08/20/2023
DDP
Design Diversity Partnership Strategic Plan
Overview: The Design Diversity Partnership (DDP) is committed to establishing a strategic approach to greater diversity and inclusion that aligns with its mission to be a bridge to greater diversity in the design professions. DDP is one of the most critical opportunities for companies today—especially for global brands. Finding a role for DDP to help companies develop and promote more diverse and inclusive workforces, as well as to create pathways for success for diverse business partners, is both a leadership opportunity and an essential demonstration of DDP’s purpose and that of its member companies. It also makes good business sense.
Additionally, beyond its work with corporate partners, DDP is a leading voice in the global business-sustainability community—including nonprofits, advocacy orgnizations, academia and government. DDP has a unique role to play in raising its voice, and activating its worldwide network, to make a significant contribution to a more diverse and inclusive global design community of diverse and inclusive practitioners.
And, DDP’s goals are a competitive leadership opportunity for corporate partners who will be increasingly seeking organizations that can offer resources and education on the topic of design diversity staffing at the entry and C-Suite levels. By establishing itself as an intentional thought partner and advocate, DDP will attract additional partners and retain current ones.
The following plan outlines the three- year goals for DDP as an organization, as well as an 18-month tactical plan to initiate formulation and ex*****on of the DDP strategy.
Our goal is for all of our events and activities to reflect a diverse community in terms of participants, speakers, content, media outlets, community involvement and business partners/suppliers. At events, from the speakers on the stage to the attendees to the people who help organize at a local level to the impact we have onsite, our goal is to act according our DDP strategy and philosophy.
Design diversity begins with inherent corporate culture and the recognition of the strategic value of design to influence corporate success. We recognize the issues, challenges and opportunities that are on the minds of DDP stakeholders in a way that includes a broad range of opinions and invites a broader segment of the diversity community to the table.
We aim for our outreach to be innovative and ambitious in reaching out to nontraditional audiences as a way of inviting unique opinions, recognizing them as critical contributions to creating a flourishing future for all.
Our goals is for our event logistics to include diverse types of companies, from small and medium size enterprises, to social enterprises, community-based organizations to educational institutions.
Our DDP strategy aspires to make the professional design community a model and demonstration of a spectrum of unique experience, voices, individuals and organizations.
We know that the strongest communities – and most successful businesses are diverse, safe and inclusive. DDP initiatives will help create a national design culture that leverages the contributions of a multiplicity of individuals and organizations. They engage a broad range of voices, geographies, perspectives and life experiences that intentionally reflect our global, cross-cultural design professions and support our collective business success.
Founding Principles:
· Diversity: we recognize that every individual contributes a unique personal perspective and life experience.
· Equity: we aim to provide every individual with the resources they need to be successful.
· Inclusion: we live values of respect, collaboration and human connection where everyone can contribute to our shared mission of delivering exceptional business performance
DDP recognizes race, color, national origin, age, marital status, s*x, s*xual orientation, economic status, political affiliation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, and veteran status.
DDP Mission Statement
While our DDP mission statement is comprehensive, we have identified five areas of focus on which we believe we can have the most immediate and most meaningful impact. They are race/ethnicity, gender, s*xual orientation, socio-economic status and age.
Objectives:
Establish and demonstrate leadership in DDP for all stakeholders across the professional design community, including staff, event attendees, vendors and suppliers, partners and corporate members
Create space for conversation around DDP as a critical topic for long term sustainability success
Differentiate Sustainable Brands through its commitment to DDP; leverage as a competitive advantage through action and thought leadership
Support long-term diversity and inclusion of people at the table in the business-sustainability community globally
Strategies/Actions:
Consciously create measurable DDP goals for all facets of design practice
Leverage partner and corporate member research and experience to design programs that elevate design diversity as a business practice
Create strategic partnerships with corporate partners that can help advance DDP’s goals to promote design diversity
Engage with minority businesses, schools and non-profits in every event location for on-site activation of events
Create pathways for members of more diverse communities to find their way into the design professions, and engender professional programs that promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the necessary means and support that make them sustainable
Establish transparent and measurable data collection process for all key audiences
Measurable Goals and 2019 Status
SPEAKERS:
Commit to 50/50 gender parity among speakers at all Sustainable Brands events, represented across all types of engagements, eg plenary, workshop leaders, panels
SB’18 Vancouver speakers were 49% women and 51% men
Commit to no panels comprised of 100% non-URMs or 100% males
Commit to 25% non-white speakers at all DDP events by 2021 and 50% by 2022
Commit to 5% speakers outside the ages of 30 – 55 at all DDP events by 2021 and 10% by 2022
CORPORATE MEMBERS
Provide relevant content, including informative articles, training and development, and case studies to Corporate Members
Align DDP goals with expectations for CMs to progress accordingly
Commit to 100% of Corporate Members developing and publically sharing a DDP strategy by December 2022
SUPPLIERS – Erb Institute student team developing this plan – to be completed by May 2019
Commit to xx% of all suppliers for SB events be certified women or minority owned businesses
ADVISORY BOARD
Need to create metrics after understanding current make up.
Contribute to developing a pipeline of diverse youth within the SB community
Develop a Youth Mentorship program within Corporate Membership (details TBD)
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Intentionally engage cultures that reflect the communities in which DDP hosts events, eg First Nations in Vancouver, African Americans in Detroit
Build relationships and/or partner with 3-5 credible DDP groups to advance policy.
OBD 202-489-4822
