Grow Board Diversity | Action for Trustee Racial Diversity

Eastside People has partnered with Board Racial Diversity UK (BRD UK), the charity set up to increase racial diversity in not for profit boards.

Eastside People has partnered with BRD UK, to jointly tackle the issues around the longstanding and seemingly intractable under-representation of people from Black and Asian communities on trustee boards. With research showing that only 8% of trustees in UK charities are from Black and Asian backgrounds and under 3% are “women of colour” (fewer than 20,000 out of 700.000), the charity sector clearly has much to do.

As part of the partnership agreement, Eastside People have provided funding support to enable the development of targeted joint initiatives, such as Action Not Words, and will promote every trustee and Chair vacancy on its books to Board Connects (BRD UK’s peer support network for Black and Asian aspiring and current trustees) and Black and Asian Future Chairs’ Academy (BAFCA) members.

Action Not Words (ANW)

As part of an Action Not Words (ANW) mentoring programme, a team of volunteers from across Eastside People’s expert consultancy group are delivering 1:1 CV coaching, interview skills training and mentoring support to help candidates take on trustee roles.

The first cohort of 21 BRD UK mentees have now completed their 6-month ANW mentoring programme with Eastside People’s volunteers. The programme has had a positive impact for mentees and mentors with an average rating of 9.5 out of 10 recommending the programme to others. Four mentees have already successfully gained trustee roles.

‘I just wanted to let you all know that I’ve accepted my first board role…..and I’m excited for the experience ahead. Many thanks to Malcolm (John) for your amazing support and opportunity to engage with governance theoretically and practically via ATRD and now Board Racial Diversity UK…to the ANW programme, and to my mentor who was amazing in providing both encouragement as well as the concrete tools that have helped me reach this point.’

Mentors have also gained a great deal from the sessions they have shared with mentees.

‘It has been rewarding to see how mentoring can help support someone to grow more confident and find their voice on the board.’

Interested in being a part of Action Not Words?

Board Racial Diversity UK and Eastside People are launching the second ANW mentoring programme in July 2025.

If you would like to hear more about the impact of the initial programme, personal experiences from mentees and mentors and how you can get involved in the next cohort then please sign up to our webinar. Malcolm John, Founder of BRD UK, and Bernice Rook, Deputy CEO of Eastside People, will lead this webinar at 5pm, 10 July 2025.

Webinar: Mentoring for new or aspiring Black & Asian trustees

If you would like to hear more about signing up to the ANW programme as a mentee then please register as a Board Connect member.

Request to join

Increase racial diversity in charity boards

Action Not Words (ANW)

Interested in being a part of Action Not Words?

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