Get started with equity, diversity and inclusion

We wants to enable everyone to make a difference through volunteering and voluntary sector organisations. It affects everyone's lives with many people under-valued and treated differently because of who they are. This could be due to race, class, religion or belief, sex, gender, age, sexual orientation and disability or a combination of these.

Like many voluntary organisations, we continue to learn and challenge ourselves to embed equity, diversity and inclusion in our everyday practice and behaviours.

There is no one complete set of agreed definitions for terms like equity, diversity and inclusion. Your organisation may want to develop definitions relevant to your context and activities. 

Some commonly used definitions:

• Equality means ensuring every individual has equal opportunities. By being conscious of and actively challenging bias or prejudice we make sure no-one is treated less favourably because of who they are or what makes them different from other people.
• Equity means treating people in ways that make sure they are not unfairly prevented from accessing resources and opportunities nor that others have an unfair advantage.
• Diversity means having differences within an organisation or setting. Diversity recognises we are all different in many ways.
• Inclusion means being proactive to make sure people of different backgrounds, experiences and identities feel welcomed, respected and fully able to participate.

We all have overlapping identities including – but not limited to – disability, gender, race, religion or belief, sex, class and sexual orientation.

Taking an ‘intersectional’ approach to equity, diversity and inclusion requires us to understand that these multiple forms of discrimination are experienced simultaneously, in different ways by people of different backgrounds. 

Everyone deserves to be treated equally, fairly and with dignity. However, inequalities in society make this harder for some people. The systems and structures we have created privilege some and don't work for others. 

The voluntary sector reflects these inequalities and the wider barriers and exclusion in society.

Staff, volunteers and others involved in our work experience discrimination, prejudice and harassment because of who they are and the groups and communities they are associated with. People are prevented from accessing opportunities, resources and decision-making spaces equitably.

To achieve change, voluntary organisations need to recognise and understand how people are excluded and disadvantaged and change their existing ways of working and behaviours.

By removing barriers that exclude people, our organisations are more effective at changing our communities for the better. We all benefit from a more just, equitable and inclusive society.

The sector can be reluctant to acknowledge that there is inequality in it. It's also important to recognise inequality won't always be visible to people who do not experience it first hand.

It is necessary for everyone, especially those without direct experience of injustice, to listen, understand, and educate themselves on inequality in order to help change it.  

Everyone has a role to make sure organisations are inclusive spaces for all which reflect the diversity of our society.

Organisations and their leadership have a responsibility to take action on equity and improving inclusion. They need to be held to account on this. Senior leaders need to identify existing ways of working which exclude individuals and prevent them from participating fully. 

This is vital because those in leadership positions hold power in organisations. They can:

• model inclusive behaviours
• actively challenge discrimination and injustice
• make sure there are adequate resources to support effective action
• make sure there are safe and effective processes for addressing discrimination
• commit to building an equitable organisational culture.

Boards have a specific responsibility for the way the whole organisation works. They should set the direction and strategic commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.

Organisational actions and decision-making should be informed by and carried out in partnership with those facing discrimination and prejudice. It reduces the risk of organisations making inappropriate assumptions or taking ineffective steps.

Equally, measures should be put in place to make sure people who experience discrimination are not required to take on a disproportionate amount of practical and emotional labour. 

At NCVO, we've taken steps to consider the role voluntary organisations must play in addressing institutional racism. Find out more on this by looking at the Charity So White website for their work in this area and reading our blogs on equity, diversity and inclusion.