Airbnb joined the Los Angeles NAACP this week to announce a national program to target outreach to communities of color to help more people use their homes to earn extra income.
“We’re incredibly excited to launch this partnership in Los Angeles as one of the first local programs in the nation,” said Janaye Ingram, Airbnb’s director of National Partnerships. “The NAACP is unrivaled in its network of grassroots, local advocates. The organization’s tireless work to expand economic opportunities and inclusion for minority communities will be a crucial element of this partnership and we look forward to collaborating with their talented team here in Los Angeles and across the country.”
In addition to targeted outreach, the partnership also includes a unique revenue sharing model:
Airbnb will share 20 percent of its earnings from this partnership with the NAACP. The NAACP and Airbnb will also collaborate on a series of projects to support Airbnb’s ongoing efforts to increase workforce diversity, as well as support Airbnb’s supplier diversity goals.
“This partnership here in Los Angeles will be enormously impactful to underrepresented communities and ensure that guests coming to the city get the chance to see some of the most historic and undiscovered neighborhoods in the region,” said Ron Hasson, president of the Beverly Hills-Hollywood NAACP. “We are looking forward to working together with Airbnb on the ground here in Los Angeles.”
The Airbnb-NAACP partnership includes a series of commitments such as Community Outreach & Education. Local NAACP chapters will work with Airbnb to launch a grassroots, community-based campaign to educate more people on the economic benefits of hosting and bringing more travelers to communities of color. The campaigns will include a series of in-person community meetings, online and offline outreach efforts, and educational campaigns on issues regarding fair and affordable housing.
As well, Airbnb plans to share 20 percent of the earnings it receives as a result of these new community outreach efforts with the NAACP. They also want to encourage diversity by increasing the percentage of its employees from underrepresented populations in the U.S. to 11 percent by the end of 2019, but continues to work toward greater workforce diversity. The NAACP will provide support and guidance as Airbnb work toward this goal.
