Groundwork UK calls on environmental charities to boost diversity in the green sector

In a previous blog post, we talked about the lack of diversity in the charity sector.

We said that, while efforts have been stepped up to address the diversity gap, there’s still work to be done.

We also said that diverse recruitment practices are key to increasing diversity in the third-sector workforce.

It seems that Groundwork UK is on the same wavelength.

At the beginning of November 2023, the environmental organisation launched Force of Nature: a campaign designed to encourage the environmental sector to do more to increase diversity in the green workforce.

The initiative (which is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund) urges environmental charities to sign the Force of Nature pledge.

In doing so, they’re committing to:

• create an action plan to make their organisations more inclusive.

• adopt recruitment practices that tackle the lack of diversity in the environmental sector.

• open up pathways for diverse talent by creating entry-level positions with prospects for career progression.

To help charities fulfill the pledge, Groundwork UK has collated a bank of resources and guidance to support improved recruitment practices.

Take-up

Within 24 hours of launching, more than 70 environmental organisations, including WWF, Wildlife and Countryside Link, and the Woodland Trust threw their support behind the campaign, pledging to take action to boost employment opportunities for under-represented groups.

Here are a few comments from signatories:

• Richard Benwell, chief executive of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said the charity would take a “wide range of action on these commitments” over the next year, including a big-picture action plan on diversity and inclusion, a focus on widening debiasing processes for recruitment and delivering anti-racism training for staff.

• Nagina Kayani, head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at WWF-UK, said the charity was committed to addressing the lack of diversity in the sector, saying: “WWF already anonymises applications, has sought to broaden advertising to reach a wider pool of candidates, and has carried out an inclusive recruitment pilot with an external organisation to improve our approach. We are looking at creating more entry-level opportunities via apprenticeships.”

• Beccy Speight, chief executive of the RSPB, said the charity recognised that it was not wholly reflective of the communities it serves. Of the campaign she said, “we are determined to address this and our work with this collaboration led by Groundwork has brought us together, taking joint steps forward and sharing best practice.”

The motivation

It’s no surprise environmental charities are eager to sign up.

The environmental sector lacks diversity.

In fact, the 2022 RACE Report* revealed that the environment sector is one of the least diverse in the UK, with just 7% of those working in the sector identifying as black, Asian, or minority ethnic, compared with a 14% national average across all people in employment.

It also highlighted a significant imbalance in leadership, with people of colour occupying just 5% of managerial roles. And it raised concerns around ‘meaningful career progression’ for underrepresented groups, considering people of colour have greater representation in non-permanent roles (10%) than permanent (7%).

But, it’s not all bad. One area in which the environmental charity sector exceeds expectations is the proportionally high number of people of colour (POC) who serve as trustees.

Data from 62 UK environmental organisations showed that POC represents 11% of those on governance and trustee boards, which surpasses the wider sector average of 8%.

This is notable as the visibility of people of colour in influential positions is an essential driver for the recruitment and retention of people from racially minoritised groups.

*The report is the first in a series of annual reports by Racial Action for the Climate Emergency that will serve as a benchmark for the sector’s progress on diversity.

Voice of the CEO

While the sector is excelling in some areas, the report shows that more progress needs to be made to build a workforce that is more representative of modern Britain.

This sentiment is echoed by Graham Duxbury, chief executive of Groundwork UK.

 “The diversity challenge for the environmental sector is well documented and being addressed through a range of complementary initiatives. Making sure our recruitment and development practices are inclusive and accessible is an important piece of the jigsaw.  As a movement in the midst of a climate and nature crisis, we need to be as effective as possible at engaging all sections of society in our work. We’ll only do this if our workforce better reflects and understands the diversity of the communities we’re working in and with.”

Final Word

Looking to build a diverse fundraising team? You’ve come to the right place. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 or email info@bamboofundraising.co.uk to get started.