OUR COMMITMENT

The Conservatory of Flowers is committed to a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment. As part of our organizational core values, the Conservatory recognizes that diversity in our workforce fosters excellence in our mission of connecting people and plants in a place of exceptional beauty. Our mission is inclusive to all cultures, races and ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, disabilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

We strive to cultivate a workforce and institution that is as diverse as the communities we serve and the audiences we engage, but there is more work to be done.

Our short-term objectives are:

• Continue to maintain an open and ongoing dialogue with our staff on diversity, inclusion, and equity, address areas for improvement and progress on a quarterly basis.
• Measure our current staff, volunteer, and advisory council demographics by distributing an internal survey, and subsequently maintain an annual survey, with the goal to evaluate, address, and improve recruitment, hiring, and retention practices.
• Recognize the Conservatory’s colonialist history by developing an internal/external framework document that reexamines our past and fosters a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive narrative.
• Ensure ethical collection acquisition standards that support local communities and cultures in their ownership and protection of local native plants by sharing our collection acquisition policy internally and externally.
• Hold annual inclusivity and unconscious bias trainings for all staff, volunteers, and advisory council members.
• Annually audit and implement RPD’s equity performance goal.

Our mid-term objectives are:

• Continue to maintain open and ongoing dialogue with our staff and define community/ key stakeholders while initiating ongoing dialogue on diversity, inclusion, and equity, address areas of improvement and progress on a quarterly basis with all these groups.
• Listen to diverse voices by seeking frequent input and addressing concerns.
• Represent more diverse, underserved, underrepresented populations via our external channels, programming, and partnerships by diversifying promotional photos/videos, featuring diverse staff and volunteers to speak on behalf of the Conservatory, building diverse programs that attract underserved groups, and supporting underserved and underrepresented-owned businesses and partners, organization wide.
• Apply an inclusive lens to the presentation of content about plants by incorporating inclusive and unbiased language best practices to the Conservatory’s interpretation standards.

Our long-term objectives are:

Hiring & Recruitment
Rebuild how the Conservatory attracts and hires staff, volunteers, interns, vendors, and partners at all levels. Examples including, but not limited to increasing paid internships, building an apprenticeship program, actively reach out and widen recruitment to diverse candidates.

Retention & Promotion
Invest in new programs that foster professional growth and advancement for staff at all levels, while also providing opportunity for internal and incoming staff to grow into leadership roles. Examples including, but not limited to creating a more inclusive work culture for diverse staff and developing a mentorship program.

Diversity in Leadership
Create new opportunities for diverse and underrepresented people in the Conservatory’s leadership team, Conservatory’s advisory council, and committees. Examples including, but not limited to actively reaching out and widen recruitment to diverse candidates.

Inclusive Organizational Culture
Create new opportunities and practices for a diversity of staff perspectives and experiences to help inform and shape Conservatory culture. Create informal and formal systems that ensure behaviors throughout the organization are consistent with our diversity, equity, and inclusion goals.

Access and Accessibility
Maintain existing and create new accessibility opportunities for people of all backgrounds and abilities to access the Conservatory through visitation, events, and school field trips. Examples including, but not limited to: developing multilingual programming, providing access to schools and drawing locals from San Francisco Recreation and Parks equity zones.

Intersectional Environmentalism
Elevate and advocate on issues relevant to the intersection of race, the outdoors, and conservation, including environmental racism
Partner with an external agency or consultant with racial equity expertise.

Strategic Planning
Ensure the Conservatory’s next strategic plan focuses on diversity, equity, and inclusion that builds upon our ongoing work.