Charity insights: driving greater diversity, equity and inclusion

There’s growing demand for leaders at charitable organisations to set the tone in terms of DE&I behaviours and policies.

Lornette Pemberton at Refuge believes it’s vitally important that those in the most senior roles demonstrate their commitment to DE&I through the way they behave but also in the way the charity delivers its services. The goal, she says, is for everyone working for the organisation to feel they are respected and valued as an individual regardless of who they are.

She adds: “We've got to educate our colleagues, be willing to learn and do things differently and ensure inclusive language is used from the top of the organisation downwards.”

The value of inclusive communication has been particularly underlined by the challenges of hybrid working, which has prompted many organisations to adapt their messaging to engage staff operating from home as well as those at the office.

Lornette Pemberton from Refuge believes communication aimed at diverse audiences is really important: “We’re all different but we’re all aligned to a common purpose and the way we communicate should reinforce that.”

So long as what a charity says is mirrored by its actions, she says, diverse communication is one of the factors that helps to demonstrate a culture with respect for all and makes an organisation more attractive to a wider range of prospective employees.

Publicly setting and committing to DE&I objectives and targets can be a very effective driver of change and provides the vital benchmarks by which a charity, and its stakeholders, can monitor its progress.

Hold discussions internally with colleagues at every level to help shape those targets but remember it’s important, says Kai Adams, Managing Partner at global talent advisory firm Green Park, to be clear about the point of these goals, their end purpose.

One measure that Refuge, for example, employs is ensuring a level of diversity within its management team that’s representative of the rest of the charity’s workforce. “It’s an objective which helps to create a situation where all our people have an opportunity to move up within the organisation and achieve managerial positions.”

Barclays, among many other large businesses, has learned some valuable lessons through its efforts to promote DE&I over many years now – lessons that we are delighted to share with other organisations.

Inspire UK, Barclays’ social mobility employee resource group, for example, has become a conduit for colleague engagement on this topic and we've been able to tap into the thoughts and ideas of our people across the Barclays network for the benefit of many of our charity clients.

Inspire UK co-chair Ryan Makuku says: “It’s been an amazing journey of discovery that has allowed us to tailor our strategy for our colleagues – and with time we will be fleshing this out for our customers and clients too.”