WORKSHOPS

NEXT UP: Two Part Series: Designing Equitable Communities Amidst COVID-19

arial view of a suburban landscape shoing rooftops and streets

First Session - June 18 6:30-9:30pm ET

Second Session - June 25 6:30-9:30pm ET

Program Cost: $25

Background

The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a preeminent source of information and practical advice for nonprofit professionals, foundation executives, board members, and others, has embarked on a multi-faceted initiative to center DEI in their reporting and editorial practices. A component part of this effort entailed assessing its recent reporting through the lens of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Challenge

The Chronicle lacked a data-driven benchmark against which to understand the current state of its news, features, advice, analysis articles, and opinion pieces in terms of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Approach and Solution

In collaboration with The Chronicle's Editor and members of the reporting team, INW: Set an internal DEI baseline for the organization’s editorial content by reviewing the demographic composition of all individuals quoted in news pieces and authors of opinion content from 2017, 2018, and 2019. We then benchmarked that data against the broader field by comparing the Chronicle's outputs against the diversity amongst nonprofit leadership, boards, and foundation staff as well as that of another news organization; Created an extendable database to digitally house demographic information about each source to which Chronicle staff can contribute to track future trends and progress; Produced a report with recommendations for goals to improve The Chronicle’s editorial practices with respect to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Facilitated two virtual meetings with the entire Editorial/Reporting teams to debrief the assessment findings and associated recommendations for sustained engagement and next actions.
Outcomes

As a result of this assessment, The Chronicle now has an expandable database containing three years’ worth of data comprising over 1,200 news stories and over 300 op-ed pieces. Individual reporters and editors also have the means to run additional reports using this data to better understand the demographic trends of The Chronicle's reporting. Individual reporters are working with a DEI coach to further embed these values into their work and can use this assessment as a baseline to measure progress, individually and organizationally, going forward.

FACILITATORS

Matt Fulle, He/Him

Matt is an experienced educator, activist, and curriculum designer who specializes in training young professionals how to leverage their assets to make change in their communities through storytelling, advocacy, and community organizing. Since 2018, Matt Fulle has been the Learning Design Analyst on the Education Team at the Obama Foundation, where he helps design curriculum for the team’s leadership development programs that serve hundreds of 18-25 year olds across the United States. His work has focused on the Foundation’s 6-month long Community Leadership Corps program, which trains 130 18-25 year olds in Chicago and Hartford, Connecticut how to equitably drive change with their communities through grassroots projects and relationship building.

Before joining the Obama Foundation, Matt worked for Northwestern University as the Advocacy and Organizing Education Coordinator, where he ran the University’s six-month long advocacy training program called the Advocacy Corps. Matt helped start the program as a senior undergraduate in partnership with Northwestern’s Leadership Development and Community Engagement Department (LDCE). He then helped manage the program as a staff member in LDCE. Matt is also an experienced speechwriter, having written for public officials and candidates across the country at every level of government. Matt has a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Northwestern University’s School of Communication.

Matt’s views expressed in this class are his own and are not representative of the Obama foundation.

Emily Nordquist, She/Her

Emily Nordquist is the Senior Program Manager for the Baumhart Center, an interdisciplinary center at Loyola University Chicago that equips leaders with the business tools to accelerate social impact. The Center is home to a highly selective MBA program, called Baumhart Scholars, that prepares working professionals to marry profit and purpose in their careers.

Before joining Baumhart, Emily worked for LISC’s New Markets Support Company (NMSC), a Chicago-based social enterprise, and a subsidiary of one of the largest community development financial institutions in the country. NMSC delivers creative financing solutions to expand economic opportunity and has created over 7,000 jobs in low-income communities across U.S. cities and in rural America. In her role, Emily led the impact management process for NMSC’s portfolio of $1 billion of investments in health care centers, schools, community centers, industrial facilities and more. Emily also developed and supported internal fund management, impact compliance, and asset management processes.

Emily is a 2018 inaugural Obama Foundation Community Leadership Corps (CLC) Member and a current Alumni Ambassador for the CLC program. She is also known for her efforts in helping young women in Chicago achieve financial wellness through her community-based organization, Penny. She was given the opportunity to speak about her work in reimagining financial well-being for women at the 2018 Obama Summit.

Emily has a bachelor’s degree in Economics and an MBA from Quinlan School of Business at Loyola University Chicago. She currently serves on the Impact Investing Advisory Council of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago and volunteers her time with the Illinois Diversity Council.

Workshops