From here to diversity

Malcolm John founded Action for Trustee Racial Diversity (ATRD) to promote practical steps charities can take to address the significant and longstanding under-representation of people from Black and Asian backgrounds on charity Trustee Boards across the UK. In January Malcolm will join SFCA’s Clerks Conference to share ARTD’s insights on recruitment of Black and Asian governors. Here he reflects on the findings of his campaign and the publication of the first guide that offers specific practical advice and guidance on increasing the racial diversity of charity Boards. 

Throughout the past year, the Covid pandemic and the messages and drive instilled by key events including theBlack Lives Matter movement and the    shocking murder of George Floyd in the USA have served to highlight thesignificant racial disparities in the UK and bring them to the forefront of the public agenda. Commentators on these globally important events have spoken of them as a moment in time,  a  catalyst for change.

Whilst we see that an increasing number are taking up the challenge of positive action and developing anti-racismstrategies, for many others, awareness and understanding of the gravity of this issue still seems to be sadly lacking. Research shows that 9.6% of trustees in major UK charities are from Black, Asian, and other minority backgrounds, and just 2.9% of trustees in the sector are women of colour, when around 14% of people in the UK as a whole are from racially diverse backgrounds.   

The Action for Trustee Racial Diversity (ATRD) campaign was launched in 2019, with the central aim of addressingsignificant under-representation of people from Black and Asian backgrounds on charity trustee boards, and its work will have resonance with the boards of sixth form colleges.

One of our first activities was to carry out a mapping survey to understand the barriers and challenges to building racial diversity on charity boards more fully.  Our findings painted a bleak picture. They showed that all too often other organisational priorities take precedence over diversity and that good practice is not being shared widely or known about. It was clear to us that there was an overwhelming need for more access to, and indeed knowledge of, Black and Asian networks. It was also clear from the survey that the barriers to entry were wide and include:

• the overwhelming perception of the charity sector by people from Black and Asian backgrounds as “not for me” 
• the eternal question of “Where are people like me?” at decision-making levels
• Organisations not making it clear that they would benefit hugely from more diverse trustees bringing the skills and experience that charities need
• A lack of knowledge of the benefits that being a trustee brings to individuals
• Prohibitive and exclusionary trustee recruitment criteria - for instance, many aspiring Black and Asian trustees might not have prior trusteeship or senior management experience.

Does this sound familiar? If so, you will be interested in From Here to Diversity – A Practical Guide to Recruiting Black and Asian Trustees.  It shares the considerable learning gained from this much-needed campaign. It provides practical advice, guidance and support to boards wishing to increase the racial diversity of their trustees. I very much hope that if this Guide is still in wide use in 2026 – five years from now – ATRD and its supporters will be able to paint a brighter and more optimistic picture of the charity sector. Data is only beginning to be collected now for colleges – what will it reveal? We hope that you will find the Guide useful, and that it helps to shape and inform your approach for future governor vacancies and achieve a visible impact on the face of boards across the sector.