--- title: "Managing Member Pushback to DEI Initiatives" id: "61427" type: "post" slug: "managing-member-pushback-to-dei-initiatives" published_at: "2022-05-09T12:00:59+00:00" modified_at: "2026-07-11T18:08:26+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/managing-member-pushback-to-dei-initiatives/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/managing-member-pushback-to-dei-initiatives.md" excerpt: "You’ve got a great DEI strategy—all you need to do is put it in place and it’s smooth sailing all the way, right? Not so fast. Here’s what to do if you encounter pushback from members." taxonomy_category: - "Conscious Inclusion" taxonomy_post_tag: - "Associations Now" - "C-suite" - "International" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "C-Level" - "Executive Team" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Executive Leadership" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Managing Member Pushback to DEI Initiatives Part of the Deep Dive[Make It Real](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/make-it-real-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-action/) The Controlled Release Society ended up in a building-the-plane-while-flying-it situation when it encountered member pushback at the outset of developing its DEI plan. The group had to quickly shift gears and simultaneously craft a response plan to manage the fallout. As an international organization, some members in other countries complained that DEI is such an “American concept,” and the problems, especially around race, don’t apply to them and should have been fixed a long time ago. Others pointed out that marginalized groups in the U.S. are dominant groups in their countries, and some bristled at the notion of being told what to do. “It really brought home that every single one of our members is seeing their own microcosm as the be-all and end-all,” said CRS CEO Gabrielle Copperwheat. “So very quickly we had to change our mindset to think globally and locally at the same time.” CRS divided its response plan into three touchpoints: - **Localization:** ongoing education and continual information - **Personalization:** regularly rewarding and celebrating achievements at all levels - **Globalization:** collaborating across the globe and integrating in all parts of the member and volunteer leader journey ### Think Globally, Apply Locally Copperwheat came up with the three-pronged concept. Before becoming an association executive, she engaged in the localization and globalization of software and worked with various ministries around the world. “One of the important facts that you have to keep in mind all the time is you’re developing something for the globe,” she said. “So, you have to have a common language globally, but it also has to apply locally.” CRS engaged its local chapters and leaders there and trained them by giving them the tools to understand CRS’s DEI mindset so they could buy into what the group was trying to initiate in the scientific community. “We’re trying to create more of a global organization, a space where everyone can bloom and develop as a scientist,” Copperwheat said. When the group came at it from a local perspective, Copperwheat said members didn’t hear “Oh you guys are just American,” anymore. Although its chapters used to operate independently, as part of CRS’s globalization efforts, it created networking bridges around DEI among all its chapters. The open chain of communication and continual information was set up very early. The group also found that regularly rewarding achievements in many areas was positive and encouraging. “We’ve elevated some of our volunteers that we could see propagating the appropriate culture and helping to build it or pioneer it in their own areas to group leaders,” Copperwheat said. For example, CRS hosts leadership forums, which are like town halls, and posts videos from them on its website. “Everyone gets to celebrate the success together,” she said. Once the group put in place the globalization, personalization, and localization message—which put the DEI plan in perspective for members by meeting them where they are—the response has been “tremendous,” Copperwheat said. Now, instead of pushing back, members come to the group and ask how they can help advance DEI. “We have changed the direction away from being defensive or responsive,” Copperwheat said. “We’ve become futurists at the same time as we’re developing.” [Lisa Boylan](https://associationsnow.com/author/lisa-boylan/) Lisa Boylan is a former senior editor of Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/lisa-boylan/) Tags: [#Associations Now](https://associationsnow.com/tag/associations-now/) [#C-suite](https://associationsnow.com/tag/c-suite/) [#International](https://associationsnow.com/tag/international/) **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/) - [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/) - [Taking Charge of Who’s in Charge](https://associationsnow.com/2022/05/09/taking-charge-of-whos-in-charge/) [View the full Deep Dive →](https://associationsnow.com/deep-dives/make-it-real-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-action/) ## You Might Like - [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/) - [VideoMoving Neuroinclusion From Afterthought to Standard PracticeDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/moving-neuroinclusion-from-afterthought-to-standard-practice/) - [VideoASAE Research Foundation and MPI Foundation on Neurodiversity in AssociationsDecember 15, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/12/15/asae-research-foundation-and-mpi-foundation-on-neurodiversity-in-associations/) - [VideoSmarter Board Management for Associations: An OnBoard ShowcaseJuly 24, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/24/smarter-board-management-for-associations-an-onboard-showcase/) ## 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%2Fmanaging-member-pushback-to-dei-initiatives%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !