Walking the talk on diversity

Our research briefing asks: what is holding the charity sector back from putting words into action?

NEW: See our latest work in the Walking the Talk series here. 

The moral case for greater diversity and inclusion in the charity sector is clear. Surely, it is part and parcel of a commitment to equality and social justice?

And there is now also good evidence of the business case for diversity. Diverse teams are more creative, smarter, healthier and less biased. Diversity brings innovation.

Yet time and again, research into diversity amongst trustees and senior managers in the charity sector shows little progress. NPC is no exception. As an organisation we are making efforts to improve our inclusivity, but know we have a long way to go before it is judged as satisfactory.

So why is the charity sector still struggling to make progress on diversity? What gets in the way of making it a priority? We interviewed 24 charity leaders and trustees and reviewed the organisational psychology literature to explore this question further. This research briefing presents our findings on:

  • What’s holding the charity sector back from improving its diversity
  • How we can increase diversity and inclusion in the charity sector

We’d love to hear your thoughts on this work. Get in touch via info@thinkNPC.org or Tweet us at @NPCthinks.


About the authors:

Professor Amina Memon has been working as a researcher with NPC for the last six months while on a career break from her full-time post as Professor of Psychology at Royal Holloway University. She has been focusing on diversity and inclusion in the voluntary sector from an organisational psychology perspective.

Grace Wyld is a Consultant in NPC’s research and consulting team.


An audio version of the report is available below.

Categories:

Report authors

Footer