At United Way of Larimer County (UWLC), our mission is to lead philanthropy in our community, ensuring that gifts of time, talent, and treasure address today’s greatest needs – and reduce tomorrow’s. We are working to drive systems-level change by centering equity in our work –leading with race – to ensure that Larimer County is a place where everyone has access to resources that enable them to thrive.
Over the past 14 months, UWLC has worked to establish a foundation of equity and inclusion for our organization, including:
- Allocating approximately one-third of our community investment budget to racial equity initiatives and related expenses ($332,302) during the 2020-21 fiscal year.
- Strengthening existing partnerships and forming new partnerships with organizations working with and led by people from communities that have been underserved by our agency in the past, including people of color.
- Facilitating multiple diversity, equity, and inclusion-focused trainings for our staff, board, and volunteer committee members.
- Revising job descriptions and job postings to facilitate increased diversity in hiring practices and staff composition, including lived experience.
- Exploring strategies for supporting equity initiatives and education for local nonprofits, especially through our Nonprofit Excellence Series and Shared Services programs.
- Focusing on data, community mobilization and engagement; communications and awareness building; fundraising, resource allocation and grantmaking; policy and advocacy; and local capacity building.
In the fall of 2020, we convened a staff committee focused on embedding equity into all aspects of our programs and services, both within our organization and throughout the broader community. This team identified and continues to refine five equity-specific, mission-focused short-term outcomes for our organization, strategies for achieving those outcomes, and performance targets to track progress, hold ourselves accountable, and evaluate our approach. As we prepare to execute this plan, UWLC recognizes a need for staff training, facilitation, and support for the execution and evaluation of key activities to advance the outcomes identified by the Equity Committee.
Scope of Work
UWLC seeks an engaging and experienced consultant to support internal efforts to advance equity within our organization.
Specifically, the consultant will:
- Provide monthly training in equity-related topics for 25-30 staff members with a variety of perspectives, lived experiences, knowledge, and skills.
- Facilitate small and large group conversations among staff members in tandem with trainings to build cross-departmental connections and support learning objectives.
- Support the implementation of activities to advance equity-focused outcomes identified by the internal staff Equity Committee. This may include assessment of existing focus areas, planning and evaluation of key activities, guidance for implementing change management processes, and document review.
- Provide guidance for the development of a job description for a new staff position which will support internal equity initiatives and provide equity-related capacity building support to external nonprofit partners.
The estimated time commitment for this role is 6-10 hours/month, which includes:
- 1.5–2 hours for staff trainings and small group discussions, held on the fourth Monday of each month from 10–11:30 a.m.
- 1.5–2 hours to attend staff Equity Committee Meetings on either the first or third Wednesday of each month
- 3–6 hours for miscellaneous meetings and activities as required (e.g., planning/prep work, 1:1 or department meetings, document review, etc.)
Currently, UWLC is conducting staff meetings remotely to minimize the spread of the coronavirus. Our staff will coordinate with the consultant to facilitate meetings through our organization’s Zoom account and will provide technical support as needed. We may return to in-person or hybrid meetings if the risk of community transmission is reduced and will make alternate arrangements with the consultant if needed.
Budget
$10,000+
Timeline
February 28–June 30, 2022, with potential for renewal
Contact
Morgan Vanek (she/her), Senior Nonprofit Development Manager | mvanek@uwaylc.org | (970) 407-7045
Selection Process & Criteria
The deadline to submit a proposal is February 4, 2022. Members of the Equity Committee will interview finalists and will notify applicants of their decision by February 18, 2022. Ideally, the selected candidate will provide the first training for our staff on February 28, 2022.
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Focused and well-defined training curriculum with clear learning objectives
- Interactive and engaging facilitation style
- Demonstrated subject matter expertise, such as academic qualifications, professional background, or lived experience (or a combination)
- Experience with strategic planning, outcome evaluation, and change management processes within nonprofit organizations
- Familiarity with the United Way business model (preferred)
How to Apply
For your reference, a PDF copy of the application questions is available here and a PDF copy of the RFP is available here. If you have questions or experience technical difficulties, please contact Morgan Vanek (she/her), Senior Nonprofit Development Manager, at mvanek@uwaylc.org or (970) 407-7045.
We are also accepting proposals for speakers, presenters, and facilitators for our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Symposium in May 2022!
