Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) considerations
Why it’s important to us
Quartet has a commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion and we are always trying to improve in this area. As well as trying to be inclusive in our own practices, we think we have a responsibility as a funder to try and encourage more inclusive practices in the organisations that we support and reach those communities which are often most hidden and/or excluded.
Being inclusive involves creating an environment where people of all backgrounds, abilities and identities feel valued, respected and included.
We understand that different charitable groups have different resources and capacities to engage with EDI. It may not always be possible or appropriate to adopt some practices, but these are some areas to consider:
Accessibility
- Physical accessibility, ensuring that people with physical and sensory impairments aren’t excluded by physical barriers. This could include providing wheelchair access, accessible toilets, clear pathways.
- Digital accessibility, such as using captioning and audio descriptions for online activities.
- Flexible participation options, offering multiple ways to participate and ensuring that people who don’t have online access can get involved.
- Language – considering clear language, inclusive language, different languages and alternative formats where possible.
- Publicising your services, ensuring that phone numbers and websites are accessible; considering physical publicity as well as digital; and/or working with community groups and broader publications where people might see things visually rather than online.
Resources
Inclusive Employers have produced this guide Guide-to-Inclusive-Workspaces.pdf
Fairer Consulting, a DEI training and consultancy agency, has a free toolkit with key terms, videos, guides, training and tools DEI Starter Toolkit | FAIRER Consulting
Governance and planning
- Reflecting the community you serve in your board, staff team and volunteers and including people with a range of experiences, perspectives and backgrounds.
- Planning and designing your services and your decision making to include a range of voices.
Resources
There is some helpful information on the NCVO website about EDI at board level Explaining equality, diversity and inclusion | NCVO
BeOnBoard is the UK’s leading organisation for EDI leadership strategy and talent matching.
The Charity Governance Code has a section on EDI.
Staffing and recruitment
- Targeting underrepresented communities in advertising roles and using processes that reduce bias in recruitment.
- Implementing training for staff and volunteers in equity, diversity and inclusion practices.
- Setting up an internal working group across your organisation to consider EDI, make changes and implement action
Resources
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development has a guide Inclusive recruitment: Guide for employers | CIPD
Activity and services
- Spending time understanding the needs of the community you support and designing activities to reflect these.
- Ensuring services are accessible to people and removing barriers which may prevent people’s involvement. For example, ensuring physical accessibility, or providing materials in different formats.
- Ensuring services respect and include people’s diverse cultural practices.
Communications and language
- Ensuring that people are able to contact you easily and in a variety of ways.
- Providing information in an accessible way and ensuring that it avoids stereotypes and is sensitive to people’s needs and preferences.
Resources
Scope has a guide on disability inclusive language Inclusive language guide and examples for disability
Volunteer management
- Ensuring that volunteer roles accommodate different needs, and that volunteers are provided with adequate training to carry out their roles.
We encourage organisations to demonstrate that they are committed to ensuring that everyone who could benefit from their services can access them and participate fully. We hope that organisations will make changes based on feedback and review practices regularly. This is something we aim to do at Quartet, as we know there is always room for improvement.