Trustee diversity: who is applying and who is appointed?
This report by Reach Volunteering examines the age, gender and ethnicity of people applying for trustee roles, and being appointed, through Reach’s service between 2017 and 2020, analysed across three protected characteristics: age, ethnicity and gender. In total, 8,725 people made 15,398 applications, resulting in 3,169 trustee appointments.
Key Findings Trustee boards lack diversity, but our data suggests that this is not because of a lack of interest from under-represented groups. Applicants through Reach Volunteering’s service are encouragingly diverse, and open recruitment is improving board diversity. However, boards are not recruiting equitably: younger candidates and candidates of colour are less likely to be appointed than older and white candidates. Boards need to adopt more inclusive recruitment practices to close the gap.
See also related blog: https://reachvolunteering.org.uk/blog/board-diversity-candidates-are-there-problem-how-charities-recruit
