Inclusivity
Statement
We stand with BIPOC and other marginalized personal finance content creators. We value their input and involvement in the FinCon Community, and we support their efforts in seeking equality.
FinCon is actively addressing change in the following areas:
COMMUNICATION & TRANSPARENCY
We commit to communicating more frequently and with more transparency so that the FinCon Community and attendees have more understanding and clarity about our event, processes, values, and team.
DIVERSE REPRESENTATION
We commit to including more diverse voices in our decision making, in our content, on our stages, and attending our event.
CULTURAL AWARENESS & SENSITIVITY
We commit to educating ourselves on injustices to historically marginalized people and holding ourselves, the event, and the community to a higher standard.
AS A STARTING POINT, WE COMMIT TO THE FOLLOWING ACTION STEPS
- Enlist a diverse FinCon Community Advisory Panel (consisting of BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and women) to help inform decision-making
- Provide an anonymous Community Feedback form where all community members have a safe, straightforward way to address concerns. This information will go directly to the FinCon team and will be checked regularly.
- Hire a Diversity and Inclusion consultant to provide training for FinCon staff
- Educate ourselves on racial injustices by listening to and learning from diverse voices of those within the FinCon community as well as other experts
- Create Inclusivity Statement with action steps that are updated and expanded as changes are made
- Hire a third party to conduct searches for executive team vacancies
- Update speaker policy to “no partisan political discussions” instead of “no political discussions”
- Enlist a diverse speaker selection committee for both the main stage and breakout session speaker placements
- In order to more adequately reflect the United States population as defined by the 2019 census, we will work to include at least 40% BIPOC speakers on all FinCon stages by the end of 2021. (For reference: At #FinCon19, 50% of FinCon breakout session speakers were female and 20% were BIPOC. On the main stage at #FinCon19, 80% of main stage speakers were female and 40% were BIPOC.)
- Dedicate at least 40% of FinCon scholarships to content creators who represent or serve marginalized communities
- Host virtual FinCon events so that FinCon is accessible to anyone, anywhere
- Provide any accommodations required for people with disabilities or others who require accommodation.
- Beginning with #FinCon2021, we will ask questions about diversity at the point of registration or via survey so we can have a better understanding of the demographics of the FinCon Community
CONTINUED EFFORTS
- Continue to utilize an open submission process for breakout session speakers where anyone from inside or outside the FinCon Community can apply to speak
- Continue to create space for community-driven meetups (un-conferencing) which allow FinConners to create their own diverse groups for networking and conversations at the event and beyond
- Continue to partner on community service projects with a focus on serving underserved or marginalized communities
- Continue to facilitate one-on-one mentoring, which supports new attendees by providing relationship-building opportunities with more experienced attendees
Future Goals & Action Steps
Additionally, we will also be addressing the following:
- Main stage speaker compensation
- How we will make space for non-partisan political conversations about money
- Other ways to make the FinCon Community and event more inclusive
