Colorado is home to people of diverse backgrounds, all of whom place a value on their quality of life. We believe that treating all people fairly and equally only enhances the Colorado experience for everyone who lives here.
The Inclusive Workplace Toolkit and Gender Expression Toolkit can help employers and organizations learn more about inclusion and diversity. And we also offer our Challenge Component Toolkit to help organizations in their fundraising and development efforts.
In 2010, the Gill Foundation and Weber Shandwick released “Business of Change,” a resource guide focused on corporate-nonprofit collaboration to promote equality for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The 104-page guide, available free to download, is a collection of best practices with actionable and practical ideas to help nonprofits and corporations advance LGBT equality. Learn more or download the Business of Change guide or visit the newly launched Business of Change interactive website: www.LGBTBusinessOfChange.org.
Inclusive Workplace Toolkit
Workplaces that value diversity and inclusion don’t just create themselves, they take thoughtful planning and work. Many different factors need to be considered, ranging from the organization’s board and senior management to its staff, training opportunities, company policies, client populations served, and contractor and vendor relationships. While there is no specific roadmap or “secret recipe” to inclusion, there may be some common themes that all organizations should consider.
Our Inclusive Workplace Toolkit offers some useful information including suggested language for company policies and procedures, document templates, and case studies. The goal is of the toolkit is simple: it should allow your organization to take inclusion to the next level. Beyond that, we encourage you to check out the Denver Foundation’s Inclusiveness Project for even more resources including research, presentations, stories, consultant recommendations, and connecting with others.
Gender Expression Toolkit
In addition to helping Colorado nonprofits address issues of diversity in the workplace, we also help them understand gender expression and the varying issues transgender people face. The support of our grantees and two laws in Colorado help reinforce our vision of a Colorado that welcomes and includes all people regardless of their sexual orientation or gender expression. For this reason we require all grantees to have an inclusive organizational nondiscrimination policy or be committed to adopting an inclusive policy if they’re a first-time grantee.
Recent Colorado Laws:
May 2008
Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or transgender status in housing and public accommodations – such as hotels and restaurants.
May 2007
Colorado’s Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA) which makes it unlawful for an employer to discriminate based on sexual orientation, gender expression, or transgender status.
Challenge Component Toolkit
The majority of Gay & Lesbian Fund for Colorado grants contain a challenge component. We believe that a matching challenge can help nonprofits diversify their base of funding and introduce the organization to a wider array of donors.
For every dollar an organization raises up to an agreed amount, the Gay & Lesbian Fund matches that dollar. We only match new and increased donations made in response to the challenge component.
If offered a grant with a challenge component, we encourage you to use the various tools to make the most of your grant. Visit our Challenge Component Toolkit to learn more.
