Our Commitment
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Greentarget is dedicated to building a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment that fosters belonging in the workplace and beyond.
We believe that diversity strengthens our workplace culture, creates better outcomes for our clients’ businesses, and helps create thriving communities. We strive to build an environment where diversity of every kind — race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, disability, religion, age and more — is valued and celebrated.
We know this takes work. Equity requires investment. Diversity requires commitment. And fostering an environment of inclusion and belonging is an ongoing project. That’s why we’ve established five major pillars to guide our efforts and help us meet our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging goals.
Diversifying Our Talent Pipeline
The public relations industry has a diversity problem. According to recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the profession—like many other types of professional services sectors—is nearly 85% white. Changing that starts by creating new pipelines for talent, which is why we’re committed to:
- Interviewing at least 25% BIPOC candidates for any open position
- Expanding our internship program network with new and expanded partnerships with HBCU Bowie State University, predominantly Black public university Chicago State, and the Emma Bowen Foundation
- Creating apprenticeship pathways for people with non-traditional backgrounds
- Reviewing job descriptions through an equity and inclusion lens
Investing in Our Communities
We’re also doing what we can to support our communities and the business leaders of tomorrow through our pro bono and community service projects. We focus on organizations that serve BIPOC and other minority communities in our backyard.
Greentarget’s community investment and pro bono team has organized service events with food banks and community gardens, designed week-long educational programs for students in low-income and immigrant communities, and collected much-needed supplies for non-profits serving the terminally ill and those in need.
Because we recognize the power of PR for non-profit organizations, we also provide pro bono services to organizations supporting our community, including:
- Building Peaceful Bridges, a non-profit that assists in refugee resettlement and support, in addition to educating others on the challenges refugees face.
- Cabrini Green Legal Aid, a historic organization that provides legal and support services to low-income individuals negatively impacted by the criminal legal system while advocating for systemic change.
- The Nora Project, an organization that trains educators and offers a variety of student and community programs to foster disability inclusion.
- Women in Medicine, a network of lesbian, sexual minority women and gender expansive physicians that offers continuing medical education, family-oriented community building activities, and professional mentorship.
- Ignite, an organization that provides programs and services designed to meet the immediate and long-term needs of unstably housed youth.
- SafePlace International, an organization that provides stability, healing, and growth to displaced LGBTQIA+ people.
- Doughnate Pizza, an organization that partners with small business to provide meals for the homeless and hungry.
- And more!
Supporting Diverse Businesses
We put our money where our mouth is (literally). In 2018, we formalized our ongoing commitment to maintaining and investing in minority and women-owned businesses across our vendor relationships.
Our first pledge was to support innovation hub 1871’s ChiBuys, a since-sunsetted program that helped businesses spend their food budgets with local, minority or women-owned restaurants and catering services in Chicago. For nearly a decade since its inception, we at Greentarget have expanded that list by working directly with dozens of minority-owned restaurants and retailers as we celebrate a range of heritage months and holidays throughout the year as well as for all of our internal events and investments.
Our hope is that by voting with our wallet, and making intentional investments in organizations whose philosophies align with our core values, we’ll be able to foster diversity and inclusion not only in our offices, but in our communities broadly.
Collaborating With Clients & Colleagues
We want to help our clients direct smarter conversations around the value of DEIB, which is why we and other DEIB leaders within the PR Council came together to create Better Together, a document that identifies specific actions and commitments for clients and agencies to build and nurture inclusive teams including through recruiting and onboarding, staffing, and the Request for Proposal (RFP) and pitch process.
We work closely with our clients to help them craft thoughtful and effective DEIB content strategies using insights from our State of DEI Content research, which takes a deep dive into the DEIB guidance and progress executive leaders want to see from their law firms and professional service providers. We also advise our clients on how to communicate around DEIB as the landscape continues to shift, including in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decisions and in light of major social and political upheaval.
We also are dedicated to:
- Asking clients whether they have a diverse sources and spokespeople to elevate in their PR efforts, as well as measuring the growth in diverse voices over the course of the program
- Identifying opportunities to partner with and learn from clients on DEIB initiatives, particularly those with strong track records of work in the space
- Seeking out diverse contractors across crisis, digital, content, research and media relations projects
Promoting DEIB Learning & Development
Finally, because we are never done learning and growing, we also provide a wide range of fun events and informative trainings to promote genuine inclusion and belonging at Greentarget. These include everything from a tour of Chicago’s DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center, an online history experience with Unexpected Virtual Tours and a Greentarget DEI book club to team-building lunches with i.c.stars and leadership-focused sessions with Bravely experts.
Even more resources are available to everyone at Greentarget through our DEIB portal, where we share thought-provoking articles and insightful blog posts written by our colleagues, as well as honor a diverse array of historical trailblazers who have fostered progress in our society.
