Our continual
commitment

Throughout our organization, we work intentionally to align our actions with our values. Here is an overview of impactful initiatives to support IDEA year after year.

  • 2023
    2023
    • Updated gender policy and elevated gender inclusivity position across the council network.
    • Updated all policies through an IDEA lens.
    • Piloted new curricula and new National Coach Training.
    • Included opportunities to highlight local commitment, focus areas and progress in IDEA on website.
    • Creating Gender Inclusive Spaces — Organization-wide (recorded webinar)
  • 2022
    2022
    • Developed IDEA Strategic Planning Toolkit and began the facilitation of IDEA Cohorts within the council network.
    • Updated Girls on the Run curriculum to pilot in 2023 with new IDEA-centered topics.
    • Updated National Coach Training to pilot in 2023 with goal of further elevating coaches’ ability to provide a safe, positive, inclusive space for all participants.

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    • Created new council websites with IDEA woven throughout. Translated council website into both Spanish and French and provided council funding for custom translation needs.
    • Updated design approach and brand elements to increase accessibility and inclusivity. Expanded photography libraries to increase representation. Expanded translation offerings.
    • Developed resources to reach and engage more non-native English speakers.
    • Conducted multiple listening sessions on gender across the council network and engaged a gender expert to review curriculum and coach training.
    • Supported councils across 27 states in recruiting staff members using the inclusive hiring program. 31% of the new hires identified as BIPOC.
    • Updated board recruitment resources and piloted with councils.
    • Lunch n’ Learn with Move United Strategic Alliance — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Where Do We Go From Here? Owning the Deep Commitment to Help and Not Harm — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Navigating Cultural Conflict in the GOTR Ecosystem — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Successful Strategies for Board Diversification — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Using Coaching Skills to Build Staff Leadership — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Culturally Responsive Behavior Support: What, Why and How — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Strategic Staff Recruitment for Impactful Change — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • The Changing Gender Landscape — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Unpacking IDEA: Social Justice and Cultural Responsiveness in GOTR Programming — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Being An Ally: A Culture Workshop — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Values-Based Communications In a Divided Landscape — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Community Engagement and Collective Impact: Building Coalitions in Your Community — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • IDEA at The Heart of What We Do — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Chasing Rainbows: In Pursuit of Gender Inclusion in a Binary World — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Let’s Meet the Moment: How GOTR Can Support Girls to Meet Their Most Pressing Needs — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
    • Strategies and Tools to Build a High-Performing, Connected Culture — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
  • 2021
    2021
    • Set goal for all councils to develop an IDEA strategic plan by 2023.
    • Assessed IDEA within curriculum, coach training, development/evaluation process and program model/delivery method to ensure all participants, across all intersecting social identities, have a meaningful and engaging experience.
    • Engaged Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium to conduct an equity-centered external review and assessment of existing materials, completing secondary research and conducting a constituent evaluation. Participants, families, and coaches overwhelmingly felt that GOTR was inclusive, promoted diversity, and was accessible and equitable.
    • Established subcommittees comprised of council representatives charged with developing initiatives that advance IDEA Strategic Imperatives across the movement.
    • Forged a partnership with Move United to help bridge the gap between individuals with and without disabilities.
    • Launched inclusive recruitment program including education, resources and support with a goal of 50% of new hires identifying as BIPOC between 2021 and 2023.
    • Developed a data dashboard to monitor representation in job candidate pools.
    • Formed national employee resource groups for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ staff members.
    • Launched three-part justice, equity, diversity and inclusion training for GOTR HQ staff.
    • Selected as one of Charlotte Business Journal’s Best Places to Work in 2021 and consistently rated highly as an inclusive organization by staff since 2017.
    • IDEA Strategic Planning & Resources Webinar — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
    • Sharing Our National IDEA Strategic Imperatives — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
    • Overview of Findings from Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium equity-centered Assessment — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
  • 2020
    2020
    • Expanded gender policy to include nonbinary and gender-nonconforming children.
    • Established IDEA Commission to develop strategies that leverage and guide our financial, intellectual and human resources to advance inclusion, diversity, equity and access.
    • Added social identity and bias modules to coach training.
    • IDEA Commission Informational Overview — Organization-wide (live)
  • 2019
    2019
    • Hired independent research firm to conduct national parent/guardian engagement survey to better understand the perspective of diverse families with children in the program. Found that 95% of Hispanic, 94% of Black and 92% of white parents/guardians felt like their child belonged at Girls on the Run.
    • Updated National Coach Training to include disability inclusion, trauma-sensitive coaching and sexual abuse prevention.
    • Updated performance management system to include behaviors aligned with core values. Launched an ‘Own Your Growth’ individual development strategy to encourage personal empowerment.
    • Disability Inclusion: Training, Resources and Tools — Council Staff and Board (recorded webinar series)
    • Conversations that Matter
    • Elevating Safety and Inclusion at GOTR — Council Staff and Board (recorded webinar series)
    • Trauma-sensitive training — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
  • 2018
    2018
    • Developed end-of-season coach and parent surveys to assess perceptions of belonging, impact and overall experience.
    • Piloted disability inclusion council training and developed a disability inclusion guide.
    • Launched Culture Committee comprised of diverse HQ staff to reinforce an inclusive and vibrant workplace that embodies our core values.

