Creating a vision for change
By: Charity Governance Code
Tags: Governance, Not For Profit, Charity, Diversity, Equality

Chaka Bachmann, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant to the Code Steering Group

Major social and political events over the past decade, and in particular over the last year, have shone a spotlight on questions of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI). Communities are looking to the charities that seek to serve them; they are searching for the places in which they are represented, and they are grappling with how their needs are understood and prioritised at every level, especially at board level.

Prioritising equality, diversity and inclusion and taking active steps to address power imbalances is crucial for organisations in the third sector, not only to stay relevant, but more so to be accountable to the communities they are in the service of.

The role of trustees

The board of trustees has an important role in driving EDI objectives forward and leading courageously by demonstrating commitment and actions to address current inequalities and barriers in their own organisations and governance approaches. When the board owns EDI and becomes part of the EDI management process, they set the tone for the rest of the organisation so everyone can embrace the cultural change with confidence. Part of good governance is to drive this much needed change forward and to hold themselves and the wider organisation accountable to execute good practice, even if it is not always easy.

Establishing goals and vision

In order to embody an inclusive and equitable approach to governance, the board needs to set goals, collect data and examine change over time. Developing and committing to an EDI vision is an important step in this often slow and intimidating process.

Creating an EDI vision serves a number of functions: imagining the full, inclusive potential of the board and organisation, providing a focused road map to progress the cultural change we want to achieve and creating a shared understanding and an organisation wide approach to EDI, as well as highlighting governance structures to enable the same.

Through an inclusive consultative process involving trustees, senior leadership, employees and in some cases service users or members, the organisational ambition for equality, diversity and inclusion for the next 10, 5 or 3 years is captured, alongside key objectives that build the foundation of a new EDI vision. This can then be translated into sets of practical actions. The new EDI Principle can support this process in providing insight into some areas that could be explored and contextualised in the vision. In this process, it can help to reflect on the following questions amongst others:

What EDI challenges, barriers or opportunities are we facing?

What aspects of equity, diversity and inclusion are most relevant to our work and what would great practice in those areas look like?

Who are we trying to serve and are they represented in our programmes, on our board and in our organisation?

While creating an EDI vision can feel overwhelming at first, it will make a lasting and significant impact at every level of your work and practice. This change will enhance the experience of internal and external stakeholders. Change can be hard, and more often than not, effective change is hard, but if we want to stand for the values we believe in, leading this essential and brave process is a non-negotiable step in that direction.

You can view the new EDI principle of the code through the code website.