The Diversity Institute promotes and fosters diversity and inclusion within the franchising community.
The Institute serves as the home for the Foundation’s diversity and inclusion programs – education, research, scholarships, and liaisons with other national organizations.
The Institute provides information to assist IFA members in expanding their diversity recruitment and multi-cultural marketing efforts at all levels – franchisees, employees, suppliers, and consumers. The Diversity Institute realizes that the rapid pace of demographic changes and population growth combine to create unique opportunities for franchising. Diversity and inclusion has the power to accelerate the mission of franchising.
Ways to Get Involved
We are undergoing an exciting time of change in the Diversity Institute and are in the midst of updating the previously-known DiversityFran program. If you'd like to get involved, please contact us!
Resources
Champions in Diversity in Franchising
IFA Champion of Diversity - Rick Davidson
With over 25 years of experience in the real estate industry, Davidson has always aimed to help people of all backgrounds be successful in real estate either as independent sales professionals or as home buyers or sellers, particularly veterans and persons from multicultural communities. In fact, under Davidson, the CENTURY 21 ® System established a “Recruiting America’s Heroes” program to assist veterans looking to earn a real estate license and transition into civilian life, and they have spent an increasing number of hours and resources aligning their business mission and goals with sustainable homeownership for all Americans.
“Veterans have done so much to serve our country and protect our many freedoms, and we are proud to work with our philanthropic partner in Easter Seals to help empower them to lead more independent lives,” said Davidson. “We are committed to being an organization that reflects all of the faces of the consumers we serve. As such, we will continue championing the work of the industry’s diversity associations, including NAHREP, AREAA, NAGLREP, NAREB and others, all in an effort to help our System members understand how to impact diverse communities and to better serve America's ever-changing populace.”
Davidson has always set out to make his mark in a well-established franchise sales organization. To this day, he emphasizes the key principle of diversity in franchise operations and sales, recruitment, buyers and sellers, as well as corporate staff.
Davidson also serves as Chairman of the International Board of Directors for Easter Seals, Inc., a group which aims to create a world of inclusion, dignity, empowerment and independence for people living with autism and other disabilities. The CENTURY 21 System has raised over $111million for the organization. In addition, Davidson is a big brother through Big Brother/Big Sistersand is a Base Committee Member of the Boy Scouts of America Northern Tier High Adventure Base.
Davidson received the 2015 Ronald E. Harrison Diversity Award presented by IFA.
