Creating a DEI Style Guide for Your Nonprofit
Lisa Hirst Carnes | September 2022
As a marketer, you’re likely familiar with style guides. Whether it’s a design or brand voice guide, or a recognized guide such as the AP Stylebook.
Style guides help organizations communicate and come across as a cohesive whole. They define brand personality, visual elements, and how to communicate with audiences.
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An inclusive culture will help your organization meet its business goals
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Inclusive cultures appeal to a broader audience
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Diverse voices lead to innovation and a more agile response to changing conditions
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It offers tangible proof to donors of your commitment to diversity and inclusion
What Goes Into a DEI Style Guide?
What to include in a DEI style guide will depend on how you define your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Define Your DEI Commitment
Start by creating an overview of your stance, efforts, and goals. It may be helpful to think of this commitment statement as akin to a vision statement. You don’t need to get into specifics, but it should document where you want your organization to be.
Explain and Define Inclusive Language
The Linguistic Society of America defines inclusive language as that which “acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities.” Even neutral language may have the unintended effect of “othering” groups or individuals. Inclusive language seeks to remove implicit or explicit bias.
Acknowledge That The Conversation is Evolving
As society progresses toward inclusion, what is okay today may not be right in the future. Language is always evolving and it’s likely that the ways we express things will change. Make it clear in your DEI guide that it is an ongoing conversation. Invite your employees (or audience) to contribute and review your guide on a regular basis.
How to Craft a Useful DEI Style Guide
Creating materials is time wasted (or seen as virtue signaling) if you don’t provide guidance on how to put it to use. Here are a few ways to create a style guide to help your organization use inclusive language.
Identify Areas That Need Inclusive Language
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Age
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Appearance
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Disability and Health
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Gender, Sex, and Sexuality
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Race and Ethnicity
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Religion
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Socioeconomic Status
Create Lists of Language to Use and Avoid
Encourage Person-First Language
Person-first language honors the individual, rather than reducing them to a specific characteristic. Putting the person before the descriptor acknowledges that they’re more than the descriptor. Rather than saying “a wheelchair-bound woman,” say “a woman that uses a wheelchair”. This puts the woman first, and the fact that she uses a wheelchair second.
Advocate for Active Voice
Provide Helpful Examples
No style guide is complete without examples that show the user how to apply each guidance. Examples of inclusive, active, and person-first language will show how to apply each. Who knows, you may even be able to apply a DEI lens to some of your previous communications.
Include Guidelines for Inclusive Design
Inclusive design considers all the ways that users may access websites. Including accessibility guidelines in the DEI style guide will keep inclusivity in mind. Image alt text and website interactions are all considerations of inclusive design.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Is Essential
As we move toward a more equitable future, putting DEI front and center is crucial. A guide will aid your organization’s mission, goals, and culture and shift the language we use as well.