Jews United for Justice (JUFJ) seeks a consultant or consulting team to support the creation and management of a process to examine our practices, policies, culture and impact and to support our ongoing and long-term journey toward becoming an antiracist organization that advances racial equity, both internally and externally. We are looking for proposals from consultants with a history of working with organizations on transformative racial equity efforts.
In the first phase of the project, the consultant(s) will conduct an audit of our current internal and external practices, including input from JUFJ’s board, staff, and key partners and allies as well as feedback from stakeholders and members of our broader community who wish to contribute their perspective and experience with JUFJ. The audit will assess where we are now and propose recommendations the organization could implement to better reflect our organizational commitment to becoming an antiracist organization at all levels (board, staff, management, volunteer leaders, and in our campaigns, partnerships, fundraising practices, and participation in coalitions).
In the second phase of the project, the consultant/s will work with JUFJ to develop a plan, help facilitate and advance discussions and trainings, and advise on implementation of practices and/or goals emerging from the process. We expect this process to include developing a shared understanding of what accountability means to JUFJ, to whom the organization is accountable, and the creation of structures JUFJ can use to hold itself accountable and be held accountable by others. Ideal candidates have a knowledge of the organizing landscape in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia region; familiarity with the Jewish community and Jewish cultural norms and/or an appetite to learn; and an analysis of both systemic and institutional racism and antisemitism.
About Jews United For Justice
Jews United for Justice mobilizes Jews and the Jewish community to move our region closer to social, racial, and economic justice by advancing local, issue-based campaigns for immediate and concrete improvements in people’s lives. Through these campaigns we develop leaders, build our base, shift the consciousness of our community, and build the collective power needed to undo systemic racism and inequality. In all cases, we seek to work in partnership with organizations made up of and/or accountable to those who have personal experience with the challenges we are hoping to address. We have helped win higher minimum wages, paid family leave, police accountability, affordable housing, and many other progressive policies. Together with our partners, we continue to move resources and power into the hands of people of color and low-income and working-class people whose access to the political process has been systematically blocked. To power our advocacy efforts, we build a Jewish community that is dedicated to pursuing justice, understands the key issues in our city and region, and that has the tools and skills to make change.
More information about JUFJ can be found on our website (jufj.org) and through our strategic plan (jufj.org/strategicplan)
Scope of Work
JUFJ is looking for experienced consultant/s with strong assessment, organizational development, facilitation, and process-management skills, as well as a deep understanding of racial equity, anti-Semitism, and social justice.
Phase 1: The organization is interested in working with consultant/s who can support an information gathering process, analyze various aspects of the organization and various stakeholders’ experiences with JUFJ, and prepare a racial equity and inclusion audit of JUFJ including recommendations the organization should implement to better reflect its organizational commitment to being an antiracist organization.
Phase 2: After producing the audit, we expect to work with consultant/s to develop and implement a work plan, to be approved by the Board, that includes goals, trainings, and additional actions to implement the recommendations identified in the audit, with the result of more fully actualizing our commitment to antiracism.
We expect the consultant/s to help coordinate and convene working groups looking to address different goals and priorities coming out of the racial equity and inclusion audit.
Phase 2 will include the development or strengthening of policies, systems, structures, training materials, and other resources that can serve as standard procedures and manuals for the organization’s continuing work to become an antiracist organization.
We plan to begin this engagement as soon as possible, and we are committed to taking the time needed and to devoting the resources necessary to undergo a meaningful process with transformative impact on our organization. We hope to engage the same consultant/s for Phase 2 as Phase 1, but we are also open to proposals that focus on one or the other.
Proposals
Interested consultants should submit the following:
- Background Information: Name/consulting firm, address, relevant work history (brief), description of business/services provided
- Examples and/or description of experience related to the scope of work requested with organizations similar to JUFJ
- A brief (1 to 2 page) description of a recommended approach and/or considerations for accomplishing the work described within the scope of work
- References from two current or recent clients with a brief description of services provided to clients.
- Fees/Costs: proposed budget breaking out projected Phase One and Phase Two
JUFJ has allocated a budget of up to $30,000 for Phases One and Two, understanding that additional investments may be needed to continue this work in the future. The proposed budget is listed to provide a sense of scale for this initial effort. The budget range is negotiable based on the scope of work proposed.
Please submit proposals by October 15, 2020 to:
JUFJ RFP Committee
Email: RFP@jufj.org
Subject: Racial Equity Consultant
We understand that current demand for racial equity consultants is very high. If you are currently unavailable but will be available in the future, please indicate your situation in your proposal. We are committed to a meaningful process and are open to waiting for the right candidate.
JUFJ welcomes questions from potential consultants about the RFP. Questions should be sent to rfp@jufj.org. A copy of the questions received by September 25th and JUFJ’s responses will be shared publicly with all candidates who have expressed interest in the project by that time. The questions and our responses may be edited to protect confidentiality or the consultant’s proprietary information.
