Top 10: Supplier Diversity Associations
With procurement teams seeking to diversify their suppliers, supplier diversity associations are available to connect the two and advocate for inclusive procurement practices.
Supplier diversity is crucial for procurement operations in today’s landscape.
It not only increases supply chain resilience and improves brand reputation but also promotes economic development in diverse communities, helping to create jobs and boost wages.
Supplier Diversity Associations play a vital role in procurement, acting as intermediaries between diverse suppliers and purchasing organisations.
These groups provide a platform for diverse businesses to showcase their products and services to potential buyers, facilitating connections between suppliers and companies looking to expand their supplier base.
In addition to helping businesses be properly classified as diverse suppliers and enhancing overall market competitiveness, these associations are a valuable resource for both suppliers and buyers.
Procurement Magazine takes a look at the top 10 Supplier Diversity Associations.
10. Supply Nation (Australia)
Since 2009, Supply Nation has collaborated with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, along with procurement teams from government and corporate Australia, to shape today’s emerging and rapidly evolving Indigenous business sector.
Supply Nation’s world-leading five-step verification process provides assurance by ensuring that all businesses listed on Australia’s largest national directory of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, Indigenous Business Direct, are not only Indigenous-owned but are also regularly audited for changes in company structure and ownership.
Supply Nation partners with its paid membership, which includes government, corporate, and not-for-profit organisations, to develop procurement policies that redirect spending to include the traditionally underutilised Indigenous business sector.
9. National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC)
Focused on expanding economic opportunities for the LGBTQ+ community, the NGLCC is the exclusive third-party certifying body for LGBT business enterprises.
Over one-third of the Fortune 500 recognise its certification and partner with the NGLCC to create fully LGBTQ-inclusive supply chains.
LGBTQ business owners certified by the NGLCC generate over US$1.7 trillion in economic impact, create jobs, and innovate business solutions nationwide.
Additionally, as a leading public policy advocate, the NGLCC works to include Certified LGBTBE® businesses in procurement opportunities at the federal, state, and local levels. NGLCC Global is extending its reach across five continents, bridging economic opportunity and LGBTQI human rights worldwide.
8. WEConnect International
WEConnect International operates globally with a mission to empower women-owned businesses to succeed in international markets.
Active in 135 countries and counting, the organisation breaks down barriers that prevent women business owners from connecting with each other and new market opportunities.
It connects them to local and multinational member buyers.
Additionally, it assesses the readiness of businesses to access new markets and delivers certification for women’s business enterprises aiming to work with large buyers committed to global supplier diversity and inclusion.
7. Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK)
As one of the UK’s leading supplier diversity organisations, MSDUK is at the forefront of creating a more inclusive and diverse business ecosystem.
The organisation connects Ethnic Minority Businesses with global corporations that recognise the immense value of inclusive partnerships.
MSDUK is dedicated to fostering equal opportunities for all.
6. European Supplier Diversity Project (ESDP)
Launched in 2021, the European Supplier Diversity Project (ESDP) aims to create positive change in the global supply chain by empowering ethnic minority businesses across European markets.
The ESDP brings together industry leaders, sourcing and supply chain professionals, investors, innovators, start-ups, and high-growth ethnic minority businesses to break down barriers.
Its mission is to help ethnic minority businesses connect, share knowledge, and build lasting, meaningful relationships, enabling more businesses to benefit from participating in the supplier diversity and inclusion ecosystem.
5. Disability:IN
Disability:IN is the leading non-profit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. With a network of over 500 corporations, it expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises.
Disability:IN’s central office and 18 affiliates serve as the collective voice to drive change for people with disabilities in business.
The organisation’s vision is to create an inclusive global economy where people with disabilities participate fully and meaningfully.
Disability:IN collaborates to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities, inspire accessible innovation for all, and foster cultures of inclusion.
4. US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC)
USPAACC is the most established and largest non-profit organisation representing Pan Asian Americans and related groups in business, sciences, the arts, sports, education, public, and community services.
Its mission is to be the gateway to corporate and government contracts for Pan Asian American suppliers, and it provides valuable insights into the Asian American, Asia-Pacific, and Indian Subcontinent markets.
With over 30 years of business matchmaking success, USPAACC connects its constituents with Fortune 1000 corporations, government agencies, non-profits and small and minority businesses, continuously raising the bar of success.
3. National Veteran-Owned Business Association (NaVOBA)
NaVOBA is dedicated to creating opportunities for America’s veteran-owned businesses.
The organisation advocates for the inclusion of veteran-owned businesses in corporate and government supply chains, offers certification services and provides resources to help veteran entrepreneurs succeed.
NaVOBA’s efforts contribute to the economic empowerment of veterans and their families while promoting diversity in procurement practices across various sectors.
2. Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) is a leading national non-profit organisation dedicated to helping women-owned businesses thrive.
Founded in 1997 to develop a nationwide standard for women-owned business certification, WBENC has since grown to become the largest third-party certifier of businesses owned, controlled, and operated by women in the United States.
WBENC is also a leading advocate for women-owned businesses in corporate and government supply chains.
The organisation believes diversity promotes innovation, opens doors, and creates partnerships that fuel the economy.
WBENC provides a widely recognised certification standard for women-owned businesses and offers the tools to help them succeed.
The "Women Owned" initiative, a collaboration between WBENC and WEConnect International, supports female entrepreneurs by raising awareness of why, where, and how to buy from Women Owned businesses.
1. National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC)
Founded in 1972, the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) is the longest-operating business growth engine for the broadest group of systematically excluded communities of colour (including Asian-Indian, Asian-Pacific, Black, Hispanic, and Native American).
Its impact extends far beyond the supply chain, focusing on upward mobility and providing equal opportunities in the American free-market capitalism and entrepreneurship system.
NMSDC serves as a growth engine for its certified minority businesses, enabling its members to advance economic equity.
The organisation creates connections between minority business enterprises (MBEs) and corporations, the public sector, and other MBEs, fostering entrepreneurship and wealth growth within these communities.
For the past 50 years, NMSDC has advocated for access to the American dream for MBEs, with historic and unmatched success: over 17,000 MBEs connected to more than 1,700 corporations, resulting in US$482bn in economic output annually, sustaining 1.8 million jobs, and generating US$136bn in total wages.
NMSDC is the nation’s largest, most impactful, and most successful non-profit advocacy organisation for MBEs, proving that growth for MBEs is growth for all.
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