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    • Extended paid family leave and adopted a flexible PTO policy for HQ employees to celebrate holidays that are personally significant to them
    • Go Where the Girls Are: Successfully Working with Community Based Organizations — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Expanding our Definition of All: Curriculum Adaptations for Girls on the Run — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • What is Access & Inclusion – Really? — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Beyond Diversity Rhetoric: Cultural Intelligence for our Global Village
    • The Art of Hiring Top Talent — Council Staff and Board (Summit + recorded webinar)
  • 2017
    2017
    • Collaborated with the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability to develop a disability inclusion strategy.
    • Released resources and tools to councils to support the engagement of diverse coaches.
    • Updated participant and site recruitment materials to represent the diversity of girls served and showcase outcomes.
    • Hired first full-time HR director to ensure employment processes were inclusive and transparent.
    • Access & Inclusion 4-Part Training Series: Self Identity, Bias, A&I at GOTR, and Goal Setting — Organization-wide (recorded series)
    • Serving Girls & Sites with Limited Financial Resources: Training, Resources and Tools — Council Staff and Board (recorded webinar)
    • Tools to Build and Diversify Your Coaching Pool — Council Staff and Board (recorded webinar)
  • 2016
    2016
    • Trained staff on IDEA to deepen employees’ understanding of and commitment to an inclusive culture.
    • Launched National Coach Training to prepare coaches to provide a positive, inclusive space for all participants.
    • Implemented an online applicant tracking system to attract a diverse candidate pool, standardize recruitment processes to mitigate hiring bias, and expanded job postings to diverse organizations and platforms to share job postings.

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    • Retained a multicultural agency to identify barriers for diverse volunteers and develop a plan to reduce them.
    • Standardized reporting of council staff and board member race, ethnicity, and gender data to ensure representative leadership.
    • The What, Why and How of Diversifying Your Coaching Pool — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Access and Inclusion Webinar, a precursor to A&I series — Council Staff and Board (live webinar)
  • 2015
    2015
    • Integrated diverse constituent input and a girl-centered design approach to revise curriculum.
    • Released parent-facing and participant-facing materials in English and Spanish.
    • Inspiring Greatness through Diversity and Inclusion
    • Ensuring Diversity and Inclusion at Your Council — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
    • Creating Diversity Initiatives that Work
    • Realizing the Many Dividends that Come from Diversity and Inclusion — Council Staff and Board (Summit)
  • 2013
    2013
    • Began purchasing and distributing compensation benchmarking data to ensure competitive compensation for employees. Councils report salary data annually to HQ with the goal of every employee being equitably compensated.
    • Introduced a total compensation plan to ensure equitable pay for HQ staff.
    • Committed to recruiting diverse board members who could strengthen board deliberations and decision-making.
  • 2011
    2011
    • Launched inclusive employee performance review process where 50% of annual performance is based on behaviors that align with the core values.
  • 2008
    2008
    • Established policy to welcome anyone who identifies as a girl to participate.