The short answer is no. Although many of the roles in the industry are overwhelmingly held by women and black, Asian and minority ethnics (BAME), there’s a disparity in that charity leadership is still largely dominated by older white men… 

Charities are often perceived as being more diverse and inclusive than the private and public sectors, but being a diverse organisation is about more than just an equal opportunity policy. It means benefitting from a wealth of different ages, ethnicity, ages, genders, sexual orientations and social backgrounds.  

So how are we evolving and what can we as charitable organisations do to continue to foster and promote inclusiveness and open recruitment? Let’s break it down. 

Gender 

In many ways, the charity sector is breaking the mould in terms of gender. We’re a female dominated industry, with nearly 75% of the roles in the sector held by women. And true, that’s a gender split not replicated in many other industries, but when it comes to senior management, those roles are still primarily held by men. 

Although there is plenty of female representation in non-profits, the major issue seems to lie in equal career progression. More women work flexible hours because of personal responsibilities like childcare, which can impact their career progression. But things are looking up. According to the 2018 ACEVO Pay and Equality Survey, there is an increase in the number of women CEOs in the charity sector, as well as some improvement in the gender pay gap. 

And it’s not stopping there. Earlier this year, MPs backed a new charter for women in business, which included organisations in the third sector. The charter officially launched in 2016 just for women in finance. But the Association of Account Technicians, a registered charity, is pushing to open it to wider businesses, setting internal targets for gender diversity in senior management positions.  

Ethnicity 

Did you know that the demographic breakdown of the charity sector is more diverse than the general UK population? But there’s still room for improvement. Leadership boards continue to be whitewashed, with only 3% of charity chief executives representing BAME backgrounds (ACEVO). And this number has been falling for at least ten years. 

But it’s not just CEOs. According to Third Sector’s Diversity Report, 10% of senior management teams and trustees are non-white. This lack of representation matters because we’re representing the society we’re here to support. How can we promote a positive message of change if we don’t share the same diverse experiences we’re seeing in everyday UK life? 

According to CharityJob’s Diversity & Discrimination Report, nearly 40% of survey takers came from a BAME background, and 56% of those respondents had experience discrimination based on their race/ethnicity. This figure was even more severe for black women. 

The Equality Act 2010 made it unlawful to discriminate against employees or job seekers on the basis of race, but often times discrimination is more inherent than we realise. That’s why we need to actively change the way we recruit and manage employees to ensure we’re promoting inclusivity. The ACAS race discrimination guide is a great place to start learning how to be more culturally aware and accepting of colleagues and employees. 

Age 

It’s not surprising to hear that most charities are run by seasoned veterans, but that means there’s a lack of young people in positions of power. Many charities are stuck in their ways, afraid of embracing new ideas and new technologies. That’s why there’s been more of a push for younger perspectives on boards of trustees. Particularly, people from diverse backgrounds who may not have had the opportunity to step into a position of power. The more we embrace and encourage the younger generation, the more change they’ll influence across the sector. 

But the age discrimination doesn’t stop there. According to the CharityJob Diversity & Discrimination Report, 41% of candidates over the age of 40 had been discriminated against because they were considered ‘too old’. And recruiters weren’t even aware that this ageism was happening. When we asked them about diversity at their organisation, age was the last thing that came to mind.  

That’s where blind recruitment can help. In blind recruitment, you remove the candidate’s name, schooling and anything else that might identify them. This allows HR mangers to make objective decisions about the candidate’s skills and suitability for the role, stripping back any subconscious bias. 

So how is the industry changing? 

There’s been a lot of noise in the sector about the need to improve the workforce diversity. We have a moral imperative to improve equality, not just for the benefit of our organisations but to help drive the impact of our causes. That’s why several organisations have been working hard to make a clear change in the sector. 

The NPC, an charity that works with the wider sector the improve the impact they have on their causes, recently launched an initiative called Walking the Talk, in which they commissioned examples of organisations that have improved diversity, inclusion and equality in their workplace. By sharing examples of steps other charities took, they’re hoping to create a benchmark that other organisations can use to reshape their own hiring strategies. 

The fundraising community is also being scrutinised for their practices. Late last year, the Institute of Fundraising released their Manifesto for Change, calling for the fundraising sector to work together to make their profession more inclusive. This was the first step in their Change Collective initiative. 

There’s still a long way to go before we can claim total equality and inclusion, but by taking part in the many initiatives available, we’re taking positives steps in the right direction. 

Written by Stephanie Dotto, Content & SEO Lead at CharityJob