Diversity, Equity + Inclusion 2-Year Progress Report

When Mile in My Shoes began in 2014 as one small team at Higher Ground shelter in Minneapolis, the purpose was simple: to introduce a healthy, positive habit to folks who were in a tough situation, and to bring people from diverse backgrounds together through running. As MiMS grew to sites all across the Twin Cities, the community of folks our program encompassed also grew - our teams now include recovery programs, reentry centers and men and women transitioning post-military service. And while MiMS is proud to be a catalyst for making the Twin Cities running community a more diverse and inclusive space, we believe this goal must also include our Mentor teams and leadership. Recognizing our leadership is heavily white, it was vital to seek direction outside ourselves. 

In 2021, we brought in Abeer Syedah to take stock of where we were, and to recommend how we can grow. Abeer (she/her) is an independent equity & inclusion consultant who supports nonprofits, businesses, and communities in Minnesota and across the country. She serves as the Director of Equity & Inclusion at a nonprofit serving students in higher education and has been organizing towards justice, equity, and accessibility for over a decade. Abeer spent more than six months meeting with members, alumni, mentors, board members, and our staff, plus additional time reviewing our materials and practices, and attending the Downtown Run Around. Based on all that, she provided us with a set of DEI recommendations. The recommendations aimed to grow and enhance equity and inclusion in the organization with two grounding concerns: a lack of visible diversity in the leadership of the organization and a question about MiMS’ accessibility to all members of the facilities they operate in. These recommendations were intended to be part of a 2-3 year campaign, and as such have guided the work of MiMS board and staff for the past two years. 

This page seeks to serve as a two-year “Progress Report” on that work. As we reflect upon the two-year mark, we recognize the significant work that has been done and the many people who participated in these conversations and actions, as well as on the work that still needs to be done. As you read through some of the highlights below, we invite you to reflect on changes you have participated in, the ways your own understanding of racism or oppression has shifted, and the areas you see for improvement. We also invite you to ask yourself: In what ways can I help move this work forward?

MiMS’ Social & Organizational Values

Vision: Identify what MiMS’ mission, guiding philosophies, and social values are; integrate those clear principles into every component of the organization as well as guidance for planning the next few years; utilize those social and organizational values to orient people into the organization and to assist them in guiding themselves through MiMS’ work.

Status: Complete

  • • Conducted interviews and surveys with over 30 Run Mentors and Resident Members to identify what MiMS stands for and values.

    • Survey responses directly informed the creation of MiMS’ new guiding values, and led to revision of mission and vision statement.

    • MiMS’ new guiding values are now included in all organization materials, including MiMS’ website, recruitment, onboarding and training materials, and lead to a revision of the Member and Mentor commitment agreement, ensuring that our values are central to program practice and policy.

  • • Revisit our values at two year mar

Expand & Diversify the MiMS Network

Expand the relationships Mile in My Shoes has across the community to naturally diversify and grow the pipeline of engaged people in the organization, job applicants, donors/sponsors, and key partners and influential people.

Status: Ongoing

  • • Partner with organizations like Latinas on the Move and Twin Cities BIPOC outdoors through resource-sharing, volunteer events, and annual 5K race involvement. Worked with groups including the YMCA and Mill City Running’s BIPOC Run to promote Run Mentorship, offer free 5K race entry, and to generally build our relationships.

    • Staff and board members conducted one-on-one meetings with people/organizations to build relationships with a more diverse network of potential partners or volunteers.

  • • This is an ongoing area of work. We continue to have “base-building” conversations with individuals and organizations working in this space, and continue to foster/build on those relationships on a regular basis.

Clarify/Update the Skills & Traits Sought in Mentors

Vision: Identify key traits, attributes, and social values needed from a mentor or cohorts of mentors on varying teams. Actively recruit, diversify, and expand the pipeline of mentors to allow MiMS to be more selective about who enters the mentor role and what they commit themselves to.

Status: Complete

  • • Updated the Run Mentor application to set expectations that align with our values. Added questions about professional skills, personal lived experience, and personal information (age, pace, etc) to help us place Mentors based on specific teams’ needs and overall fit.

    • Published a Run Mentor “position overview” that names a handful of traits and experiences ideally sought

    • Eliminated returning Run Mentor preference. We continue to give priority placement to returning Mentors who commit to core roles as having experienced mentors in volunteer leadership roles is a huge asset to both teams and staff.

  • • Important changes have been made but we will continue to review and adjust overall Run Mentor recruitment strategies to increase selectivity based on guiding values and facility needs.

