--- title: "All Things Being Equitable" id: "61442" type: "post" slug: "all-things-being-equitable" published_at: "2022-05-09T12:00:36+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:08:31+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/all-things-being-equitable/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/all-things-being-equitable.md" excerpt: "Ensuring that all members have equal opportunities within the profession can be an association’s biggest challenge. The solution: Start before they even become members." taxonomy_category: - "Conscious Inclusion" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Director" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » All Things Being Equitable Part of the Deep Dive[Make It Real](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/make-it-real-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-action/) Creating an environment that promotes equity at an association means not just creating equal opportunities for people who are already in your loop. It means addressing the circumstances that prevent it. The Emergency Nurses Association, for instance, had been seeing groups of members left behind when it came to advancing in the profession. “In general, we have a small pool of our membership who are prepared at the doctoral level, who can do higher-level research,” said Altair Delao, senior associate, emergency nursing research at ENA. “The number of people who come from underrepresented groups is even smaller.” In response, earlier this year ENA launched its [Emergency Nursing Diverse Voices Research (ENDVR) Fellowship (opens in a new tab)](https://www.ena.org/press-room/articles/detail/2022/02/11/new-ena-foundation-program-promotes-diversity-in-nursing-research) , a two-year program supporting researchers in the field from those underrepresented groups. The program is one product of a recent effort at the association to ramp up its DEI efforts. But one challenge around equity in membership is that an association is often trying to connect with people who, because of those inequities, do not know the association and its discipline exist. That means marketing and outreach of the program has been just as important to the program as the program itself. According to Aaron Coats, marketing specialist at ENA, the ENDVR Fellowship was promoted to nursing groups outside of ENA, websites focused on minority nurses, and through direct contact with nursing leaders who could promote the program. But achieving true equity will likely require starting outreach even earlier, said ENA’s senior manager, learning services, Rashonda Legault. “We have a comprehensive document outlining different targets—reaching out to elementary schools and high schools, going to career fairs and community colleges, and determining what kinds of materials need to be developed,” Legault said. [Mark Athitakis](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Mark Athitakis, a contributing editor for Associations Now, has written on nonprofits, the arts, and leadership for a variety of publications. He is a coauthor of The Dumbest Moments in Business History and hopes you never qualify for the sequel. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/mark-athitakis/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## More in this Deep Dive - [Sustain Your Focus on DEI](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/sustain-your-focus-on-dei/) - [The CEO’s Role in DEI Success](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/the-ceos-role-in-dei-success/) - [Engage Employees to Embed DEI Across Your Association](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/engage-employees-to-embed-dei-across-your-association/) - [Managing Member Pushback to DEI Initiatives](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/managing-member-pushback-to-dei-initiatives/) - [How Metrics Can Improve the Quality of Your DEI Initiatives](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/how-metrics-can-improve-the-quality-of-your-dei-initiatives/) - [Assess Your DEI Maturity to Determine What’s Next](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/assess-your-dei-maturity-to-determine-whats-next/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/make-it-real-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-action/) ## You Might Like - [VideoASAE DELP Reunion 2025 & Introduction of New ClassAugust 18, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/08/18/asae-delp-reunion-2025-introduction-of-new-class-2/) - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond Accessibility: Building Neuroinclusive Association CommunitiesMay 28, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/05/28/associations-now-presents-beyond-accessibility-building-neuroinclusive-association-communities/) - [VideoLeading the Way in Neuroinclusion with ASAE Research Foundation and MPIDecember 16, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/16/leading-the-way-in-neuroinclusion-with-asae-research-foundation-and-mpi/) - [VideoWhy Neuroinclusion Matters: Raising Awareness Across the Association CommunityDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/why-neuroinclusion-matters-raising-awareness-across-the-association-community/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2022%2F05%2F09%2Fall-things-being-equitable%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !