The Charity Clarity view: Charity sector lacks diversity

One of the reasons we’re really proud of our Charity Awards is that it is – by far – the most diverse such sector awards in the country. And this is something close to our hearts.

According to recruitment agency Green Park, only 8% of Board-level appointments in the Third Sector are from BAME communities and 33% were women. Around 40% of senior management and trustee positions in charities are women, but far less at the very top roles. The same trend applies to ethnic minorities. Foreign aid charities have the highest level of ethno-cultural diversity and animal charities have (by far!) the least.

And a lack of diversity amongst decision-makers means a lack of effective decision-making when assessing projects, grants or initiatives solely on merit. How do you judge two potential social impacts of two identical projects, both targeting different communities if you don’t understand how to measure the first-round and second-round impact effects on both?

And how do you know if you’re not just duplicating something, someone else is doing elsewhere?

A lack of diversity certainly delivers a lower Charity Clarity rating on our website. We award higher ratings to organisations that show a mix of experience and gender balance.