How Boards Can Help to Build Equitable Charities
Seeing the problem with fresh eyes.
It seems that the challenges of 2020 are set to continue with vigour in 2021, and the third sector is reeling from its impact. Within these most testing of times, we’ve also seen the light shone brightly on the serious lack of diversity in charities, with story after story revealing the truth of the scale of everyday and systemic racism in our society.
We’re starting to understand how this deeply affect communities of colour and their economic, health and social wellbeing. And now that we have woken up to the problems created by colour blindness, an approach which ignores race and therefore risks overlooking cases and causes of discrimination, we’re left facing the reality of unpicking where racism affects the work we do and making plans to be and do better.
There are many questions to be asked and to be responded to.
How can we ensure more Black or Asian people are in charity leadership?
How can our charity be more inclusive in who it supports?
Where is there bias inbuilt into our charity agenda and worldview?
How do we better understand the real needs of our different communities?
How do we create a culture of belonging in an entirely or almost all white workplace?
The truth about blocks to progress
Whether you’re asking the questions or not, many things block progress. Shifting priorities, lack of time, not enough money, ‘we can’t do everything!’, feeling at the mercy of funders and their agendas. These are usually accompanied by more fundamental blocks - the fear of getting it wrong, not knowing where to start, a lack of appreciation of the real issues, worrying that a white person can’t be leading on this, feeling powerless or overwhelmed by perceived scale of change, and the most difficult of all, denial.
Finding the way forward
My hope is that 2021 is the year where we see the emergence of the Inclusivity Informed Board. With Chairs in particular, playing a more active role in guiding and supporting their charities towards a more inclusive and representative future. This doesn’t necessary mean that Chairs have all the answers or are experts in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). Although self-awareness and knowledge about our different British communities feels like a strong starting point.
It’s about having the skills and mindset needed to navigate the way through uncomfortable conversations, recognising bias and seeing progress blockers and overcoming them. This is as much about you as it is the board and the charity. The inclusivity informed board works together with their charity to ensure they become the anti-racist and inclusive organisation they want to be, in a timely fashion.
Here are some of the skills of the inclusivity informed Chair that feel most important.
–Truth Teller
Skilled truth tellers work with honesty, diplomacy, impeccable timing and compassion. They don’t just blurt things out insensitively. Inclusivity informed Chairs tell it like it is, without blame or attack. They are truthful about slow progress and the barriers they see in the way, so that they can be discussed openly. They are confident to call out bias or poor behaviour when they see it, and lead by example in naming their own limitations.
–The Holder of Hope
Doing the work of anti-racism and inclusivity can feel challenging. Sometimes, the more we do, the more we see there is to do. It’s why a vision for where we are going is just as vital as a policy. Inclusivity informed Chairs keep us focused on the progress, reflecting on our learning, celebrating our wins, and connecting people to their impact and the importance that every person plays.
–Pioneering Pupil
We are all learning how to build truly inclusive organisations that serve an inclusive Britain. We’ll make mistakes, some things will work better than others. What boards gain through their trustees is everyday insight into how many other workplaces are succeeding and learning. Inclusivity informed Chairs help their charities to use this to build learning cultures.
–Curiosity
Assumptions and silence are the enemies of progress for more inclusive charities and curiosity is a powerful tool for change. Being unafraid to get curious about why things are the way they are, to challenge assumptions and beliefs about why things haven’t changed is the key to getting somewhere new. We must challenge ourselves about the blocks we have consciously or otherwise created, and inclusivity informed Chairs and their boards help us do this.
–Champion for Different Voices
Our board must adequately represent our community and charity in its diversity. The inclusivity informed Chair knows this and takes action to make this happen. They learn from how others have made this work, as a growing number are. They are also a champion for different voices within the charity itself. Not just about diversity in the team but in the communities we reach too. This is what accountability looks like in 2021
–Excellence in Listening
Being heard and seen is at the heart of belonging and inclusivity informed Chairs have excellent listening skills. This is vital because paying close attention to the experiences of the different people on the board, especially those who may not feel they naturally belong there, is what will help us to support them to stay there. This kind of coaching led facilitation is an essential skill if we want to nurture the best from a diverse board.
Find out how you can become an inclusivity informed Chair by joining our member webinar Helping Chairs talk about race, which will be led by Letesia Gibson.
