Equity, diversity & inclusion
We’re nurturing a more diverse, inclusive and equitable NGO sector through our programmes and events.
The UK’s international development and humanitarian workforce faces significant challenges in staff diversity, inclusion and equity. Studies have highlighted the stark inequalities in gender, race, disability and sexuality in the sector’s workforce. Recent movements like Charity So White and Black Lives Matter have also shone a harsh light on how endemic racism is in international development.
At Bond, we’re working to transform the NGO sector, focusing on particular areas such as anti-racism and gender equity.
Dismantling racism
We’re challenging UK INGOs to look inwards and interrogate the institutional structures that we operate and live in, including the ways of managing, communicating and working that perpetuate systemic inequalities and racial discrimination.
We’re bringing the sector together to dismantle racism in international development and beyond:
- The Bond People of Colour in Development Group is a brave space for people of colour (POC) to share experiences and learning, both individually and from their organisations. The group also works to influence the sector to address racism and inequality.
- Our series of CEO sessions provide reflective and confidential spaces for NGO leaders to discuss and learn about anti-racism. Our first session was on getting comfortable talking about racism. More sessions will be announced on our events page.
- We’ve gathered information, resources, reading lists and facilitators to help NGOs start to become actively anti-racist.
- Other upcoming activities include a report on the challenges that POC in the sector face in progressing in their careers. Sign up to our newsletter to find out more.
Supporting women leaders
Women face many social and institutional barriers to progressing in their careers. In a sector that explicitly recognises women’s empowerment in its programming, only 30-35% of CEOs are women, despite 70% of overall NGO staff being women. Even fewer CEOs are women of colour.
We want to better champion women to become tomorrow’s NGO leaders. In February, we brought together over 50 people from NGOs, government and business to examine the barriers preventing women from becoming leaders. The event drew out interesting thinking and new ideas for organisations to nurture women throughout their careers.
Following this meeting, we created the WILD Action Research group, which is made up of determined senior women leaders in INGOs who committed to making their organisations more inclusive in 2018.
The group of Bond members shares learning and offers support based on an evidence-based, action research approach, guided by feminist principles. The network is supported and advised by Bond, Mayvin, the Fair Share of Women Leaders campaign and others dedicated to making a difference for women in the sector. Find out more about WILD, including blogs and presentations, on LinkedIn.
Driving diversity through apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are a unique opportunity for NGOs to recruit a new generation of entry-level talent and upskill existing staff.
We’ve teamed up with WhiteHat to improve how NGOs hire, train and retain talent. These apprenticeship programmes are a new way to train and support people from disadvantaged backgrounds and minority groups into careers in international development.
This partnership supports organisations of all sizes to effectively utilise apprenticeships as part of their staff attraction and retention strategies. Find out more.
Celebrating inclusion
We want to celebrate organisations that are actively seeking to redress power imbalances by employing and developing a diverse, inclusive workforce.
The Bond Diversity Award recognises organisations in the UK NGO sector that nurture diverse and inclusive workforces. Checkout this year’s winner and finalists. Sign up to our newsletter to hear about applications for the Bond International Development Awards 2021.
Committing to inclusive recruitment
We believe fairness and equity in recruitment are central to achieving a diverse and inclusive workforce. Being transparent about salaries is an essential first step. We have signed up and are committed to #ShowTheSalary for all Bond vacancies and have extended this further to include jobs posted on the Bond jobs board. This means that all jobs on our website must show either the exact salary or salary range of the vacancy. Read more in our blog. We will continue to look at how we can further contribute to inclusive recruitment practices.
Resources and facilitators on anti-racism
Checkout our list of resources, reading lists and facilitators to help NGOs start to become actively anti-racist.