Develop a Targeted, Strategic Recruitment Plan to Diversify Team

Vision: Build a process to actively recruit new mentors, staff, board members, and partners; prepare the organization to attract this talent and retain it.

Status: In Progress

  • • Updated the Mentor application to include an open-ended question asking for Mentors’ valuable identities, skills, values, and experiences.

    • Review Mentor applications and prioritize placing Mentors with lived experience and BIPOC Mentors.

    • Make direct asks to partner organizations such as Latinas on the Move and BIPOC Twin Cities Outdoors, being transparent about the need for and value of BIPOC Mentors and board members.

    • Created and/or updated Run Mentor onboarding materials to ground prospective mentors in the impact of mentorship on the lives of facility residents by way of site-specific guides co-created with our Resident and Alumni Members. (“Running with Residents in Recovery”)

    • Revamped our hiring process to attract and retain both staff and board candidates with lived experience or diverse backgrounds, including: raising salaries to be competitive within the field, eliminating education requirements, advertising salary information, replacing cover letters and resumes with a form, encouraging people with criminal histories to apply, encouraging people who do not 100% fit the criteria to apply.

    • Reduced the Program Coordinator position from 40 to 32 hours while keeping the salary to enable Alumni Member to accept the position.

    • Formalize onboarding processes to better set new staff and board members up for success.

    • Identify specific board skills and experience needed and recruit for those specific positions, and ensure a longer period of active, targeted recruitment of individuals and organizations. Disseminate board positions more widely and ask our community for assistance in spreading the word and sending us candidates. Encourage folks from all levels of the organization to apply.

    • Developed Run Mentor Coordinator position with a focus on recruiting, engaging, and retaining a diverse Mentor base.

    • Increased Run Mentors with lived experience from 17% (2022) to 21% (2023)

  • • Continue to utilize the growing MiMS base to actively seek out mentors from key diverse communities, including implementation of Mentor Referral program based on increasing diversity

    • Recruit new groups of mentors at the same time so new mentors arrive together and can bond over that shared experience.

    • New Run Mentor Coordinator role in 2024 with specific goal to identify organizations, spaces, and individuals of interest and directly ask them to consider being a Mentor. Goal to increase number of Run Mentors who identify as non-white or BIPOC from 11% (2023) to 18% in 2024.

Vision: More intentionally separate the program by the type of facility being operated in with orientation of mentors and members, program goals and outcomes, education/training, and program philosophies tailored to the facility type.

Separate & Upgrade the Programming by Facility Type

Status: Ongoing

  • • Updated Run Mentor training materials to include "guides" specific to facility populations, co-written by Alumni Members.

    • Offer site-specific Run Mentor onboarding/trainings that include Alumni Members and facility staff.

    • Since 2016, base run times/schedules and programming schedules based on the facility’s schedule or the diverse needs of the Residents.

    • Become more inclusive of walking; based on mission/visioning process, we continue to identify as runners.

  • Currently working on site-specific video resources, created by Alumni and facility staff, to be included in online Mentor training.

Vision: While there are challenges to tackle, the Alumni Program has a lot of potential to serve multiple purposes to the organization and support additional goals such as keeping alumni engaged, moving long-term mentors away from facilities to open up spots, and more.

Build the Alumni Program 

Status: Reimagined

  • • Distance team was created specifically for Alumni who wanted to take running to next level, and to offer different type of opportunities for Run Mentors

    • Encouraged Distance Team participation to returning Run Mentors as a means of freeing up space for new Mentors

    • Beginning in January 2024, Alumni staff member will take on Alumni programming role, with intention to engage MiMS’ Alumni in various ways (Alumni Mentorship, pacing for races, serving on committees, etc) and to create ongoing opportunities for Alumni to connect with one another (first Alumni run/social event held January 18, 2024).

    • At this point in time we are taking several steps to help Alumni connect organically, but have decided that we will not move forward with facilitation of additional Alumni/Run Mentor teams beyond the Distance Team.

  • • Create a more formal plan for connecting MiMS Alumni to existing running groups outside of MiMS.

Vision: Updating the board structure to clarify authority, grow processes and procedures, and identify key decision-making; bringing the decision-making directly to the membership.

Clarify the Authority & Decision-Making of the Board & Staff

Status: In Progress

  • • Engaged 30+ Run Mentors and Members in surveys and interviews to update organizational vision, mission, and values.

    • Gathered feedback from the board and staff about their perceptions of the board’s purpose, responsibility, and role. Clarified decision-making process, whereby staff is granted decision-making authority within the approved budget.

    • Created “Board Agreement” contract, increasing transparency around Member’s role and expectations, and utilized with Members annually and during onboarding process.

