to evaluate performance, determining promotions and merit-based raises; and that this process results in a written report that is stored in the employee’s personnel file, along with a customized professional development plan based on the employee’s goals and aptitudes.Our organization pledges to collect and analyze demographic information on clients/constituents and to use this information to inform our activities.
    • Our organization pledges to accurately represent our diverse clients/constituents on our website, in printed collateral, and elsewhere.
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The Nonprofit Partnership’s Pledge

The Nonprofit Partnership recognizes that in order to effectively instill these practices in our member organizations, that we must be a partner in this effort. Therefore, the Partnership pledges to:


  • Ensure, through education, training, and sharing of best practices, that all member organizations and their staff have access to information that builds the foundational knowledge of DEI in order to strengthen member DEI initiatives. Where NPP cannot provide those resources, NPP will direct organizations to consultants and other external parties who can assist them in this realm.
  • Provide governance training to Board members in areas of DEI and help to create pathways to Board membership for diverse populations.
  • Provide research and information related to competitive and equitable pay for salaried positions. Relatedly, NPP will only post positions on the NPP Job Board that:

1) include a salary range and

2) do not require a salary history from job applicants.

  • Assist nonprofits in understanding and interpreting demographic data of the community and provide resources to help organizations reflect the communities they serve.

Join these member organizations in signing The Nonprofit Partnership's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pledge:

We got it.

Thank you for signing the DEI pledge.
If your organization holds an active membership with The Nonprofit Partnership, your nonprofit will be listed within 1-2 business days.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pledge Signature

Only members of The Nonprofit Partnership can sign the pledge. Non-members can access a modified PDF version of the pledge here. 


Once signing the pledge, please allow 1-2 business days for your organization to appear on the listing above.

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What Our Client Say

A placeholder profile icon consisting of a gray silhouette of a person’s head and shoulders inside a light gray circle.

The Nonprofit Partnership is the premier resource for nonprofits in our area. Their staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and accessible. The online resources & educational sessions are informative and provide help conveniently. Whether you're starting out in the nonprofit sector, or have been working for decades, the NPP helps keep you up to date & relevant.

LEEANN KRAHE, CTRS

Director of Activities & Volunteer Services

Pleasant Ridge Manor & The Friends Forever Volunteers

With so many non-profits in Erie County, it is great to have resources and collaboration available through the Erie Non-Profit Partnership. I have attended several of the Nonprofit Partnership Day Seminars and I look forward to the content each year. With changes in policy and technology trends, it is also nice to have access to learning opportunities throughout the year. It is really nice to have a centralized organization to assist with our varying needs. Thank you!

MAUREEN RIZZO

Director of Development – Brevillier Village

Each of the (many) trainings that I have attended through The Nonprofit Partnership over the past… years has provided a valuable resource for professional development opportunity for staff and Board Members to the overall benefit of our organization [the Foundation for Sustainable Forests]. NPP trainings are focused, relevant and on-point for the needs of a small non-profit organization such as ours.

ANNIE SOCCI, PhD

Executive Director – The Foundation for Sustainable Forests

What Our Client Say

A placeholder profile icon consisting of a gray silhouette of a person’s head and shoulders inside a light gray circle.

The Nonprofit Partnership is the premier resource for nonprofits in our area. Their staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and accessible. The online resources & educational sessions are informative and provide help conveniently. Whether you're starting out in the nonprofit sector, or have been working for decades, the NPP helps keep you up to date & relevant.

LEEANN KRAHE, CTRS

Director of Activities & Volunteer Services

Pleasant Ridge Manor & The Friends Forever Volunteers

With so many non-profits in Erie County, it is great to have resources and collaboration available through the Erie Non-Profit Partnership. I have attended several of the Nonprofit Partnership Day Seminars and I look forward to the content each year. With changes in policy and technology trends, it is also nice to have access to learning opportunities throughout the year. It is really nice to have a centralized organization to assist with our varying needs. Thank you!

MAUREEN RIZZO

Director of Development – Brevillier Village

Each of the (many) trainings that I have attended through The Nonprofit Partnership over the past… years has provided a valuable resource for professional development opportunity for staff and Board Members to the overall benefit of our organization [the Foundation for Sustainable Forests]. NPP trainings are focused, relevant and on-point for the needs of a small non-profit organization such as ours.

ANNIE SOCCI, PhD

Executive Director – The Foundation for Sustainable Forests