Beginning in 2023, Imaginable Futures partnered with Dr. London Moore and her team to undergo an organization-wide Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) audit. This is the first of three blogs where we’ll share our learnings and takeaways from the process.
“We think we’re doing the right things. We feel like we are leading with JEDI. But how can we really pressure test that?” - Desy Osunsade
To propel us forward in our JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) journey, in 2023 we initiated a thorough process to engage with, examine, and understand our performance as a social change funder and internally across our teams and locations. Through our partnership with London Moore and Associates Consulting, we took the time to comprehensively audit our practices and policies which has yielded valuable insights and learnings that we look forward to sharing in the coming months.
To kick us off, our Managing Partner, Amy Klement, and Global Head of People and Culture, Desy Osunsade, met to share what jump-started the audit process, how we found the right partner for our organization, and our initial takeaways and learnings that might be valuable to others looking to journey into this work.
1. What catalyzed the process of conducting a JEDI audit?
- Desy: This work was spurred by a conversation within our JEDI Core Team* as we asked ourselves, “How do we know that we are leading with JEDI across all areas of our organization even if we may feel like we are?” The audit emerged as a way to pressure test whether we were heading in the right direction.
- Amy: Expanding on that, JEDI impacts every aspect of our work, but we know that there are likely blind spots. While our intentions are good, there’s an element of, “We don't know what we don't know,” and the audit was a way to illuminate what that might be.
2. So much of ensuring this work is successful relies on finding the right partner that matches your organization. Can you tell us what you were looking for?
- Desy: Given that we are a global organization, we knew we needed a partner with a global orientation and an approach that went beyond a Western-led perspective. From a process standpoint, while our team was excited about this work, they had limited time and capacity so we also wanted an audit partner who could shepherd us and be both a project manager and an advisor.
- Amy: One of our core values at IF is to be curious learners, so we are constantly learning and shifting. We were looking for a partner who would be flexible, did not hold tight to a fixed methodology, and could work with us to build a framework that could grow as we did.
3. What was different about how you approached finding a suitable partner for the audit? What might other organizations take from your process?
- Desy: Finding the right audit partner wouldn’t have been successful if we didn’t have the diversity and dedication of our JEDI Core Team (JCT). Team members weighed in on each step, from drafting the RFP to promoting it through their networks to interviewing potential candidates. When we got down to the final three candidates, we had the JCT meet each candidate, ask them questions, and have conversations with them. These conversations helped to form the foundation of trust between our team and our ultimate partner. Our final selection was based on a partner we felt was most values-aligned, a match with our internal culture and whose process allowed for co-creation and flexibility, which we thought would serve us best.
4. Looking back on the audit, were there any aspects of the results or the process that caught you by surprise?
- Amy: One reflection for me was that people felt like we were doing better than what the audit told us through its research, which was both hard to digest and motivating. We gathered three levels of data during the audit: (1) broad surveys that allowed immediate, gut-level responses, (2) probing one-on-one interviews that prompted deeper reflection, and (3) a thorough analysis of over 100 documents and processes. The more we dug into the tangible, the lower our numbers got. On one hand, it showed we still have so much more work to do. And on the other hand, it showed we have a stronger idea of how we can be better and where we can continue to grow.
- Desy: I wasn’t as surprised as Amy was on how we ended up scoring on the audit because I have had previous experiences at other organizations where a similar pattern of thinking emerged. One of the positive surprises for me was finding out that the audit data aligned closely with what we've been hearing directly from our staff. Usually, people only share the whole truth when talking to others externally, so it's encouraging that our team feels comfortable speaking up. It shows we've built a positive culture where honest communication is valued. Even though we've faced challenges in this area before, it's a sign of progress that people are willing to be open, even if the data doesn't always match our expectations.
5. How are you translating the results of the audit into an implementation plan?
- Desy: We came out of the audit with action items that will take us several years to complete. Recognizing that and being comfortable with a multi-year time horizon is the first step. Working closely with Dr. London Moore (our audit partner), we've created a plan that balances urgency with patience. We started by focusing on areas we knew would be time-consuming — like digging into our HR and legal policies — and we’ve been making slow, but deliberate progress on that this year. Our audit partner has been a huge help in mapping out a long-term strategy — figuring out what's most urgent, what can be quick wins, and how we should share updates both inside and outside the organization. Ultimately, it's about finding the right order to tackle things and giving ourselves the grace to know it's a marathon, not a sprint.
6. What specific steps did you take to ensure the audit process was thorough and strategic?
- Amy: An essential aspect, which may seem tactical but is profoundly strategic, is the creation of our audit rubric. We dedicated significant effort not only to identifying key areas—such as HR, policy, legal templates, strategy, investment and processes—but also to defining what excellence would entail on a scale from one to five. It's worth noting that getting the rubric “right” is a fool’s errand. Getting something ‘good enough’ that you can iterate and refine over time is important. Despite these ongoing refinements, this foundational rubric provides clarity on our vision of success and guides our collective efforts. Dr. London Moore and her team challenged us to include criteria that push beyond our current norms. This rubric stands as a crucial benchmark in our journey.
7. What is one piece of advice you would give to another organization that is interested in going through a JEDI audit?