Our 2024 Commitment To Change
We made our initial Commitment to Change in 2020, heeding the call for transparency and transformation in the face of racial disparity and inequity within our industry. We continue to view this work, and our commitment to transparency regarding our efforts, as a core tenet of our business. We publicly state here both our progress and our ongoing resolve to keep these efforts at the forefront of our work.
The Data
Breaking down the data
As of 7/5/2024
Ethnicity
Entire agency
- 88% White
- 5% Asian
- 1% Native American
- 5% Multiethnic
- 1% African American or Black
Director-level employees
- 94% White
- 0% Asian
- 3% Native
- 3% Multiethnic
- 0% African American or Black
Leadership — VP + above
- 100% White
- 0% Asian
- 0% Native
- 0% Multiethnic
- 0% African American or Black
Gender
Entire agency
- 63% Female Identifying
- 37% Male Identifying
Director-level employees
- 61% Female Identifying
- 39% Male Identifying
Leadership — VP + above
- 63% Female Identifying
- 37% Male Identifying
Our progress
Reflections on our progress in the last year
Our strategic plan
To memorialize our action plan, the CM Leadership Team drafted a DEI strategic plan last fall, which was reviewed, discussed, and approved by the CM Board of Directors. The strategic plan sets out short- and longer-term goals related to CM recruiting strategies, philanthropic efforts, and internal teaching and thought leadership activities. Action plans related to the strategies outlined in the plan are underway.
Community partnerships
To underscore CM’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in our home community of Minneapolis, we sponsored the Rainbow Run, a marquee event for the Twin Cities Pride celebration. A large contingent of CM employees ran and walked through the rain in late June with family, neighbors, and colleagues to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community. We also continued partnerships with MIGIZI to foster interest and skill in digital marketing among Native American youth, and with The BrandLab to further their mission to change the face and voice of the marketing industry.
Celebrating our colleagues
We are consciously working to celebrate the many types of diversity among our colleagues and in our community. While creating a community of inclusion and belonging occurs with many small gestures and connections that do not lend themselves to a list of accomplishments here, we are pleased that an increasing number of our colleagues identify as non-white and are equally proud that our retention of all employees is at a record high for the agency.
External DEI consultant
Our Leadership Team and Board of Directors are currently working with a DEI consultant in a series of workshops throughout 2024 to solidify our vision and action plan. We are a data-driven, results-oriented organization, and so we recognize that if we do not plan it, it will not materialize. Now more than ever, we recognize that progress requires intentionality and accountability.
Our previous commitments to change
We are on a journey toward becoming a more inclusive place to work for all people. As we look back at previous years, it’s important to do so with a critical eye, evaluating what worked, what didn’t, and what learnings can be brought forward to inform our future commitments.