    • Create Member Advisory Council in 2023, made up of diverse group of Mentors and Alumni Members representing all teams. The MAC has advised board on sponsorships and partnerships and influences decision-making.

    • Developed a small series of board policies that expands upon the bylaws with specifics and procedures as related to the board

    • Moved from Board Chair to Co-Chair model

  • • Continue to engage the MAC in important decision-making across the organization

Vision: Expand the organization’s labor capacity through fundraising, reorganization, strategic hiring, and compensation.

Build Labor Capacity

Status: Ongoing

  • • Developed annual fundraising plan with focus on areas for growth, particularly our FundRacing program which engages MiMS community supporters in peer-to-peer fundraising efforts

    • Employed paid interns to provide temporary labor support and expand the MiMS network.

    • Engage Resident and Alumni Members in recruitment efforts, offering run jackets and shoes as incentive.

    • Continuously evaluate our Core Team roles to best utilize the tremendous efforts of our volunteers.

    • Created the Core Team Coordinator position, a paid PT position to assist with administrative duties and free up program staff time.

  • • Explore better utilizing media coverage as a way to grow individual donor base.

Vision: Bring the organization’s decision-making to the people; don’t rely on the people being at the decision-making table.

Democratize Decision-Making

Status: Ongoing/Reimagined

  • • Identified a few key decisions the board and/or staff make annually and consider options for how those decisions can be brought to members, and mentors, directly.

    • Continue to explore Board committees as a model for deeper engagement with the organization’s decisions.

    • Engaged 30+ Run Mentors and Members in surveys to update organizational vision and mission.

    • Member Advisory Committee was established in October 2023; comprised of diverse pool of Run Mentors and Resident Members from each site

  • Continue to explore the at-large board member position as well as the alumni spots on the board, and if those can provide access to people with less represented experiences

    Committee to give feedback on all areas of organization from decisions about what happens on teams up to development strategies

    Committee will communicate regularly with board.

Pilot Options to Invest Back Into the Communities Served and Operated In

Status: In PROGRESS

Vision: Try out various options to invest into the marginalized communities primarily served by MiMS.

  • • Began exploring community-centric fundraising, a model for soliciting financial contributions that simultaneously uplifts other organizations and people. Regularly promote partner organizations or BIPOC-lead/serving organizations in the running space, including asking our community to support financially.

    • Currently link Resident Member and Alumni’s fundraising links or “CashApps” in Member Profile write-ups. Shared an Alumni Member’s goFundMe and helped raise over $7K for a new car.

    • Hired advocacy coordinator; advocacy events, newsletters, and partnership outreach occurring.

    • Team “plogging” (cleanup runs) new in 2023, greater focus on team volunteer events in 2024 (Team Union Gospel Mission volunteer event in late Jan 2024)

  • • Explore team social events that are rooted in giving back to the community.

    • Consider further opportunities for sponsoring, or having MiMS partake in, seasonal races that are rooted in social advocacy.

    • Formalize process for community-centric fundraising

Continue Developing the Education & Training Curriculum of the MiMS Community

Status: In Progress

Vision: Continuing to offer and expand educational opportunities and trainings for the MiMS community, providing the tools necessary to appropriately navigate the space and communities.

  • • In 2023, Advocacy Coordinator focused events on education and advocacy related to our newest Member population, Veterans.

    • Beginning in 2021, have offered mid-season training to further discuss potential scenarios and difficult conversations

  • • In 2024, will be working with Mental Health practitioners within the MiMS community to develop trainings for our Run Mentors. We will also be developing online training tools in order to expand accessibility and resources available to Mentors, and create additional opportunities for Run Mentors to check-in with one another across the MiMS community.

    • Explore making ”Voices of” advocacy events part of the expected training for mentors working with those populations.

Short Term - “One off” opportunities

ACTIONS TAKEN

  • Normalized pronoun introductions at meetings, still work to be done at team runs. 

  • Eliminated speed and gender-based awards at Downtown Run Around 

  • Made Downtown Run Around free to all under-represented runners 

  • Created Land Acknowledgement in partnership with Renew Earth Running, is read at Downtown Run Around and posted on all pages of website. 

  • Facilitated creation of Recovery affinity group, will continue to help facilitate affinity groups

  • Created more opportunities for Run Mentors to connect, bond and set expectations outside of team runs via post-run meetups. 

  • Increased focus on “having difficult conversations” in Mentor trainings, increased opportunities for role plays 

  • Process for recommendations for teams that should continue, those that should shift/close, and open new teams - this will be topic for Member Advisory Committee in Spring 2024