Certification

Thoughtful and committed allyship positively impacts organizational culture, creating an environment that invites greater diversity and inclusion. Fostering allyship has an impact on individuals within a given organization as well as on the organization itself, leading to increased equity, improved capacity for problem solving, and greater organizational effectiveness. Meaningful organizational allyship also fosters positive images that can increase brand loyalty and achieve broader corporate social responsibility goals.

Certification programs provide participants with in-depth guidance for cultivating allyship at the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels with the express goal of creating strategic improvements to existing organizational culture. There are currently two certification programs available: the Corporate Allyship Certification and Certified Allyship Accomplice program. These programs work in tandem as the Corporate Allyship Certification focuses more expressly on organizational policy and practice while the Certified Allyship Accomplice program focuses more expressly on interactions between individuals within the organization. These programs are described in more detail below. Participants are encouraged to have completed a number allyship trainings prior to entering a certification program.

Certified Allyship Organization Program (CAOP)

Because allyship is a long-term process that necessitates continual reflection, education, and action, allyship certification represents a starting point for an organization, rather than an endpoint. In this spirit, Certified Allyship Organizations will use the knowledge gained through the certification process to engage in ongoing critical assessment, education, action, and needed organizational shift. Through this ongoing reflexive process, allyship organizations demonstrate an understanding of and commitment to general and specific dimensions of allyship. As specific allyship needs may manifest differently depending on the organization, the following represent the general goals that Certified Allyship Organizations will have committed to achieving:

  • Members and leaders in the organization demonstrate understanding of the connections between allyship, anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and organizational successes.
  • Members in the organization can define general and specific dimensions of allyship and identify allyship in policy and practice.
  • Leaders in the organization can define general and specific dimensions of allyship and identify allyship in policy and practice.
  • Organization shows measurable increases in allyship policy and practice around categories and metrics that have been identified as in need of targeting and improvement.
  • Organization commits resources to continually assessing allyship needs and the successes of ongoing initiatives. Where needed, organization also commits to making tangible changes in ongoing initiatives, policies, and practices.
  • Organization invests in continuing education of members and leaders around issues of allyship, anti-discrimination, and diversity and inclusion.

Corporate Allyship Certification

The aim of this 2.5 day training program is to provide participants with knowledge and skills necessary to engage in more thoughtful and committed allyship at individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. Equipped with practical skills and strategies, in addition to a more robust understanding of allyship, participants will leave the training more prepared to identify and enact meaningful allyship in organizational policy and practice.

Allyship is critical for organizations seeking to achieve Diversity and Inclusion goals as successes rely, in part, on committed action from those who retain power and privilege. However, there are many ways in which power can be manifest or in which potential marginalization can persist. This means that allyship can come in many forms within and across an organization. A better understanding of the many dimensions of allyship can equip organization members to recognize opportunities for allyship, informing necessary shifts in individual, interpersonal, and organizational policy and practice in the moment, and over time. More nuanced and committed allyship can thus help organizations to not only envision, but also meet, more expansive Diversity and Inclusion targets while also fostering positive images that can increase brand loyalty and achieve broader corporate social responsibility goals.

The Corporate Allyship Certification includes the following content-focus:

Module 1: Dimensions of Allyship
Module 2: Allyship as Individual/Interpersonal Practice
Module 3: Allyship as Organizational Value and Practice
Module 4: Enacting Meaningful Allyship Initiatives
Module 5: Committing to Ongoing Allyship
Module 6: Best Practices for Allyship Organizations
Module 7: Collaborative Project—Creating an Allyship Action Plan

Upon completion of this 2.5-day program, participants will be able to:

  • Understand allyship as a general practice while also being able to identify specific forms of allyship within organizations;
  • Articulate the connections between allyship, anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and organizational successes;
  • Assert the business case for allyship;
  • Recognize opportunities for allyship at the levels of individual, interpersonal, and organizational policy and practice;
  • Critically assess allyship needs and goals to develop action plans and policies that result in meaningful change;
  • Describe the importance of ongoing critical assessment, education, action, and organizational shift around allyship.
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Certified Allyship Accomplice Program (CAAP)

The aim of this 2.5 day training program is to provide participants with knowledge and skills necessary to engage in more thoughtful and committed allyship at the individual and interpersonal levels within their organization. Equipped with practical skills and strategies, in addition to a more robust understanding of allyship, participants will leave the training more prepared to identify and enact meaningful allyship in everyday interactions in the workplace.

Allyship is critical for organizations seeking to achieve Diversity and Inclusion goals as success relies, in part, on organization members’ awareness of how power and privilege can positively or negatively impact everyday interactions in the workplace. As there are many ways in which power can be manifest or in which potential marginalization can persist, allyship can come in many forms within and across an organization. A better understanding of the many dimensions of allyship can equip organization members to recognize opportunities for allyship, informing necessary shifts in individual and interpersonal practice and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of existing organizational policy.

The Certified Allyship Accomplice program includes the following content-focus:

Module 1: General Dimensions of Allyship
Module 2: Specific Dimensions of Allyship I
Module 3: Specific Dimensions of Allyship II
Module 4: Allyship in Everyday Interactions
Module 5: Individual Allyship and Organizational Success
Module 6: Best Practices for Impactful Allyship
Module 7: Collaborative Project—Allyship Moving Forward

Upon completion of this 2.5-day program, participants will be able to:

  • Understand allyship as a general practice while also being able to identify specific forms of allyship;
  • Recognize how to apply general allyship principles to specific allyship foci;
  • Adapt language and communication practices to foster meaningful allyship;
  • Articulate the connections between individual allyship, anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and organizational successes;
  • Assert the business case for general allyship and for specific foci in allyship;
  • Critically assess allyship to develop action plans that result in meaningful change;
  • Recognize and act on opportunities for allyship within the organization.
Register