By Nii Cleland, CEO & co-founder at FLAIR.
Imagine your charity board meeting? How many people are white? Now imagine the disadvantaged and minoritised groups your organisation is set up to serve? How many are People of Colour?
The charity sector is set up for good, but institutional racism is as prevalent as in any other walk of life. According to The Pay and Equalities Survey, only 3% of charity chief executives were from a Black, Asian or ethnically marginalised background, compared with 14% of the population nationwide.
The reality is this: actions taken by organisations in good faith have not been enough to dismantle systems and cultures that breed racial bias. Racism is still pervasive across this third sector. It is still more difficult for people from marginalised groups to gain access to equal opportunities and be their best selves – in and outside of the world of work.
It’s time for a new approach
Without the tools and data in place to effectively drive decision-making and measure performance, organisations have struggled to create racially equitable cultures and, in turn, drive long-term change.
As a result, we continue to see racism in the charity sector. From reinforcing harmful narratives and stereotypes such as marginalised groups as victims in need of a white saviour to entrenching racial bias in ‘reductive’ training advice – charities have a strong influence on wider society.
A change of approach is therefore vital and this requires changing the conversation. We need to stop seeing racial equity as an emotional issue, but one that is tackled and reported on like every other strategic objective, backed by data and results. Not only will this enable organisations to effectively track and measure the impact of their initiatives to drive change, but it will also ensure accountability from leadership.
A case study for change: Nesta
Many charities are measuring racial diversity, but creating racially equitable cultures requires looking beyond just representation. It means understanding the lived experiences of employees and those your organisation is set up to support. Culture directly impacts the success of an organisation and the wellbeing of its workforce, so it’s crucial that organisations tackle both diversity and inclusion – and that they do it in a well-rounded, data-driven way.
Nesta’s vision was to build a culture where everyone in their organisation felt comfortable and was actively engaged in conversations around race, ethnicity and diversity. Across the organisation, Nesta was having lots of disparate conversations about racism and anti-racism. Through conversations and focus groups, they were able to gather a high volume of qualitative data. However, they were struggling to piece together this information to effectively understand how marginalised ethnic groups were experiencing Nesta and where they needed to improve.
As a first step, a simple and transparent reporting process needed to be put in place. Interventions are only as successful as the data underpinning them. In other words, we cannot make the right decisions if we do not understand the root cause of the problem or effectively measure the solutions put in place to solve them. As the only analytics company in the market focused on racial equity, Nesta chose to partner with FLAIR.
Using FLAIR’s specialist survey, Nesta was able to gather meaningful insights around key anti-racism metrics such as inclusion barriers, racial awareness, racist behaviours, and racial diversity, whilst providing a safe platform for all employees to share their experiences and understanding of racial bias anonymously.
Using this data-driven approach enabled the leadership team to understand the experiences across ethnic groups, departments and locations. Nesta could then pinpoint where racial inequity existed and prioritise what interventions were needed and how to apply them.
Working with FLAIR allowed Nesta to take the whole organisation on a journey towards racial equity, creating a safe space for employees of all ethnicities to talk about race in a way they’d never been able to before.
Key outcomes include:
- A clear understanding of the experiences of different ethnic groups across the organisation
- Data insights to guide decisions on what interventions to prioritise and where to apply them
- Strategic recommendations from FLAIR provided clear next steps to take targeted action
- Benchmark data to measure progress toward racial equity year-on-year
- Benchmark data against other charities progressing racial equity
- A clear way to demonstrate Nesta’s commitment to racial equity
- Increased confidence and engagement in conversations about race and ethnicity across the organisation
If you’re thinking of working with FLAIR I would highly recommend it. Don’t be nervous about the results. It’s really important to acknowledge a starting point before you are able to move forward on your journey to becoming an anti-racist organisation
Davina Majeethia, senior lead for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Nesta
Join the Racial Equity Inclusion Incubator
FLAIR is offering a limited number of spaces on its Inclusion Incubator to support organisations to measure and demonstrate their progress toward racial equity using FLAIR’s data analytics.
Why join?
- Demonstrate your commitment to progressing racial equity Pilot FLAIR’s analytics engine on attractive commercial terms
- Join a community of third-sector leaders who are leading the way for change
- Shape the future of DE&I within the Third Sector
Get in touch with Harry Price before 29 July to secure your spot: harry.price@flairimpact.com
