Services

IISC works with individuals, organizations, networks, and communities that are committing to transformational, long-term change for racial equity. 

We do this by:
– Designing and facilitating racial equity change processes
– Building and weaving equitable networks
– Designing and delivering trainings to build collaborative capacity for racial equity and facilitative leadership
– Designing and facilitating leadership cohort programs  

Please learn more about working with IISC and watch this video that explains our racial equity consulting and training services in detail.

Design Principles

IISC is guided by these design principles in our approach to all of our consulting and training engagements:

  • Involve your team in designing our work together.
  • Focus on organizational change while holding space for individual change and commitment-building.
  • Assign multiracial consulting and training teams. 
  • Focus on the unique roles and identities of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color as well white participants in driving change.
  • Design workshops and meetings that engage hearts and minds, enable access and authentic participation, and lead to meaningful outcomes. 
  • Focus on internal change (within your organization or network), as well as changing the work you do in the world.

Goals of the Process

We support organizations and networks to be more equitable (and liberatory — though this may be too aspirational for right now) in how they operate and to achieve more equitable outcomes through their work in the world.

Anticipated Change:
– Individuals, organizations, and networks harness their collective power to make change
– Organizations and networks pursue racial equity outcomes,
– Adaptable, effective networks drive institutional and structural social change

Anticipated Impact:
Groups and communities that have been historically marginalized and oppressed based on race have an equitable share in the power and control of organizational and societal resources.

 

Strategic Priorities for Increasing our Impact

IISC has determined we can have the greatest impact on advancing racial equity and justice by partnering with organizations and networks that:

  • Recognize the need to leverage, build, and shift power, decision-making, and leadership, particularly with BIPOC individuals and communities
  • Demonstrate sufficient readiness and commitment, for example:
    • The journey has already started
    • Commitment is deep and sustainable
    • Organizational leadership is committed and fully involved; Board is at least supportive and prepared to engage when the time is right
    • Sufficient resources – both time and money — have been committed
  • See this work as central to achieving its mission and integrated into the organization’s strategy and operations, not as a side component
  • Understand this work is very challenging, at times painful, but very powerful and impactful

While people often request the following as stand-alone services, we’ve learned that we should only offer them in the context of an ongoing project or working relationship with an organization or network. 

  • Racial Equity 101 or level-setting workshops
  • Retreats for board or staff members, affinity group sessions, town hall or all-staff meetings
  • Individual coaching

Finally, we do not conduct independent equity audits or assessments resulting in our recommendations about how to your change your operations, structure, or programming. Rather, we work with you to design an assessment process and we facilitate your team to analyze the results, develop recommendations, and craft an action plan.

Please see these additional resources if you’re interested in these stand-alone services or this type of assessment process.

Please visit “Working with IISC” to learn about how to access our consulting and training services.

  • Everyone should have the opportunity to participate in something similar, regardless of whether or not your core activity is facilitation. We all participate in meetings of some kind and this understanding can lead to a much more effective, inclusive way of doing our jobs.

    Virginia Bohan
    Senior Training Advisor, FAS- Training and Employment Authority, Kilkenny, Ireland

  • With the dogged assistance of IISC’s staff, we experienced a well-orchestrated inclusive planning process that incorporated a diversity of vested perspectives.

    Mary Walachy
    Executive Director, Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation