Request for Proposal: Consultant for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Organizational Priorities and Strategies
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Summary
Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) seeks proposals from consultants to help guide its efforts to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion across all aspects of our non-profit legal aid organization.
Who We Are
Pisgah Legal Services is a community-based non-profit corporation governed by a local Board of Directors. PLS has an annual budget of $11 million from a multitude of funding sources. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, Pisgah Legal Services (PLS) provides free civil legal assistance to low income people in the region. PLS has offices in Asheville, Brevard, Burnsville, Hendersonville, Highlands, Cashiers, Marshall, Newland, and Rutherfordton. With a dedicated and growing staff of 122, including
thirty-nine attorneys plus supporting staff, and an active pro bono panel of 300 private attorneys, the program provides free services to assist more than 20,000 people per year to meet their basic needs, primarily in the poverty law areas of housing, public benefits, domestic violence prevention, health care, immigration, and consumer law. The organization also has a Community Economic Development Program and a WNC Health and Economic Opportunity Program. For more information about our work, please visit our website at www.pisgahlegal.org.
Project Overview & Scope of Work
Pisgah Legal Services is seeking the services of a consultant across a period of at least twelve months to:
Provide insight and knowledge on DEI best practices as related to our organization as a non-profit law firm operating under the North Carolina State Bar regulations and within the civil court system.
Help us gather and analyze relevant data and input from staff and other constituents.
Work with staff and board members to identify key priorities for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within Pisgah Legal Services based on data gathered and analyzed.
Work with staff and board to create a workplan and strategies to implement key priorities,
including an ongoing training program for staff and volunteers, including Board members.
Help us develop methods for evaluating our progress and the impact of our DEI initiatives and areas for continued growth and development.
Provide training, coaching, and appropriate support for management and the Board of Directors in the roles of directing a legal aid corporation that prioritizes, supports, and invests in DEI work as we take steps to accomplish DEI objectives.
Help us develop a training program for staff, volunteers, Board members and possibly provide (or at least recommend) some of the training in-person, remotely, and in recorded format so that later hires and volunteer recruits can view basic training to further DEI objectives.
Support the development and implementation of affinity groups.
Help us with to recruit, support, and retain a diverse staff and volunteer base.
Provide guidance and support regarding counseling for staff who feel that it is not safe to report aggressions through supervisory channels and help us with training and coaching to create an atmosphere where microaggressions can be called out in real time to reduce the incidence of them.
Key areas we have noted for our work at this point on which we would seek a consultant's guidance and support include:
Improving relationships and trust between all PLS employees at all levels including the Board, management, staff members, and volunteers.
Coaching to PLS management and supervisors in effective supervision and communication
strategies with a DEI lens.
Designing an ongoing training program for staff and volunteers on such topics as: equity, implicit bias, legal compliance, cultural sensitivity, strategies to promote inclusion, meaningful support for our BIPOC co-workers, and possibly other topics recommended by the data.
Assistance in staffing our DEI initiatives.
Organizational development to support increased equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Recruitment, hiring, and staff retention.
Reducing/eliminating harm to staff, volunteers, and clients of color, and those identifying as
women, LGBTQ+, individuals with disabilities, and other groups that experience discrimination,
exclusion, or oppression.
Recommend changes to PLS policies, procedures, and governance methods related to, but not limited to, HR practices such as recruitment, hiring, retention, promotion, prevention of
discrimination & harassment, employee grievances, board committees, and incorporating DEI into onboarding & training.
Advice regarding formal internal structures for DEI involvement from staff including how/when to re-start the DEI committee, or create other structures like caucuses or affinity groups, and how to promote the voice, influence, and success of these groups.
To view the full RFP, please visit www.pisgahlegal.org/rfp
Budget
PLS is committed to investing time and resources to this organizational priority. The initial annual budget is $120,000 and includes support for training, consultants, planning, and related activities. Proposals should outline anticipated costs of any or all components requested in this RFP. Non-profit discounts are welcomed.
Submission of Proposals
PLS will accept proposals until November 30, 2022 at 5pm EST via email to Sam Galloway, PLS Director of Human Resources, humanresources@pisgahlegal.org. If you feel you/your firm are a good fit for this work, but the proposal deadline creates a challenge, please contact us to discuss. Any proposal should specify when the consultant or consulting firm is available. Tapered involvement by a consultant is an option that we will consider. If your proposal is not for the full body of work sought, please specify in your response where your expertise and experience fit best.
