Philanthropy’s Tech Workers Play an Important, Unseen Role in DEI. This Training Seeks to Help

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Philanthropy as a sector has at least been talking about the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion for many years. At the same time, much of philanthropy’s work is mediated by technology, including grant applications, data collection, program analysis, report writing and more. And too many of the people who create and implement this technology aren’t part of the DEI discussion. Technology Association of Grantmakers’ (TAG) 2018 and 2020 State of Philanthropy Tech surveys found that between 40 and 50% of nonprofit tech teams haven’t had any DEI programs or training. 

This July, TAG, a nonprofit association for people who work in tech-related roles at grantmaking organizations, is taking the first steps to improve this situation. In partnership with Black-led nonprofit tech firm Resilia and with partial funding from the Kresge Foundation and online grants management company Submittable, TAG is offering Equity Essentials for Philanthropy Tech. The six-month program seeks “to advance DEI for technology-related staff, teams, vendors and consultants in philanthropy,” geared specifically for the needs of nonprofit tech employees, including staff, vendors and consultants. 

Equity Essentials will kick off with an information session on July 14 at 1 p.m. EST. The program includes self-guided coursework, virtual peer-learning events, and an optional, in-person workshop at the annual TAG conference in Nov. 2022. Program fees are on a sliding scale based on asset size for grantmakers and revenues for vendors. Those curious about the program can register here and sign up after the information session. 

When most of us think about the people who “should” participate in DEI training, we’re likely to think about nonprofit and foundation leadership, program staff, fundraisers — the people who directly interact with other people. We don’t necessarily think about the tech team, busily tapping away at their computers to create or modify the software that makes philanthropy’s work possible. But people do interact with the software that is created and modified by tech teams, and everything from the language used in those programs to the types of data collected can be either a boon or a bust to a foundation’s or vendor’s DEI efforts. 

To take just one possible example: Does your organization’s CRM or grants management software allow people to fill in their pronouns? If not, trans and other gender-noncomforming people are left without an accurate way to describe themselves in your organization’s forms, and quite possibly feel unseen and unwanted by your organization. 

“In 2022, almost every touchpoint between foundation staff and partners occurs through the use of technology,” said TAG Executive Director Chantal Forster. “This program aims to create a baseline of equity awareness for tech staff as well as build skill in techniques like participatory design and accessibility, so that together we can close the ‘equity loophole’ currently open at most foundations who are unaware of technology’s vital involvement in equitable practices.”

Forster isn’t alone in emphasizing the importance of DEI training for nonprofit and foundation tech workers. 

“Technologists in the nonprofit sector are the creators and stewards of our social impact systems. It’s imperative we all have a firm understanding of DEI principles to ensure our technology works fairly and equitably for everyone,” said Sam Caplan, the vice president of social impact at Submittable. 

IT departments play a critical part in implementing DEI strategies across organizations’ operations, said Wendye Mingo, Kresge’s managing director of information technology. “Technologists should also be trained in DEI best practices and operations initiatives so we, too, can, for example, learn how to examine how our vendors institutionalize diversity, prevent creating code that could produce biased results, and determine whether we are producing reports that are not truthful in highlighting equitable impact.”

Last year, Philip Rojc summed up the progress to date — and the long road left to travel — for philanthropy in terms of racial justice after the 2020 murder of George Floyd spurred the beginning of a racial reckoning across sectors in the United States. Sending nonprofit tech employees to Equity Essentials won’t be the kind of flashy, attention-getting gesture that our sector likes to point to as proof of progress. But this, and opportunities like it, offer a chance for staff who may not be obvious targets of DEI and racial equity initiatives to have a lasting impact on the day-to-day internal processes that ultimately result in real and lasting change.