Equity, diversity and inclusion statement

Our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in the charity/non-profit sector

What equity, diversity and inclusion means to us 

We believe equity, diversity and inclusion are crucial to effective governance.

We know that a rich variety of perspectives, experiences and opinions will make for more effective boards and more effective charities, better able to meet the needs of those they serve. Ultimately, having more diverse and inclusive boards will make the charity and non-profit sector more resilient, equitable and representative of the general public: that benefits everyone.

The challenge 

Our society is full of inequalities and discrimination based on many factors, not just the protected characteristics set out in law, but also other factors such as socioeconomic background, education and language. Many of us scarcely notice this, whilst others of us are only too aware of the damaging daily reality of a society and systems built around a norm we do not fit. We carry our experiences, assumptions and habits into our working and volunteering lives and into our organisations. So, unless we choose to challenge and proactively address these issues, it is all too easy to perpetuate inequality and discrimination. To exclude, not include.

The journey starts with us; how we, as individuals, enlarge our understanding of each other’s experiences and perspectives.  However it does not end there. 

Building an inclusive organisation requires conscious attention and effort, individually and collectively. And it’s complex. It involves intention, culture, systems, policies, processes, behaviours, strategy and resources. Most importantly, action is required.  

Creating an inclusive organisation takes effort, persistence and time. We are committed to delivering our aspiration and recognise that we will fail, as well as succeed. We commit to learn and to improve. We intend to share that learning, especially with charity trustees and chairs. We will encourage and help all chairs to progress on an equivalent journey. We welcome dialogue on our approach and progress.  

Our approach and priorities 

As an infrastructure body, we have a leadership responsibility. So we need to act and encourage others to do the same. We plan to work with our members and networks to influence them. And of course we want to learn from our members and networks when they are ahead of us on this agenda. We will be open and accountable as we progress. We will report publicly on what we are doing. We will discuss our internal work as well as the progress we are making in supporting chairs to champion change in their own organisations. We will be clear and honest about what didn’t work as well as reporting on the developments that did. We commit to move forward, to listen and to learn, to take action jointly and individually, to effect change. We are keen to be held accountable for delivering change. There is much to be done.

EDI as an integral part of our strategy

In July 2024 we launched a three-year strategy. Woven into this is the principle of EDI. In particular, we recognise the importance of collaborating with other organisations who share our ambition to strengthen boards by creating greater diversity and inclusion among chairs and trustees. We also want to work with those who are addressing the issues that deter underrepresented groups from becoming chairs and board leaders.

We state in our strategy that “if we want the boards of charities and the chairs of charities to be the very best that they can be, they need to be made up of all the talents that our society has to offer. To do this, understanding of and work on diversity and inclusion must run through all we do, like the pink sugar thread in a stick of rock.”

Our planned outcomes  

Internally 

• AoC’s board members and CEO take individual responsibility for learning about and championing inclusion work. 
• AoC’s board takes a leadership role in prioritising equity, diversity and inclusion, and looks to integrate it into all that AoC does. 
• AoC’s board is enriched by different perspectives, experiences, and skills, enabling it to be more effective.

Externally 

• The principles of equity, diversity and inclusion are embedded in all that AoC does, helping us to benefit all chairs and boards. 
• Chairs of charities are drawn from a broader cross-section of our society and  are acquiring the opportunities, encouragement and support they need to be effective in their role. 
• Chairs develop increasing awareness of and skills in leading inclusively, and lead by example. 
• Increasingly, differences are valued and obstacles to participation are removed.

Our planned actions for the year ahead (updated November 2024)

Internally 

• We are implementing the equality, diversity and inclusion principle of the Charity Governance Code.  
• A staff and trustee committee focuses on equity, diversity and inclusion within AoC and reports to the board. 
• We promote awareness and understanding of equity, diversity and inclusion among staff and trustees. 
• We identify barriers to participation and work out how best to remove them.  
• We will ensure accessibility best practices are embedded across our new brand, member portal and website.
• We will revise and agree our wording on equity, diversity and inclusion to include in our new branding and tone of voice guidelines.

Externally 

We will focus on three issues:

1. Broad-based work with members and the chairing community to enhance understanding of the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion. This will include assistance and guidance. We will encourage and support chairs to build more inclusive boards – bringing in trustees with varied lived experiences, ensuring they feel welcome and valued and have equal power in decision-making. We will offer resources and events on different aspects of EDI. Ideally all our members will be thinking about real inclusion and have resources to help them do this and to take the necessary action.

2. We will develop dialogue with chairs with lived experience of different backgrounds and communities, to share their experiences and priorities. We will ask them to help us with an agenda for change. We will work with our members and the wider sector to share the learning from our survey and guide to EDI for boards (published November 2024), using these to promote good practice and practical action.  
3. We will work closely with partners, including Board Racial Diversity UK and the Young Trustees Movement, to encourage a wider diversity of people into chairing. This includes promoting initiatives to increase diversity such as co-chairing and board shadowing. We understand that often different aspects of diversity overlap within someone’s lived experience and that a holistic, individual approach is required. We offer support when appropriate, such as bursary memberships for Board Racial Diversity UK’s Black and Asian Future Chairs’ Academy.

We will share updates on our progress and learning, including in our annual report.

* We use the term equity rather than equality. Equity recognises that each person has different circumstances and may need different resources and opportunities to reach an equal outcome.  We believe that equity is important to achieving just outcomes.