2. What do we mean by diversity?
• No-one should feel that they cannot enjoy
what we have to offer or feel unwelcome or
uncomfortable because of their background
or personal characteristics
• Includes gender, belief, disability, age,
ethnicity, sexual orientation and socio-
economic status
3.
4. Why bother?
• Because of our 2020 strategy: ”everyone feels like a
member”; our supporters and potential supporters look
like the national population – not like our members
• Because it’s the right thing to do: our core purpose is
about for ever for everyone, for the benefit of the nation
• Because it will deliver long term benefit: a more diverse
visitor base = a more diverse supporter base = more
money, more talent, more volunteers, more advocates,
richer and more rounded understanding and decision
making in the organisation
• Because we know being relevant matters: and that means
evolving in step with the nation and being perceived as
doing so
5. Our story so far
• Whole is less than the sum of our parts –
effort not joined up and investment under
delivering
• Ambiguous commitment from the top
• Only really about ‘hard to reach’ audiences
and individual properties
• Lack of strategic approach. Generally small
scale, community project based work driven
by passionate individuals and grant funding
6.
7. The state of play :
“For ever, for Surbiton”
• With a few exceptions at properties, we do not reflect the diversity
of the communities we operate in except in gender terms
• General perception is we exist for white, middle class, older people
– and a MOSAIC profile of our current membership reflects this
• We do not have a diverse governance community
• Gender balance is good generally (apart from in governance)
• …but we have tackled some physical access issues for people with
disabilities due to equality legislation
• We do not know if we have significant issues relating to religion,
belief or sexual orientation – we do not gather this information.
But we suspect not
• Socio economic background and ethnicity are a challenge in all
aspects of our work
8. ……and how does that compare with
others?
• Compared ourselves with BBC, BT, EH, V&A,
Glasgow Museums
• We have performed relatively better in
community involvement than in other areas of
our activity……
• …but in general we trail the others – lack of a
strategic approach, an action plan and
monitoring in particular
9. What gives us confidence we can
tackle this now?
• Shift in gender balance at senior staff levels in last 10
years
• Rapid growth in family membership
• Some recent changes in Regional Advisory Board
membership
• The opportunities presented by GOACN
• The growth in internships/similar programmes
• The successful delivery of projects like London
Voices, Whose Story?
• The work of properties like the Back to Backs, Seaton
Delavel
10.
11. So what’s our direction of travel?
• We now have unequivocal commitment from trustees and
executive team
• See it as part of the day job – not something confined to
projects and initiatives
• Tie in with our overall audience development push of trying
to reach those who are close to us but not close enough.
Profile of our supporters and potential supporters is like
the UK population as a whole - not like our members – in
terms of age, socio-economics and ethnicity
• Tackle those areas which will help us make most progress
fastest
• Don’t do a big programme and don’t tackle everything
12. What would success look like?
• The Trust reflects more closely the make-up of
the communities in which we work, at our
individual places and across the nations as a
whole
• We make progress towards having a profile in
our work that reflects the MOSAIC profile of
the UK population
13.
14. What are we tackling first?
• Do existing things differently rather than
doing additional things
• Diversity Task and Finish group engaged
trustees/exec team
• Diversity Group to steer and monitor
implementation with Tina Lewis, People
Director, as sponsor
15. What are we tackling first?
• People
• Volunteering
• Governance
• Communications
• Visitor experience – Outdoors, NTCities
17. Objectives for work stream
As most of the organisation’s decisions are taken by staff
we want to:
Create greater diversity amongst our employees
Review our current ‘people MI’
Better understand the current characteristics of
our staff
Agree how we share and use this insight
Review our current people processes
Identify where we can remove barriers
Become a more diverse organisation
18. Proposed activities, timescales and
responsibilities
Proposed activity Timescal Who
e
Brief People Team on the diversity ambitions and include in Completed by TL
the People Plan Oct 2012
Review of current People MI Sept 2012 Catherine
Understand and ensure we capture the right information in MYplace /ongoing Brown
Agree how we promote MI about the characteristics of our staff
Review and redesign our recruitment processes to attract a Nov 2012 Louise
more diverse work force Heppinstall
Consider how we can better promote what we do on access
Adopt easier ways to apply for roles
Continue to deliver and learn from the Passport for the Ongoing Catherine
Future Brown/
Establish further learning sites in line with regional business plans – Claire
e.g. Yorkshire/North East Poulton
19. Proposed activities, timescales and
responsibilities
Proposed activity Timescale Who
Ensure current People policies support our diversity End of Q3 Martin
ambitions Nugent
Adopt relevant changes
Review our development programmes to ensure they End of Q3 Jane
support our diversity ambitions Blackburn
20. How will we know if we’re
succeeding?
