It is becoming more well-known and relied upon in large, for-profit corporations, that diversity and inclusion is of significant benefit to productivity and bottom line. Diversity of skills, experiences, and knowledge only serve to provide a well-rounded team that can take an organisation ahead in leaps and bounds.

Although there is still a way to go in the corporate world in the area of inclusion, the not for profit sector is well behind. There is perception that having a woman or two on the board, or a person with dark skin volunteering ticks the ‘inclusivity’ box. More often than not, it is done for appearance’s sake, rather than being genuinely inclusive.

What does genuinely inclusive even mean?

Essentially, it refers to any individual, or group of individuals, who are regularly discriminated against. It’s not just gender or race, but also religious affiliation, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, disadvantage … the list goes on. Anyone that is stereotypically marginalised falls is covered in this description.

Being genuinely inclusive means you include; on the board, as an employee or volunteer, people because of their skills, experience or knowledge, irrespective of their gender, race, sexual orientation or other particularity.

For those who are marginalised or disadvantaged, it means taking a person on and mentoring or supporting them. This is even more beneficial, for both your organisation and the person, if they show initiative or signs of developing in a particular area. Be it administrative duties, financials and bookkeeping, or even amazing people skills, including a range of experiences and skills is what moves an organisation forward.

Repeatedly engaging the same people, with similar skills, similar experiences, and similar knowledge keeps an organisation relatively narrow-minded, and reduces the number of opportunities available to them.

Although it’s not necessarily a bad idea, as it provides a level of safety around the direction of your organisation, it can also be extremely restrictive. Bringing in others, particularly those with vastly different experiences, and especially those who perhaps have a personal insight into the circumstances of your beneficiaries can be daunting.

Not only do they potentially know more about your clients than you do, from first-hand experience, there is also the concern that you may inadvertently upset or offend. Similarly, you may worry that your other employees, board members, or volunteers may offend, or that the sizeable differences in experiences or values may cause friction and discomfit.

Managed well, and being truly inclusive, where everyone is employed seen and simply as part of the team, and not brought in as the ‘token diverse member’, will ensure these worries you have don’t become a reality.

So how does your organisation match up? Are you genuinely diverse? If not, what can you do to be more inclusive, and improve the profitability and success of your organisation?