Our DEI Policy
Family Giving Tree (FGT) is committed to supporting, cultivating, and maintaining a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Our employees are one of the most valuable assets we have. The individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, inventiveness, innovation, self-expression, unique capabilities, and talent that our employees invest in their work represent a significant part of not only our culture, but our credibility to do good work for our
community.
We embrace and support our employees’ differences in age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other characteristics that make each of
our employees unique.
FGT’s diversity initiatives are applicable, but not limited to, our practices and policies on recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, professional development and training, promotions, transfers, social events and programs, layoffs, terminations; and the continuous support of a diverse work environment that requires and enforces:
• Respectful communication and cooperation between all employees at all times.
• Teamwork, employee participation, and inclusiveness permitting the representation of all groups and employee perspectives.
• Employer and employee engagement in learning, educating, and contributing to the communities we serve to promote empathy, understanding, and respect for their diverse makeups and needs.
All employees of FGT are required to treat others with dignity and respect at all times. All employees are expected to exhibit conduct that reflects inclusion during work, at work functions on or off the worksite, and at all other company-sponsored programs and events.
Building an Inclusive Community Together
Centering our Values
At Family Giving Tree, we believe in meeting every person where they are—whether they're seeking to volunteer, are staff members moving our mission forward, Partner Schools and Agencies supporting their recipients, supporters leading initiatives to engage their personal and professional networks, or individuals who want to help us through financial and physical donations (or all of the above!). One of our strengths comes from bringing together diverse perspectives and experiences across our entire community, and we do this through living out our core organizational values:
Community
Kindness
Empowerment
Adaptability
Accountability
These five core values work in concert to create an inclusive and dynamic environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully to make our world both joyful and equitable. Our commitment to our community provides the foundation, while kindness guides our interactions every step of the way. Through empowerment, we enable our staff and community partners to innovate and lead. Our adaptability ensures we meet evolving needs, and our accountability keeps us focused on creating lasting impact. Together, these values enable us to build bridges across diverse groups, creating a stronger, more connected Bay Area that serves everyone with dignity and respect.
Our Active Engagement
We actively listen to our community through ongoing surveys, presentations, and conversations. This continuous dialogue helps us understand and adapt to evolving needs, ensuring our programs remain relevant and impactful for:
- Drive leaders seeking meaningful ways to engage their networks
- Partner Schools and Agencies communicate the needs of their diverse recipient populations
- Financial supporters wanting to create a lasting impact
- Creating opportunities for corporate supporters to engage their teams while strengthening their corporate social responsibility
- Providing space for families and youths to join us in our work to foster the importance of giving back and helping their neighbors
- Individual volunteers sharing their time and talents to make the world a kinder place
Our work is rooted in the understanding that every person brings valuable strengths to our society. By gathering feedback and maintaining open dialogue, we continuously evolve our programs and strategies to meet the diverse needs of our amazing community.
Together, we're building connections that bring joy, offer hope, and create possibilities for everyone involved.
For over 35 years, we've built a kinder and more equitable Bay Area, one gift and backpack at a time.
In community,
Jill Mitsch
CEO
