Fundraisers should represent the communities they work in and the donors they work with. We want an equal, diverse and inclusive profession where everyone is the right fit, and we’re working to break down the barriers that exist in our sector that create unequal workplaces.
The Change Collective campaign is all about professionals from across the fundraising sector working together to redefine its identity. Since forming in 2019, we’ve been working with Change Collective partners to shape their own organisations and shift the sector from the inside out. In 2018 we launched our Manifesto for Change to guide our work over the next 10 years.
The Change Collective is powered by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising with creative support from The Good Agency.
In July 2019 the Chartered Institute of Fundraising launched a new strategy setting out why change is needed – the business case for equality, diversity and inclusion – and the approach that needs to be taken by the Chartered Institute, its members and partners, to ensure that individuals from all backgrounds are not only recruited into the sector but retained and progressed too.
Considering evidence, the Chartered Institute and the Board of Trustees identified four key inequalities to be addressed in the strategy:
- Underrepresentation of black, Asian and minoritised ethnic (BAME) fundraisers
- Underrepresentation of disabled fundraisers
- LGBTI+ fundraisers are not always able to be open in the workplace
- Women form the majority of the profession but are not proportionately represented at a senior level.
The strategy takes forward the commitments set out in the Manifesto for Change, identifying 16 initial activities to deliver a more equal, diverse and inclusive profession. Key activities include;
- Commissioning research on the under-representation of BAME fundraisers in the profession, including on the barriers to entry and progression, and research on women in leadership roles.
- Developing an EDI Recruitment Toolkit to help organisations recruit more BAME, disabled and male fundraisers.
- Developing the Chartered Institute's approach to Affinity Network and role models for BAME, disabled and LGBTI+ fundraisers.
A new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been formed by the Chartered Institute of Fundraising and will be chaired by Trustee Carol Akiwumi. It will offer oversight from fundraisers with lived experience and policy experts to advise the Chartered Institute and evaluate and monitor progress on this agenda.