Venture for America Engaged DSG Consulting to Audit and Advance Workplace Culture and Talent Practices
Venture For America (VFA) is a two-year fellowship program for recent college grads who want to work at a startup and create jobs in American cities. Fellows learn important startup skills at the month-long Training Camp, apply for jobs within the company network, and work for two years as full-time, salaried employees in one of 13 cities. As the organization evolved, VFS sought out DSG Consulting to assess and advance its culture and overall talent strategy.
The Challenge
In an act of vulnerability and desire to improve, VFA and DSG Consulting partnered to execute an extensive internal audit of operations, policies and practices. DSG Consulting methodically collected data and analyzed feedback from stakeholders across all levels of the organization to identify strengths, challenges, and opportunities.
The Results
DSG Consulting developed a personalized growth guide, designed to yield actionable and sustainable progress across six key areas, over the course of three years. DSG Consulting recommended company specific strategies and tactical playbooks focused on inclusive marketing, supplier engagement, and community partnerships. Additionally, the team lead the creation and implementation process, providing advisory support and coaching to staff, fellows and key partners.
“Venture For America engaged Yardstick Management to audit our diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, and we are so glad that we chose Ebbie and his team to partner with. They took the time to really get to know our organization, dug deep, and asked tough questions. Yardstick went beyond metrics to really explore the qualitative experiences of marginalized groups who interact with our organization and shine a light on how we can better include them. At the end of the process, we were able to take Yardstick’s recommendations and insights to our stakeholders, enabling us to partner with them to lay out a comprehensive, formal plan to improve our practices. This has been a critical step in our DEI journey, and Yardstick has been a joy to work with throughout.”
— Amy Nelson, Former CEO, Venture for America