91�ֿ�

Employee Affinity Groups 

Make Deeper Connections 

A 91�ֿ� career is only one part of who you are. That's why we have Employee Affinity Groups (EAGs) for our employees and allies to make deeper connections. EAGs are employee-led groups that celebrate the individual and diverse life experiences – such as shared characteristics, interests or demographic factors such as gender, race or ethnicity – that make our 91�ֿ� community special.

EAGs offer a welcoming and inclusive space for colleagues to meet and support each other both personally and professionally, contribute to a greater sense of belonging within our organization and advocate for an improved employee experience at 91�ֿ� in partnership with our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council, Human Resources and our Senior Leadership Team.

Currently, our active EAGs at 91�ֿ� include:

Asian and Pacific Islander (API) EAG

The Asian and Pacific Islander (API) EAG strives to be a fun and safe community representing all API-related backgrounds and experiences within the agency (e.g., API-Born, API-Adjacent, API-transplanted), and allies.

Our main goals are to:

• Build our community's connectedness
• Improve professional development opportunities to upskill, acquire skills, and grow knowledge
• Increase the number and percentage of APIs in senior management and leadership

We regularly host learning and social events that are relevant to the workplace and reflect API issues. We also celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month in May each year by highlighting our API cultures, API staff, as well as nonprofit API leaders that are propelling progress in various NGO sectors.

B.L.A.C.K. EAG

The Brave Leaders Advancing Culture & Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) EAG is comprised of staff who identify as Black or African American. Our mission is to support and educate each other, to enhance diversity at all levels of the organization and improve the inclusion and equitable treatment of our Black & African-American employees. We strive to enhance all our colleagues’ experiences at 91�ֿ� and to develop leaders of tomorrow through professional development, networking, cultural awareness, mentorship, sponsorship and knowledge sharing. We serve as a community for our members, as well as a resource group for the organization.

Over the years B.L.A.C.K. has hosted educational, informational and cultural sessions during Black History Month, Juneteenth, and created an Activism & Allyship Guide, used both internally and externally. In collaboration with our EAG members working in rural America, we have supported the expansion of initiatives focused on equitable access to education as well as hosted a successful Financial Literacy workshop in Mississippi, in collaboration with USP community partners. The B.L.A.C.K. EAG serves as a business resource working with and supporting the DEI Council, SCI, Marketing Communication & Fundraising and other EAGs within the organization.

Last, but not least we strive to prioritize the well being of our EAG members through community and support.

DAWN (Dis/Ability and Wellness Network) - Disabilities & Chronic Conditions

The Disability and Wellness Network Employee Affinity Group (DAWN) is dedicated to fostering understanding, support, and advocacy for employees with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and those with accommodation needs within 91�ֿ� (STC). Through agency wide trainings, information sharing, and continual conversations with colleagues, DAWN is committed to raising awareness of how to create and maintain an accessible and inclusive community where all feel supported in their work. Additionally, our members work with one another and STC leadership to mitigate existing barriers and challenges employees may face in the workplace, such as accommodation needs. Finally, DAWN focuses on creating a sense of community where everyone feels welcome and can connect with colleagues across the organization in a safe and open environment. DAWN warmly welcomes people with chronic illnesses and disabilities, allies, family members of the disability community, and those simply wanting to learn more about disability rights and advocacy! Join us for monthly meetings, in building a community where diversity is celebrated, and everyone's unique selves are valued and embraced.

We are continually sharing updates and resources in agency wide newsletter and alerts, including most recently The Neurodiversity Toolkit created by Understood. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month- more to come on activities hosted by DAWN!

Early Career EAG

The Early Career Professionals EAG is a community of 91�ֿ� employees who are in a new or early stage of their career in their chosen sector. We advocate on behalf of early career professionals for increased access to and a greater breadth of professional development opportunities. We create a space for early career professionals to network, discuss and troubleshoot work-related challenges and opportunities. We also seek to create a collaborative community to improve information sharing and support relationship building among early career professionals.

Our EAG is open to everyone. Specifically, employees who are in a new or early stage of their career in their chosen sector or those who feel they would benefit from the ECP EAG.

Join us for our monthly coffee chat! This internal networking opportunity allows for us to connect with one another in a casual setting, we invite you to come and go as you like throughout the hour. This space is great for asking questions about the EAG, connecting with fellow members, and anything else that comes to mind!

Somos

Somos (“we are” in Spanish) fosters community among staff who identify as Hispanic or Latin American. In our monthly gatherings, we create space to celebrate our cultures, share institutional and programmatic knowledge, develop leadership skills through shared resources and open advice, and support inclusion through meaningful relationships. We strive to center voices among those who identify as Latine or Hispanic, though all colleagues are welcome to join as allies.

Proud at Save – LGBTQI+ Employee Affinity Group

Proud at Save is 91�ֿ�’s employee affinity group (EAG) dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex (LGBTQI+) staff and allies*. Our EAG’s mission draws from the bold and queer, feminist legacy of our agency’s founder: Eglantyne Jebb. Proud at Save is open to all LGBTQI+-identifying staff and allies and works to ensure that all staff – irrespective of their sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics – feel safe, affirmed, valued, and respected.

Proud at Save aims to 1) create safe, welcoming spaces for community and solidarity-building among LGBTQI+-identifying staff and allies; and 2) advances LGBTQI+ equality in our organizational systems, policies, practices, and culture. We are proud to be an instrumental body delivering on 91�ֿ�’s broader diversity, equity, and inclusion commitments and advancing critical gender transformative work in our organization and programs.

