Choose Chicago and the Choose Chicago Foundation: Advancing Impact through Data-Driven Strategies 

Social Impact Framework: Engagement with All Community Populations

What is the issue you were trying to address?

Choose Chicago partnered with MBE certified DEI consultant, The Exeter Group, to conduct an organization-wide Equity Assessment in fall 2021. From this assessment, a multi-year equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) strategic action plan was created. A key finding and recommendation in the assessment was to highlight diversity representation while avoiding tokenism.

Our motivation to undergo this assessment and implement its findings were championed by Senior Leadership and the Choose Chicago Board of Directors.

What were the stated objectives of this initiative?

Choose Chicago has taken a thoughtful and consistent approach to foster community impact across the organization. We developed an annual calendar of underrepresented cultural celebrations, Choose Compassion Employee Resource Group (ERG), and year around learning opportunities. 

We’ve promoted a message of inclusion and the value of various diversity dimensions internally and externally.

What were the specific metrics you used to measure the success of your efforts?

Choose Chicago uses multiple types of metrics, both qualitative and quantitative: Surveys (internal/external), Community listening sessions, Social, Web analytics, E-marketing analytics and the Destinations International Assessment.  

Through surveys, interviews, focus groups, participants have expressed a strong desire for ongoing education and tying EDI goals to our broader organizational initiatives and strategic plan. 

Choose Chicago created it’s first ever EDI scorecard tying back to our strategic plan in 2023 to track:

• Total number of partners, total number of diverse partners, and non-diverse partners and their diverse classifications (optional to self-identify).
• Staff Data – full time, contract employees, age, gender, race/ethnicity (optional to self-identify)
• Diverse Vendor Spend, total vendor spend for the year, total diverse vendors for the year, percentage of diverse vendor spend for the year.
• Scholarship Data – race/ethnicity, majors, gender, schools
• Workforce Development – number of programs, total hours participants engaged, total number of participants engaged, total partners and strategic partners, number of Choose Chicago department involved 

What were the specific outcomes and results of your efforts?

Choose Chicago has increased the number of diverse owned businesses recruited and retained in our partnership program, resulting in hosting our first inaugural partner diversity showcase + educational program. This event featured 45+ diverse owned businesses, community partners and local certifying agencies. 

Our partners have benefited from increased media exposure, client engagement opportunities, and dedicated marketing content which drives increased support of diverse businesses in marginalized communities.

Our annual diverse cultural calendar highlighting underrepresented cultural dates has been used by the Choose Compassion and broader marketing teams to curate content, support the business community, and foster a greater sense of belonging among employees and visitors. 

Key website metrics for content include:

• Chicago Style cultural guide series, which features a deep dive into Black, Latinx, and Asian history and heritage in Chicago through the eyes of locals, has received almost 10,000 sessions since launching spring 2024.
• LGBTQ+ content, representing a diverse range of interests from historical landmarks to Pride celebrations, has received more than 82,000 sessions so far this year.  
• Accessibility content, aggregated in our Accessibility content hub and featuring first-hand perspectives of Chicagoans with disabilities, has reached over 14,000 sessions so far in 2024. This represents a 115% increase from the same period in 2023.  
• Chicago Like a Local blog has featured the perspectives of more than 18 different writers this year, each reflecting a different facet of the city’s diversity. 

Choose Chicago/Choose Chicago Foundation Key Outcomes:

In 2023, Choose Chicago launched its 2023-2025 strategic plan. We've achieved key milestones such as formalizing a business diversity policy, establishing organization-wide and departmental diverse spending goals and RFP templates. We also made progress in increasing workforce diversity and completion our Annual EDI Scorecard, which tracks year-over-year progress in line with our strategic plan. 

Engagement with the Community

To advance equity, we’ve reduced barriers to access for historically excluded groups within the tourism economy. Choose Chicago sponsors community-led events, including IL Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, Let’s talk Women March Women’s Bash, Bud Billiken Parade + Festival, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Kick Off and Business Expo.  
We also awarded a limited number of first-year complimentary membership fees to increase participation in our Choose Chicago partnership program, from underrepresented communities.  

Choose Chicago has a dedicated Neighborhood Strategy team focused on promoting the city's neighborhoods through a community listening approach. This team’s efforts have been widely recognized, including the launch of the award-winning "The 77" video series, which highlights the rich history of Chicago’s neighborhoods and promotes diverse-owned businesses. 

Supporting Inclusion in the Workplace  

Choose Compassion created a new employee benefit with Human Resources team “Choose Compassion PTO day” offering employees the option to explore their cultural heritage or a different cultural heritage. 

Choose Compassion consistently hosts employee events that cover a range of cultural and diversity topics.  

Employee surveys reflect, enthusiasm for the Choose Compassion ERG, as well as the desire for additional educational and social opportunities that would allow staff throughout the organization to get to know each other. The Choose Compassion ERG received a score of 5.13 out of 6.0 (85.5%), indicating strong effectiveness in advancing and promoting EDI at Choose Chicago.

Creating a Welcoming Environment

The Choose Chicago Sales Team, in collaboration with city and state partners, recently secured the NAACP 127th Annual Convention, which will be held in Chicago in 2026.

We are excited about our ongoing progress and goal to make Chicago the most accessible city in the country. In partnership with Fun for the Disabled, we’ve highlighted videos featuring individuals with disabilities at local attractions, now available in the Accessibility section of our website. The Accessibility section of our website also contains several blog posts with information on accessibility for local attractions, venues, and more. Additionally, we've teamed up with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to provide customer service training for restaurant and hotel partners on how to better serve guests with disabilities. 

Investing in Workforce Development  

Choose Chicago and the Choose Chicago Foundation continue to champion careers in hospitality and tourism through Apprenticeships, Cook County Workforce Development Hospitality Hires, Student Tourism Days, and the Student Partnership program. 

The Choose Chicago Foundation has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors and college students. 

We’ve expanded awareness of career opportunities in the broader tourism industry among diverse talent from underrepresented communities on Chicago’s South and West Sides. 

Is there any other information you'd like to share, including any best practices or key lessons learned?

A best practice is to have a data-driven strategy (qualitative and quantitative) for your organization that creates buy-in and accountability across the team. 

The data will reveal gaps in your infrastructure. 

Key Lessons:  

• Be consistent. Be strategic, focused, and clear on the impact you want to make as an organization. It's easy to go in several directions because there's so much to be done, but you have to prioritize and maintain focus. 
• Celebrate the small wins! It can be discouraging when results don’t happen as quickly as you like but continue to move forward working collaboratively with your leadership and internal teams to shape culture and behaviors. This contributes to progress, and ROI for the organization!