PREPARING ORGANIZATIONS TO ENGAGE IN EQUITY

Making a decision to initiate an organizational transformation process requires careful deliberation and courage. For one, it is a difficult and nebulous task to understand what transformation means. Second, it is a risky proposition since organizations and their leadership are unique and most will not have the benefit of a roadmap or knowledge of what the end result of transformation will actually look like. And finally, organizations will approach transformation differently based on where their comfort and commitment levels are on the social justice gauge.

For an organization interested in learning more about wholesale institutional transformation that includes an emphasis on equity, it should be made clear from the outset that for real transformation to occur, an organization (at the staff and board levels) needs to accept that there will be degrees of risk and uncertainty. Organizations and their leadership must accept that the challenges will confront the CEO, the staff, and the board of directors. Each play a role in an organization's transformation and each carry a level of responsibility for the success of the transformation process.

In the following pages, FMS describes how the leadership of the foundation prepared the organization, initiated the transformation process, and (although the process is still ongoing) made significant changes to the organization's mission, staff, policies and procedures, and scope of work.