Celebrating What Makes Us Unique

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at San Diego Humane Society

At San Diego Humane Society, we’re united by our mission: creating a more humane world by inspiring compassion, providing hope and advancing the welfare of animals and people. Our impact on animals is directly tied to the contributions of the people around us — both in the workplace and the communities we serve. Because our success is driven by people, we’re strongest when every person — staff, volunteer and guest — can feel like they belong.

Here are just a few of the many things we’re doing to support an environment where everyone can contribute their perspectives and experiences towards advancing our mission.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee
The DEI Committee was established in 2019 to help guide an intentional approach to integrating diversity, equity and inclusion into everything we do. The Committee holds regular meetings to develop our DEI initiatives, including celebrating multicultural holidays, educating employees and volunteers, and exploring opportunities for improvement.

Our strategic areas of focus are:

• Aligning our organization’s vision, mission and values with the broader equity issues being faced by the communities we serve.
• Championing a thriving organization for our staff, volunteers, guests, donors and board where each of us feels an authentic sense of belonging.
• Continuing to foster a Culture of Care through our internal policies, practices and behaviors.
• Attracting and retaining employees, volunteers, donors and board members of diverse backgrounds who represent the communities we serve.
• Measuring progress toward cultural equity with quantitative and qualitative research related to DEI.

Established DEI Committee Working Groups
To enact change within our organization, we established several DEI working groups. These groups spearhead the development of thoughtful initiatives that promote racial equality, such as community engagement, new recruiting efforts and metrics to foster a working environment where employees, volunteers and guests feel represented, supported and heard. Here are some of the groups in action:

• Recognition and celebration of multicultural events.
• Book club.
• DEI events and speakers series for staff and volunteers.
• Facilitated group discussions.
• Learn Spanish!

Inclusion as a Core Value
In 2020, Inclusion was added as one of our core values to reflect San Diego Humane Society’s commitment to being a place where every person can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued to fully participate.

As a core value, inclusion is seen when we elevate our colleagues with recognition, when we interact with our guests with empathy and without judgment, when we examine how we are serving our neighboring communities, and more.

Language Translation Services & Expanded Bilingual Compensation Benefits
While English is spoken by many San Diegans as a second language, competency varies greatly and many individuals feel most comfortable communicating in their native language. To better serve our community, we’ve embedded the Google Translate Widget on our website, allowing guests to translate content into over 100 languages.

Additionally, we’ve expanded our bilingual compensation program to widen the recognition of staff who provide translation services, offering hourly premiums for certain non-exempt "guest-facing" roles and per required need premiums for any non-exempt employees who uses their bilingual skills to assist guests.

Community Support Services
Our commitment to DEI doesn’t end with each other — it extends to the programs and services we provide to the San Diego community and beyond. At SDHS, we know there are many circumstances — including financial challenges, domestic violence and housing insecurity — that pose barriers and prevent the full participation of some groups in pet ownership.

Check out some of the programs we offer to help prevent unnecessary pet surrender and to keep pets with their families through challenging times, including a Community Veterinary Program that offers low-cost appointments and services, pharmacy services and vouchers for spay/neuter services

Equal Employment Opportunity
We’re proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and commit to providing a work environment of mutual respect where fair treatment and equal opportunities are available to all applicants and teammates, irrespective of background, identity or any other basis protected by applicable law. We believe in working toward justice, because it is the right thing to do and because it is foundational to the future we want to build.

Land Acknowledgement
San Diego Humane Society acknowledges that our campuses are located on the unceded ancestral homelands of the Kumeyaay (Diegueño) and Payómkawichum (Luiseño) peoples. We honor the rich history, ongoing presence and contributions of the diverse and vibrant indigenous communities who make their home here today.

Through our work, we commit to honoring their sovereignty, celebrating their enduring relationship with this land, and being good stewards of the land and the animals who inhabit it.

We know there is much work still to be done. With our culture and Core Values as our guide, we continue to work toward adding our collective voices to the movement of ensuring the rights and dignity of all our community members, both within and outside of our organization.