Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy

The purpose of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy is to guide staff, volunteers and Trustees in all their work, including overseeing work carried out on our behalf by others such as consultants, partners and suppliers.

We recognise that this policy is a work in progress and as our understanding develops and we refine our approach, we will need to continue to ask ourselves hard questions and go further as we strive to represent good practice within the charity sector.

Context

We recognise our legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010, and we see these as a minimum standard which we would seek to exceed through being proactive at promoting equality and diversity and opposing prejudice and discrimination. Under this Act, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation are protected characteristics.

Employees, other workers and applicants for employment who have one or more of these characteristics are protected from all forms of unlawful discrimination in the workplace, including: direct and indirect discrimination; discrimination by association; discrimination by perception; discrimination arising from disability; harassment; and victimisation. The Act also places a duty on us, as an employer and provider of services, to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants and employees.

We are committed to promoting diversity and inclusion in all its forms including its importance and benefits, and doing so beyond the legal minimum. We value fairness and respect for difference, equality of opportunity and treatment across all areas. As an organisation, 360Giving wants  to role model an inclusive environment, where every employee feels able to bring their whole self to work and feels comfortable sharing information about who they are, if and when they want to.

Our beliefs about diversity

Here are our core beliefs about diversity: 

• We believe everyone has inherent dignity.
• Our services will be strengthened if our Board and staff team has a broad range of direct experience, and both lived and learned expertise to inform our decision-making.
• 360Giving is strongest and most effective when we are a diverse team of people of all viewpoints and persuasions in an integrated team.
• The ‘business case’ for having a diverse and inclusive organisation is well established. Diversity is linked to a better performing organisation through, for example:
  • Breadth of thought and experience
  • Being more creative and innovative and able to respond and change
  • Being more open and understanding of stakeholder needs
  • A better image and brand awareness
• Diversity and inclusion are critical to our effectiveness, authenticity and credibility. We must lead by example in these areas.

Policy

Overall our DEI aims are to:

1. Ensure an inclusive culture that values diversity in how we treat each other, those we work with and users of our services.
2. Ensure that our programmes, tools and resources are accessible, inclusive and meet the needs of a diverse range of stakeholders.
3. Increase awareness of DEI considerations in the use of grants data and support the practices of others to do so.
4. Ensure that DEI considerations are actively part of all our internal practices and decision making to maximise our impact.

We will ensure that the individual needs of our staff, volunteers, trustees and service users are recognised. We will be, and make sure that people can see we are, inclusive and welcoming to all kinds of people, and that everyone is treated with equality, dignity and respect in all aspects of our work. 

Unlawful discrimination, victimisation, harassment and bullying are serious breaches of this policy and disciplinary procedures will apply. Reasonable adjustments will be made to prevent people being disadvantaged.

It’s built into our values that we aim for continual improvement and learn from our mistakes. We might not always be able to please everyone, but we can certainly make the effort to avoid offending people. If we get things wrong, we’ll always listen carefully and show respect to people when they let us know, and we’ll do our best to sort it out. Grievance procedures are in place for staff and a complaints policy for others who interact with our organisation.

We know that there is more that we can do in this area and will continue to learn from good practice, pushing ourselves to improve.

Working at, and with, 360Giving

When working at (or with) 360Giving, colleagues can expect the following:

Recruitment and selection

• A wide range of people will be welcomed, enabled and encouraged to contribute and develop their knowledge and skills through working with us as a staff member, volunteer, consultant, partner or Trustee.
• We will always be cautious not to prefer candidates because they better resemble the current profile of the team and are therefore thought to be a ‘better fit’. We believe that diversity is a strength and we actively seek to represent the communities we work in and for. We will ensure we are aware of, and reach out to, underrepresented groups in our workforce, whether by protected characteristic or by other areas such as socio-economic background.
• We will work with partners who share our commitment to valuing diversity, equity and inclusion.

Development

• All staff, trustees and volunteers will be trained in diversity, equity and inclusion at a level appropriate to their role.
• We will encourage equitable opportunity for learning and development for all staff, as well as for volunteers and trustees.

Dignity, respect and value

• We will ensure that the individual needs of all our staff, volunteers and trustees are recognised, that we include and welcome all kinds of people, and that everyone is treated with dignity and respect and differences are valued.

Access to, involvement in, and delivery of services

• We will ensure that our services (tools, programmes, resources and support) are accessible and inclusive.
• We will seek to identify, reach and serve people from underrepresented groups.
• We will involve people in the delivery and development of our services and will make particular effort to include and hear the voices of the most marginalised groups.
• We will ensure that individual needs are recognised, that we include and welcome all kinds of people, and that everyone is always treated with dignity and respect.

Implementation

In addition to this policy, we have  an annual action plan to set aims and monitor and report progress to the Board. This is linked to operational and project plans to embed considerations into all our practices.

Appendix

Further information is available in our Neurodiversity and Inclusion Policy and approach.