Events and Resources: Proud at Save has developed several resources available to the organization, including Pronouns: A Guide to Being an Ally to LGBTQI+ Staff and an LGBTQI+ inclusion training package for people managers, developed in partnership with the . Proud at Save strives to cultivate a community in which LGBTQI+ staff and allies can connect through social events and group discussions and provide fora for staff to champion LGBTQI+ equality in the workplace. Our EAG has hosted numerous social events, including Pride happy hours, coffee chats, annual drag queen story hours for all staff and their families. Further, Proud has organized thought leadership and learning events exploring (SOGIESC) within development and humanitarian programming and advocacy. Events have included bringing together development and humanitarian practitioners working on SOGIESC, partner LGBTQI+ organizations, and other industry thought leaders.

* We know that language has the power to reinforce or deconstruct systems of power, and in line with decolonial, feminist and localization practices, we acknowledge the varied terms and definitions that exist across contexts in which our staff reside and work. “LGBTQI+” is used to describe a broad range of people, though we recognize it is not exhaustive nor universally used.

Raise the Children

The Raise the Children EAG offers a support network for 91�ֿ�’s parents and caregivers seeking to balance or blend their work and family care experiences. Our community is a place where working parents and caregivers can share resources, advice and common experiences, from new parenthood to raising children and caring for aging parents simultaneously. We advocate for an improved culture that will benefit all staff through new and enhanced policies and practices.

In 2021, we successfully advocated for an increase to 91�ֿ�’s parental leave policy, which now gives moms, dads, adoptive and foster parents a minimum of 12 weeks fully paid leave after welcoming a child into their lives. We’re proud to serve as a critical resource to colleagues and senior leadership in helping to foster a culture of belonging, promote the personal and professional growth of our members, and support staff well-being, with a particular focus on 91�ֿ�’s working families.

Introverts EAG

Our purpose is to provide a supportive community for introverted individuals in the workplace, helping them navigate and thrive in environments that may not always cater to their needs. We aim to foster understanding, provide resources, and create spaces where introverts can feel empowered to excel professionally while staying true to themselves.

The Introverts EAG welcomes anyone who identifies as introverted or seeks to understand and support introverted colleagues. Whether you're an introvert yourself or an ally looking to promote inclusivity and understanding, you're invited to join us in fostering a workplace culture that values the unique strengths of introverted individuals.

Veterans

The Veterans EAG is open to all employees – Veterans, and those who support them.

Our goals are to:

• Promote the recruitment and retention of military veterans;
• Establish a world-class environment for veteran employees; and
• Provide resources for education, benefits, health care, and mental health.

First People's Collaborative

We are committed to promoting and empowering the voices, rights, and well-being of Indigenous communities within the agency and around the world. We strive to create a safe and inclusive space where Indigenous employees can connect, collaborate, and advocate for meaningful change within the organization and beyond.

The First Peoples Collaborative was initiated in response to staff of non-Indigenous descent dominating discussions on policies and program elements that affect Indigenous people and their communities, highlighting the need for uplifting and recognizing Indigenous voices within the organization.

Starting an Indigenous Peoples Employee Affinity Group at 91�ֿ� serves several important purposes.

• Firstly, it creates a safe and inclusive space where Indigenous employees can connect, share experiences, and support one another, fostering a sense of community within the organization.
• Secondly, the affinity group helps to promote cultural awareness and understanding among all employees by organizing events, workshops, and educational initiatives that highlight Indigenous traditions, histories, and issues.
• Thirdly, the group can play a crucial role in advising and informing organizational policies and practices to ensure they are inclusive and respectful of Indigenous cultures and perspectives, thus contributing to a more equitable and diverse work environment.
• Next, the affinity group can serve as a platform for advocating for Indigenous rights and raising awareness about the challenges faced by Indigenous communities, both within and outside the organization, through partnerships, campaigns, and outreach activities.
• Lastly, the group can support the professional development and advancement of Indigenous employees by providing mentoring opportunities, networking events, and access to resources and training tailored to their unique needs and aspirations.

EAG meetings are a place where Indigenous/Native peoples come to the space to bring forth ideas, conversation, and decision-making; allies should join these meetings to understand how they can implement and amplify the ideas and voices of Indigenous EAG members within their own communities, departments, and lives – not demeaning questions/comments that burden EAG members further. Priority is that Indigenous/Native peoples can claim this space in the EAG as their own and we ask that allies recognize the importance of uplifting Indigenous/Native peoples’ voices without imposing on the safe space.

Jewish Community Club

The Jewish Community Club or JCC was founded by a group of staff looking to create a strong and supportive community for Jewish employees and to connect and strengthen the Jewish community at 91�ֿ�. The JCC’s objectives are to: build community, create a safe space by raising awareness of antisemitism, foster an understanding of Jewish culture and traditions within SCUS and process world events. This EAG welcomes all Jewish staff and allies including those who have Jewish family members, have Jewish friends, manage Jewish staff, or just want to learn more about the Jewish community—whether they are of Jewish background or not.

M.O.S.A.I.C.

M.O.S.A.I.C. (Migrants Overseas and in Community) is aimed at supporting migrant colleagues seeking community, resources, and support in their new home countries. Operating in a world not made for you is central to the experience of being a migrant. As an International NGO, a core element to SCUS’s effectiveness is mutual understanding and respect, across territorial borders, religious identities, and ethnic origins. We hope that M.O.S.A.I.C. will further the mission of 91�ֿ� by providing opportunities for people with a self-defining, personal experience to meet and establish common ground and shared perspectives.

Our membership is restricted to those who identify as international migrants, have immediate family or loved ones who are international migrants, or who have a history of international migration (but may have returned to their home contexts).