PHOENIXFIRE'S COMMITMENT TO DEI.
Across the country, organizations are pulling back on diversity, equity, and inclusion. Programs are being quietly gutted. Language is being softened. Commitments made in 2020 are getting walked back in the name of neutrality or political convenience.
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We’re moving in the other direction.
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PhoenixFire believes in diversity, equity, and inclusion. As an operating principle that shapes who we hire, who we work with, and how we do the work. That position isn’t new for us and it isn’t negotiable.
What This Looks Like in Practice
We hire and partner with diverse talent at every level. Representation is a standard we hold in every engagement, every time.
We build equity into the consulting itself. When we advise executive directors, board leaders, and the nonprofits they run, we make sure their strategies account for the communities they serve.
That means we don’t treat DEI as a standalone program or a workshop you schedule once a year. We integrate it into governance, leadership development, and organizational strategy. It’s part of how we think about every recommendation we make.
We expect these values from the organizations we support. Mutual respect and equal opportunity are baseline requirements. We select clients deliberately. If an organization is dismantling equity programs, silencing marginalized voices, or building systems designed to exclude, we decline the work.
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The Evidence Exists, But It’s Not the Point.
Research consistently shows that diverse teams make stronger decisions, solve problems faster, and outperform homogeneous groups. That data isn’t ambiguous. But we didn’t adopt this position because of a McKinsey report. We adopted it because it’s right.
For nearly ten years, we’ve advised every single client to diversify their teams, starting with senior leadership and their Board of Directors, and to build organizations that more accurately represent the communities they serve. That was our counsel before DEI became a national conversation. It’s still our counsel now that the conversation has become contentious.
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The business case is real. It also doesn't really matter. Our commitment to DEI is grounded in something simpler: right is right. Every person’s value is determined by the fact that they’re a human being.
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Who We Won’t Work With
Our team has dedicated our professional lives to changing the world for the better. That commitment comes with a boundary. If your organization is actively working against equity, rolling back inclusion efforts to appease political pressure, or treating DEI as expendable... we’re not the right firm for you, and we won’t make exceptions.
To be very clear, we refuse to work with organizations that further hate, bigotry, discrimination, oppression, prejudice, injustice, intolerance, or violence.
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If This Resonates With You
If your organization is still committed to building something fair and inclusive, especially when it’s hard, we share that commitment.
We’ve written at length about why diverse teams outperform and about our own stance during this period of national rollback. Those pieces are worth reading if you want the full argument.
And if you want a consulting partner that’ll hold the line with you, reach out. We’d like to hear from you.