A Focus on Equity and Inclusion | Give Big 2022

One Valley Community Foundation is committed to elevating the work of all the important nonprofits in Gallatin Valley. One way that One Valley does this is through our annual community-wide giving day, Give Big Gallatin Valley. Since its inception eight years ago, One Valley has been working to make Give Big Gallatin Valley a more equitable and inclusive initiative. We have made many new changes and look forward to continued growth as we learn how to further these efforts. In an effort to strive for progress and not perfection, we want to share what we are learning along our equity journey. We value learning in public. 

This year, we decided to center equity and inclusion in our improvements to Give Big. With the guidance of Level Equity Consultants, we have implemented changes to make the registration process and website more inclusive and spotlight organizations working to address inequities in the Gallatin Valley.  

Here are a few of the improvements we are making to Give Big to center equity:  

  • During Give Big registration, fee waivers were available, with priority given to organizations that focus on serving communities of Color, immigrants, the LGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities and women. 

  • We are spotlighting equity organizations whose primary purpose is to dismantle systemic oppression, address inequity, and build cultures of inclusion through the work of their missions and visions within the Gallatin Valley on the Organization Spotlight Equity page.

  • At 7:00 pm on May 5th, we will announce the winners of the “Equity as a Lived Value” prize. This brand-new prize will be awarded to three randomly selected nonprofits that provided their nondiscrimination policies during registration and answered a question about how they demonstrate equity and inclusion in their everyday work. 

  • To make Give Big more accessible, we have continued to improve our website to make navigation easier for people with visual impairment and multilingual community members through efforts such as the new “How to Give” video in Spanish. 

At One Valley, we know that strong and vibrant communities don’t happen by accident. These changes reflect our ongoing effort to foster a community of inclusion and equity for all who call Gallatin County home.  

Anna Burkholder