Equity, Diversity and Inclusion benchmarking
As part of our commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, we have decided to monitor and share characteristics that describe the composition of our trustees and staff. We began this work in May 2023 by undertaking a survey of our team and have committed to repeating this annually.
While we want our trustees and staff to reflect the county we live in and the communities we support, we don't aim to match benchmarks number for number. Instead, we use benchmarks as a guide to identify areas and practices that need attention to ensure inclusivity.
We believe that individuals should not have to disclose information regarding their own lived or learned experiences to satisfy our desire to increase our organisational diversity. In any analysis or data collection relating to our organisational diversity, we will always offer an option to not take part or respond with ‘prefer not to say’. This commitment to respect individual choice is evident not only in our data practices but also in the way we present our biographies for our team and board, and in the stories we share through our case studies.
In instances where our data collection requires an "other" category, we've made sure to include an open-answer box. This allows respondents the freedom to provide additional details if they choose to, ensuring that everyone's voice is heard and valued.
Data Collection, Benchmarking and Progress
WCF Data - Starting in May 2023 we sent out an opt-in survey to all staff and trustees to complete. We explained why and what we would be using it for (you can find more information below). We agreed that this survey would be conducted annually to allow us to track and report changes.
We have also included information on gender and age dated April 2020 which was the start of our strategy period so we could track and review progress over our 5 year strategic plan. You will find more information below about how EDI progress is integrated within this plan.
UKCF Data - The UKCF data for our benchmarking comes from the UK Community Foundations EDI Survey and the UK Community Foundations Member Census. This data collection process is sent to every foundation that is a member of the UK Community Foundations network (https://www.ukcommunityfoundations.org/our-network).
The EDI survey was sent to every individual (staff and trustee) in April 2021 from every foundation in the network and was an opt in process therefore was not completed by every individual in the network.
The Member Census is a compulsory annual survey which provides a detailed picture of the entire network. Responses are completed by each foundation as a whole.
We will regularly request updated figures from UKCF to keep our benchmarking work as up to date as possible.
We made the decision to match our own survey questions with the questions that UKCF used during their member survey. This meant that we could review and benchmark with our sector peers enabling us to continue to have a broad picture.
National and County Data – We use national census data to calculate national and Wiltshire & Swindon data. We have outlined below the resources used.
Calculating County (W&S) required identification of figures as well as % to calculate appropriate % (N.B. not a straight average of Wiltshire and Swindon) as individual figures W&S are percentages of the relevant populations
Census 2021 population Wiltshire = 510,333 Swindon = 233,407
Nomis 2021 Census Profile for areas in England and Wales (Area Profiles):
Wiltshire: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2021/report?compare=E06000054
Swindon - https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sou...
England - https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sou...
We firmly believe in the value of benchmarks as a tool for actively reviewing our organisation. They act as a tool for ensuring that both our trustees and staff reflect the diversity of the communities we serve and belong to. Whilst we may not always perfectly align with benchmarks, we are committed to acknowledging any significant deviations and taking proactive steps to review our actions for continual progress. Benchmarks play a crucial role in allowing us to track changes in the demographics, providing valuable insights into our evolving community landscape.
Our primary benchmark for measuring our progress is the data from our own county. For context, we have also provided national figures as well as those on the composition of UKCF, the membership organisation for community foundations in the UK, and the 47 community foundations who have shared their data.
We are working on developing the way in which we record and track progress. Each step we take regardless of its scale, holds significance in contributing to positive change. Recording actions and progress serves as evidence of our commitment and accountability while establishing a transparent record of our efforts. This instils trust in our team and stakeholders while allowing us to regularly reflect and evaluate, spotting opportunities.
It also importantly allows us to celebrate success big and small, and each achievement is a step in the right direction. It’s a reminder that change is a process made up of numerous steps, it enables our team to feel motivated and positive. It also allows us to identify patterns and therefore further areas for improvement and support in future informed decision making.
Benchmarking Data
May 2024 data will be updated in July 2024
* Where dash = no data available.
* A PDF copy is available here for those who require screen reading
* Where UKCF Network Wide this refers to individuals working for foundations that are part of the UKCF network and are staff members or board members, that chose to take part in the UKCF Survey
* Where UKCF Network Staff or UKCF Network Board this refers to all foundations that are part of the UKCF network and that chose to take part in either the UKCF Survey or Census.
* Where we use WCF Team this refers to the staff and board collectively.
As part of our commitment to transparency and accountability, we share specific education statistics for our line managers. This approach promotes accountability and trust among employees. By highlighting the educational backgrounds of our leadership team, we celebrate the breadth of thought, experience, and knowledge within our organisation. We believe it is imperative to ensure fair opportunities for individuals from diverse educational backgrounds, so tracking this data can highlight when we may need to broaden our recruitment practices if, for example, we notice a concentration of managers with similar profiles. Our goal is to create an environment where every individual feels valued and has equal opportunities for growth.