Data Submission Toolkit
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This page includes everything you need to support your annual data submission to DAA. You’ll find reference materials, guidance, and support resources to help you complete your submission accurately.
Relevant toolkit pages will also be linked directly within the survey, so you can access the right support materials when submitting your organization’s data.
Benchmark Data Categories and Definitions
EEO-1 Race and Ethnicity Categories & Definitions
*As of 2024, the EEOC made the following changes to the EEO-1 race and ethnicity categories and definitions:
Added Middle Eastern or North African (MENA) as a racial and ethnic category.
Eliminated the distinction between race and ethnicity.
Replaced the “two or more races” category with an option to select all categories that apply, including detailed sub-categories.
Updated the language for each category to be more accurate (e.g., removing “negro” and “Far East”)
The categories for data on race and ethnicity for DAA benchmarking are defined in the same way as the EEO-1 form for efficiency of reporting as follows:
American Indian or Alaska Native
Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of North, Central, and South America, including, for example, Navajo Nation, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana, Native Village of Barrow Inupiat Traditional Government, Nome Eskimo Community, Aztec, and Maya.
Asian
Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Central or East Asia, Southeast Asia, or South Asia, including, for example, Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and Japanese.
Black or African American
Individuals with origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, including, for example, African American, Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian, Ethiopian, and Somali.
Hispanic or Latino
Includes individuals of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Salvadoran, Cuban, Dominican, Guatemalan, and other Central or South American or Spanish culture or origin.
Middle Eastern or North African (MENA)
Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of the Middle East or North Africa, including, for example, Lebanese, Iranian, Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, and Israeli.
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands, including, for example, Native Hawaiian, Samoan, Chamorro, Tongan, Fijian, and Marshallese.
White
Individuals with origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, including, for example, English, German, Irish, Italian, Polish, and Scottish.
DAA Job Categories
Classification Guidance
Please report on the employee population covered by your survey response:
Communications agencies: report on all employees across the agency.
In-house communication functions, corporate departments, nonprofits, university communications offices, or other organizations: report only on employees in the communication function, department, or reporting unit covered by your response, unless the survey question specifically asks you to report organization-wide.
Classify employees based on their level within the agency, communication function, department, or reporting unit, using job title as a practical guide when needed. We recognize that titles vary across organizations, especially in large companies and agencies. Respondents are not expected to evaluate each individual’s exact responsibilities. Instead, use the category that best reflects the person’s general level in the hierarchy.
Each individual should be counted only once. Categories are hierarchical, so if someone could fit more than one category, count them in the highest appropriate category. The Top Communicator category should include only one person.
Top Communicator
The most senior person in the agency, communication function, department, company, nonprofit, university department, or other reporting unit. This may be the chief communications officer, executive vice president, agency president/CEO, executive director of a nonprofit, department chair, or equivalent leader. Only one person should be counted in this category.
Executive and senior-level professionals
Senior leaders below the Communication Leader who are at the highest levels of the agency, organization, department, communication function, or reporting unit. These roles typically set strategy, provide overall direction, and lead major functions, business units, practices, regions, or departments. Examples may include executive-level managers, senior vice presidents, managing directors, partners, senior directors, or similar senior leadership roles. Do not include the Communication Leader in this category.
Mid-level professionals and middle managers
Mid-level employees within the agency, communication function, department, or reporting unit. This category may include people with titles such as manager, senior manager, director, associate director, account manager, account supervisor, senior account supervisor specialist, senior specialist, consultant, or similar roles, depending on the organization. These individuals may manage people, projects, accounts, clients, programs, workstreams, or operational areas, but people management is not required.
Entry-level professionals and non-managers
Employees in the early stages of their career, typically with five years or fewer of experience. Examples may include account executives, assistant account executives, public relations coordinators, communication assistants, junior specialists, public relations assistants, and similar roles. Do not include administrative support roles here.
Administrative support professionals
Employees whose primary role is administrative, clerical, operational, or office support rather than professional communications work. Examples may include administrative assistants, executive assistants, office coordinators, data entry staff, scheduling support, bookkeeping or accounting clerks, document processors, and general office support roles.
DAA Organization Types
In the DAA reporting tool, signatories self-identify their organization type except for agency sizes determined by revenue. In the DAA Benchmark and progress reporting, the DAA does not change this self-selection in the final report.
Association/Non-profit: Trade, industry, or membership organizations for professionals, employees, or industries within public relations or communication. Non-profits operate for the public, social, or collective benefit; excess revenue stays with the organization rather than being distributed to private parties.
College/University Non-Academic: The public relations or communications office that represents an entire college or university; it’s typically considered a staff or administration function, led by a CCO or head/director/VP of communications.
College/University Academic: The public relations or communication academic department, school, or college within a college or university that services students and includes faculty and staff, usually led by a dean, director, or department head. We do not collect data for this category as of 2024.
Government Organizations: a department, commission, unit, or agency within the local, state, or federal government.
Professional Services: B2B or other organizations that provide specialized services (e.g., executive recruiting firm, consulting, media, and listening services) to other organizations.
Boutique Agency: Public relations or strategic communications firms or agencies that generate less than $9 million in annual revenue
Small Agency: Public relations or strategic communications firms or agencies that generate $9 to $19 million in annual revenue
Mid-Size Agency: Public relations or strategic communications firm or agencies that generate $20 million to $50 million in annual revenue
Large Agency: Public relations or strategic communications firms or agencies that generate more than $50 million in annual revenue
Other: Organizations that do not fit into any other category (Note: In the published report, some of the “other” organizations include those whose confidentiality was protected by not releasing their organization type due to the small sample size).
Guidelines For First Time Data Collection
If your organization already reports workforce data to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), your current reporting process should provide most of what you need for your DAA data submission. Please note that you will also need to account for the number of promotions that occurred during the calendar year.
If your organization is not required to file an EEO-1 report or does not currently collect this information, the guidance and internal data collection template below can help you gather the information needed before completing your DAA submission.
Data gathered to report to the DAA should be collected confidentially, not anonymously. This means that you will know who shared the information, but you keep their individual identifiers private.
You must account for the race/ethnicity of every employee in your organization, even if they opt out.
Steps for Collecting Data
Step 1
Create a form or use a survey program to collect the data.
An online program, such as SurveyMonkey or Google Forms, is best for easier aggregation and calculation.
The survey should take less than 5 minutes to complete.
The survey should include the following information at a minimum:
Name: This is to determine who has and who has not filled out the form. This will not be turned in with your data.
Email: To follow up with those who have not turned in their form.
Job title: This helps determine which job category (e.g., entry-level, mid-level) each of your employees is in.
Race/Ethnicity: Click here to get the categories and descriptions.
Job promotion: This question asks whether the employee was promoted in the previous calendar year. If you collect this information in a different way, you can eliminate this question.
Former job title prior to promotion: This helps determine whether the person moved up a bracket, such as from entry-level to mid-level, or was promoted within their current bracket.
Step 2
Collect employee responses.
Send the internal data collection form to each employee who was with your organization as of January 1 of the current year.
After the initial request, follow up with employees who have not completed the form to help ensure your organization has the information needed for its DAA submission.
Step 3
Account for non-responses.
Self-identification is the preferred method for collecting race/ethnicity data. For employees who do not complete the form or choose not to self-identify, organizations may use available post-employment records or observer identification, consistent with EEOC guidance, to classify employees for aggregate reporting. Direct inquiry after non-response is not encouraged.