The Association Blog

Okay, so you’re gonna want to grab 12 minutes and listen to this convo between Vu Le, Executive Director of Nonprofit AF, and The Association’s Jim Tedford. If it’s anything like what we can expect during Vu’s keynote address at the Fall Virtual Conference, “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Hiring Philosophy and Practice,” we’re in for something special. Following are just a few highlights.

Jim: Not only do you have such amazing insights, you have an incredible sense of wit. How do you manage to turn a nonprofit into a comedy routine?
Vu: Thanks, Jim! You’re my new favorite person. We deal with a lot of serious stuff in our sector AND we have great senses of humor—we just don’t point it out enough.

Jim: What silver linings have you seen across the nonprofit sector as a result of the pandemic?
Vu: I do think people are being more considerate about the ecosystem they are in. I see nonprofits supporting one another, and lifting up other missions and being thoughtful about that.

Jim: What’s your best advice for us in animal welfare to stay on track with our DEI work?
Vu: I’ll be talking a lot about this during my keynote. So many of our hiring practices are really inequitable! For example, we still don’t disclose salary ranges in job postings; we still require people to have a valid driver’s ID; we still require people to be able to lift 50 pounds, which really discriminates against people with disabilities…

More food for thought? Listen to the entire convo:

More Reasons to Attend the Conference

Video: Invitation to the Conference from Carl Bandow, Animal Services at City of Toronto
Video: Invitation to the Conference from Fort Wayne Animal Care & Control
Video: Invitation to Conference from Sarah Javier, Animal Protective Association of Missouri