Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Survey

CHECK BACK SOON!

Our 2024 survey results will be shared in Spring 2025.

In 2021, The Association fielded the first-of-its-kind survey to assess the state of DEI in animal welfare. As a follow up to that initial research, another survey was conducted in 2024 with the aim to identify markers of progress and ongoing issues within the animal welfare profession. Here you can find the results of the 2024 State of DEI Audit.

6 detailed findings

1

Animal welfare workforce needs more diversity, especially at leadership levels.

pages
10-11

2

Organizations need to ensure accountability for exclusion, bullying, discrimination, and harassment

pages
11-12

3

Leaders need to model more active and sustainable commitment for DEI efforts.

pages
12-13

4

Challenges around equitable employee treatment and development persist.

pages
14-15

5

Although work cultures have become more inclusive, improvements are inconsistent.

pages
15-16

6

Animal welfare organizations have a long way to go to provide adequate support for diverse communities.

pages
16-19

6 recommendations

1

Make DEI a part of the organization’s strategic goals, identify specific objectives, actions, metrics. All too often, DEI efforts are addressed in an ad hoc, reactive way, which leads to a great deal of energy and high expectations for change but often loses momentum before any real progress can be made.

Hire an expert consultant to facilitate a process to integrate DEI principles into
the organization’s strategic plan.
Identify who needs to play an active role in the design and implementation of DEI actions (e.g. leadership, HR, DEI Committee members, Board).
Identify goals that are SMART (specific, measurable, aligned, realistic, and time-
bound).
Determine individual and collective responsibilities for achieving each goal and key performance indicators to measure progress.
Evaluate progress on a regular basis and course correct as needed to keep driving change.

2

Leaders must make visible commitments and hold themselves and others accountable for inclusive and respectful organizations for all. Although leaders and executives should not be expected to be experts in DEI, they are the face of the organization and set the tone of the organizational culture and priorities. Trust and confidence will be built or broken by the actions of leaders.

Add DEI competencies into leadership team’s performance evaluations, with behavioral indicators demonstrating success.
Use 360 evaluations for leaders and managers to receive regular anonymous feedback from direct reports, peers, and bosses.
Send regular communications to staff with language and messaging indicating ongoing commitment to DEI.
Drive the DEI strategy for your organization.
Participate in DEI learning and development activities alongside staff or separately with other leaders to continue to demonstrate commitment and hone skills.

3

Leaders and staff should continue to engage in training to develop skills for fostering DEI in their AWOs.

Incorporate DEI language and skills into all learning and development for AWO (employee orientation, volunteer orientation/training, communications, customer service, etc).
Hold annual DEI training that takes a constructive and practical approach to demonstrating DEI as a core value of the organization.
Hold “lunch and learn” informal sessions to explore specific dimensions of identity or issues that are relevant to your organization and the communities it serves (e.g. how to work with tribal communities, supporting refugee populations, addressing the needs of unhoused communities, creating an inclusive workplace for neurodiverse employees).

4

Regularly assess the needs of communities in their service region and adapt services to meet the needs of underserved communities.

Work with staff and volunteers to identify all the communities that would benefit from outreach in your area.
Reach out to local community leaders (places of worship, small businesses, civic organizations) to identify opportunities for partnership and support.
Reach out to human service organizations in the area to identify opportunities for partnership and support.
Work with animal control staff to identify ways to build relationships with communities that may perceive law enforcement as a threat.

5

Regularly assess workplace culture and develop norms to promote fairness, respect, belonging for all.

Conduct annual employee engagement or satisfaction surveys to determine any areas of concern.
Work with staff to create a set of norms for communicating respectfully and building a sense of belonging. Post norms for all employees to regularly remind each other of these commitments.
Train all people leaders on teambuilding, performance management, and inclusive leadership to set them and their employees up for success.
Swiftly respond to any incidents of discrimination, harassment, bullying, hostile behaviors. Ensure there is a clearly articulated disciplinary process in place and follow it.
Conduct leadership and staff-wide training on creating a culture of “calling in” to ensure everyone has the skills and knowledge to engage in constructive conversations when people engage in harmful or biased behavior.

6

Leaders and HR managers use a DEI lens for every stage of the employment cycle.

Review job descriptions to evaluate any potential biases or limitations (e.g. unnecessary educational requirements, number of years experience, criminal record or drug tests, etc).
Develop a broad list of sites or locations for job posting to diversify the potential candidate pool. Do this before you have a job to post.
Review employment policies to identify potential biases (e.g. dress code or hairstyle, leave policies, etc).
Conduct a compensation and benefits review to identify any opportunities to make positions more attractive and competitive.
Make individual development planning a formal part of every manager/employee relationship.
Conduct “stay” interviews to identify areas of need or concern early and support retention.

Download the Report

MSM Global Consulting discusses the study resultsWatch the 60-minute video

Nearly three years have passed since The Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee launched the first-of-its-kind survey in 2021. More than 2,600 individuals in the animal welfare sector completed the survey, allowing us to establish an initial baseline to identify inequities and disparities in our movement.

It was time to reassess. Where have we made progress? What challenges do we currently face as a profession? The Association opened the 2024 DEI Survey in March, and closed it on July 31.

Results will be shared by early Spring 2025.

1201

Individuals Participating

CONGRATULATIONS
to the organizations who have competed 80% or more of the study and have earned themselves free premium access to the study results.

See Who's on the List

2024 GOAL: 2,600

How do I get colleagues across my organization involved?

Inspire and Recruit

Communicate with your colleagues about the importance of this survey
Explain why their participation is critical to help make the animal welfare profession more equitable and diverse
Identify other Survey Champions to help you encourage participation among team members across all departments
Communicate a goal of 95% completion rate and offer food as an incentive (example: first department to complete survey gets a pizza party)

Make Time - 15 minutes per person

Ask Supervisors to schedule 15 minutes for each team member to complete the survey and provide private, dedicated survey stations with online access

Promote the survey through all available channels

Post survey link via inter-organization texting system
Post flyers around your facility
Post survey link within internal/staff-only Facebook groups
Post survey link to the staff intranet
Include survey announcement in employee newsletters
Add a note on paystubs or other written communications

Read this blog to learn how one shelter is encouraging their staff to participate

Frequently Asked Questions

We believe empathy and compassion for all beings is not a political issue. In order for animal welfare to promote positive outcomes for all pets, we must build trust and partnerships with the people with whom pets are connected. Equity, diversity and inclusion are essential to ensuring the well-being of all pets across all communities.

This work is an intentional, long-term investment in the human-animal bond. The survey is an opportunity to identify inequities and disparities in our movement to increase awareness and define solutions together. The results of this second survey will continue to inform the vision and strategy of the ongoing work for animal welfare as a field and our focus on both animals and people.

The Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement

To achieve an equitable profession, diversity must be respected and embraced. The road to a just and fair animal welfare field is an ongoing process that requires an interminable, sustained effort and continuous learning. As a collective of people with diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, we will provide thoughtful suggestions and practical ways to further engage in advancing animal welfare organizations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In doing this work, we acknowledge animal welfare has predominantly been created and carried out by historically privileged identity groups, which include, but is not limited to, White people, able-bodied people, and people with socioeconomic advantages. To this end, we commit to lead intentionally by naming and calling out racism and other forms of oppression in the structures, systems, and culture of animal welfare. Successful DEI work in animal welfare requires internal organizational development as well as external facing strategies that impact society at-large. Both shifts are important, and one cannot occur genuinely and effectively without the other.