Profile of our work force changes
Better reflects make up the supporter profile
Employer brand perceptions improve/change
Change in EVP insight/data
Organisation is perceived to be a diverse organisation
Diversity is not seen as something different/a project
22. Objectives for workstream
• To increase the diversity of our volunteers
• For all training for volunteer managers to include
working with different volunteer audiences
• To invest in recording systems to more accurately
record our current volunteers base (suspect we
currently underreport on diversity due to over
reliance on volunteer survey)
• To focus on growing diversity through family
volunteering and internships
23. Proposed activities, timescales and
responsibilities
• Bid to Nesta innvoation in giving programme for support with
family volunteering – in particular development of a digital
platform and promotion
• Work with 18 feet agency to refine offer for family
volunteering
• Engage all VCI consultants in family volunteering
• Continue growing twice yearly recruitment events for
internships
• Produce specific internship collateral
• Develop a specific strategy for diversifying the range of
applicants for internships
25. Objectives for workstream
• For governance volunteers’ to appreciate the
importance of diversity
• For all governance groups to commit to
broadening diversity and for this to happen
• For governance bodies to think about diversity
when making decisions and/or giving advice
and for this to make an observable difference
26. Proposed activities, timescales and
responsibilities
• Awareness raising discussions at Appointments Committee, Board and Council – done
• Appointments Committee Chairman to write to RABs and panels re importance of diversity –
RABs done, panels to follow
• Present Mosaic analysis to Appointments Committee and establish a ‘direction of travel’
(Autumn 2012)
• Present the importance of diversity at 2012 AGM and 2012/13 Annual Report
• Review our governance volunteer selection processes with People Team – to identify and
remove barriers and to find better ways of attracting broader range of candidates (January
2012)
• Develop database of potential governance volunteers from broader range of backgrounds
and encourage them to apply for vacancies (December 2012)
• NC (elections) to include diversity is a priority criterion for 2013 elections
• Encourage authors to include reference to diversity in papers coming to Board and Council
(now)
• Arrange guest speaker/trainer for Board of Trustees
• Arrange Board, Council updates during 2013 with data and follow up reports to RAB and
panel chairmen
27. How will we know if we’re
succeeding?
• Grief from some members and support from others – e.g. pictures used for Autumn
magazine
• Better recruitment processes resulting in greater diversity in applications
• Observable change in diversity of governance volunteer groups during 2014 (possibly earlier)
• Latter change reflected in progress along our direction of travel
• Diversity gets talked about at the Exec Team, Board, Council etc when diversity is not on the
agenda
• Momentum grows – criticism saying that we should be doing more
• Exec Team and Board decisions better reflect the needs and desires of different sections of
society
29. Communications
Objectives for communications
• The existing audience strategy will drive
diversity (aimed at Supporters and Potentials)
• Additional effort should focus on ensuring no
‘unwelcoming cues’ in first contact with NT
30. Communications
Proposed activities, timescales and
responsibilities
• Research into unwelcoming cues – to
understand ‘tone of voice’ and ‘older image’
issues
• Identify ‘first contact’ channels and hold
regular reviews (website should be starting
point as it reflects all aspects of the NT)
• Report through B and M channels
31. Communications
How will we know if we’re succeeding?
• Membership profile continues to evolve to
include Supporters and Potentials
• Staff and volunteers understand and embrace
diversity as the norm
32. Our asks of you
• How can you help ‘take down the ropes’ in
your part of the Trust? No-one should feel
that they cannot enjoy what we have to offer
or feel unwelcome or uncomfortable because
of their background or personal
characteristics
• How will you share this approach?
