Alignment Sessions
2-hour strategy sessions for non-profit leaders who are prioritizing racial equity
Transformation Starts Here
One of the greatest challenges facing non-profit leaders is the lack of time and resources needed to create an equitable organizational culture. In between building a board, leading a team, and driving an essential mission, many non-profit leaders simply don't have the capacity to clarify their racial equity goals and build an action plan.
Sound familiar?
If so, this 2-hour strategy session is designed to help you move from good intentions for diversity to thoughtful, race conscious action.
In an Alignment Session, we will do three things:
Get crystal clear on what racial equity, justice, and diversity mean in your organizational life.
Build towards alignment between your board of directors, your executive team, and your staff as it relates to your racial equity goals.
Chart out a specific action plan and timeline you can put to work right away.
Led by Bethaney Wilkinson, Alignment Sessions are low-investment, high impact opportunities to help you get unstuck in your DEI process. You will walk away from this time with a sharper vision and renewed hope about what is possible in your context.
The Process
How does an Alignment Session work?
STEP ONE: GATHER THE PEOPLE
An Alignment Session must include at least four people from your organization, representing each of the following positions:
one executive level leader
one team member
one board member, and,
one community member (a volunteer, a donor, a program participant, a client, etc.)
Why? Because we need a comprehensive look at what types of change are possible within your organization. The only way to capture this is by involving stakeholders at every level. Additionally, you want to build a strategy that, over time, touches every aspect of your organizational life. The work will be more sustainable and effective if you build it together from the very beginning.
STEP TWO: TAKE THE ASSESSMENT
Our team will send each participant from your organization a quick assessment to help us get to know you. This assessment will also give our team insight into the current perspectives and attitudes shaping your organization’s current racial equity, diversity, justice, and inclusion work. This baseline data will help The Diversity Gap team to design a constructive strategy session for your organization.
STEP THREE: PARTICIPATE IN THE SESSION
When you sign-up, you will select a date and time that works best for your organization. Our team will send you virtual meeting links and any other preparatory materials. We will meet for 2-hours and the time will be packed. You will walk away with rich insights and next steps.
STEP FOUR: GET TO WORK
At this stage, the ball will be in your court. You will have everything you need to run with the plan we set in motion during our Alignment Session. You will have clarity on who is responsible for what and by when. The change you want to see is up to you. After our session, you will have everything you need to hit the ground running.
The Details
What will we do during an Alignment Session?
During the Alignment Session, we will:
Set specific intentions for our time so that you have a clear, guiding motivation for participating in our work
Review your organization’s racial equity journey using a simple framework so that we are on the same page about what is going well and where there is room for improvement
Walk through the three types of racial equity and DEI approaches organization’s use so that we can clarify which framework works in your context
Identify the specific vehicles for change you can begin leveraging so that you walk away with a strategic action plan
Build out a timeline, assign roles, and make commitments to getting the work done.
These 2-Hour Sessions are working sessions. We will move quickly, we will make decisions, and you will be invited to commit to a way forward. These are not education or ideation sessions. These sessions are about aligned action.
The Investment
ALIGNMENT SESSION
$499
paid in full at the time of booking
The investment for an Alignment Session is non-refundable. Please read through the FAQ's thoroughly before booking your session. If you have questions, please email us operations@thediversitygap.com.
Alignment Sessions cut through the noise and self-doubt so that you can lead towards racial equity with clarity and confidence.
Alignment Session FAQS
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An alignment session costs $499 per session.
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You can sign up for an additional Alignment Session after at least 3 months have passed. It’s imperative that you put into practice the strategic action plan we create during our first session before you book another.
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No, you do not need to identify all 4 names at the time of booking. But you will need to identify them at least 48 hours prior to our meeting so that they have time to complete the assessment.
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Ideally, no. The goal of having 4 participants is to get a full-circle snapshot of who will be impacted by your racial equity and DEI work. Without comprehensive representation, the plan we build together will lack effectiveness. If you have further questions about this or if you’d like to make a case for an exception, please email operations@thediversitygap.com.
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Ideally, no. In order to move through the planning process in the allotted time, these sessions are limited to four participants. This gives us the space we need for everyone to be heard and to move through the strategic planning process within the 2 hours. If you are looking for another type of organizational support, please check out our Team Facilitation page, accessible here.
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Great question! This process works best for leaders who have started experimenting with racial equity programming and activity. Maybe you’ve invited some speakers on the topic. Maybe you’ve tried some training events. Maybe you’ve had a series of discussions. Maybe you’ve launched a subcommittee or held a book club. It will look different for everyone. Ultimately, we want to see that you’ve taken the initiative to try something. You don’t need to be an expert, but you do need to have modeled a level of commitment and responsibility by having tried something—big or small!
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Any size works! Since one Alignment Session is held by Bethaney Wilkinson with only 4 representative members of your organization, the session will be structured the same whether you have a team of 5 or 500.
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This experience is designed for non-profit organizations exclusively. This includes foundations and churches. If you do not fit in this category, please check out our page of Offerings for Teams, accessible here.
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Yes, Alignment Sessions can be held in-person for those in the Metro Atlanta area. Additional costs for travel and accommodations may apply and will be determined after booking.
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One goal of this session is to help you clarify what you’re doing so that you know exactly what kind of support you need and why. It’s helpful to do an Alignment Session with The Diversity Gap first because our time together will help you identify what kind of consultant you need.
Do you need a facilitator or a strategist? Do you need a programming advisor or a conflict mediator? Do you need someone to lead a training or to give your leadership team direction? Or do you need all of the above? And to what specific end? These are the questions we’ll answer together if you book an Alignment Session with The Diversity Gap.
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The Diversity Gap has various Offerings for Teams to help organizations embody and integrate their values for racial equity and justice, which you can learn more about here. After doing an Alignment Session, you also become eligible for 1:1 coaching with Bethaney to help you as an individual to build your Race Conscious Leadership capacity. You can learn more about that here.
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