Are you a Disability Confident Employer?

Over 7.7 million people of working age in the UK are disabled or have a health condition.

Many of them are more than able to work, but the disability employment gap (which measures the difference between the employment rate of disabled people, compared to that of non-disabled people) is sitting at 29%, meaning that more than two million qualified candidates are missing out on job opportunities, and employers are missing out on top talent.

Industry leaders

The good news is research shows that charities have consistently been ahead of the pack when it comes to recruiting disabled workers. The number of disabled people employed in the charity sector has risen from 14.1% to 20.6% in the last decade. Compared to a 15.4% average across other sectors in the UK.

The stats are encouraging but there’s room for improvement …

Want to improve the stats andwiden your candidate pool? You can start by becoming a disability confident employer.

The Disability Confident Scheme

The Disability Confident scheme is a free, voluntary government initiative designed to support organisations in employing and retaining disabled people.

Developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives, it was introduced to increase understanding of and challenge attitudes towards disability and remove barriers to ensure disabled people are able to reach their full potential in the workplace.

The scheme has three levels of accreditation. All employers start at Level 1 and progress through the others at their own pace.

Level 1: Disability Confident Committed

Level 2: Disability Confident Employer

Level 3: Disability Confident Leader

The benefits of becoming Disability Confident

Encouraging applications can help you to:

• Increase the number of high-quality applicants applying for roles

• Create a workforce that reflects the diverse range of customers it serves and the community in which it is based

• Improve staff morale, commitment, and loyalty by demonstrating that you treat all employees fairly

Simply put, being Disability Confident could help you discover someone your business just can’t do without.

How to make your recruitment process more accessible

If you want to find out more about the scheme and sign up, you can do so here. In the meantime, here are a few things you can do to make your recruitment process more accessible.

Ensure your hiring staff have disability awareness training

Unconscious bias can come into play when assessing or interviewing applicants with disabilities. By providing appropriate training, you’ll reduce the likelihood of discrimination.

Training can also avoid staff unintentionally offending disabled applicants by using inappropriate language and/or etiquette.

It goes without saying, if you’re using a recruiter, it’s important they understand the disability employment market.

Make it clear you want a diverse workforce

Disabled people might be put off applying for jobs over concerns that their accessibility needs won’t be met during the interview process, so make it clear in your job adverts that you’ll make adjustments where needed.

Make your job adverts accessible

It’s important that people with disabilities can read your job ads, so make sure they’re posted on websites that are compatible with screen readers. If you don’t, your ads will be inaccessible to some applicants, (such as those with sight impairments). You should also make the information available in different formats such as audio format, braille, and large print.

Make the interview accessible

Ahead of the interview process, ask applicants if they have any access requirements and make adjustments as necessary. And if the interview involves a test, be clear about what is involved and ensure candidates have access to any adjustments they might need (e.g., dyslexic candidates may need extra time, sight impaired candidates may need assistive technology). This will ensure no-one is unfairly disadvantaged.

Here are some things to consider:

Create an accessible environment

Is your building accessible? Do you have an access ramp? Are there any stairs people in wheelchairs or with vision impairment should be aware of? Is the physical space for the interview large enough to welcome a person in a wheelchair?

If there are barriers for wheelchair users, can you conduct the interview by video call instead?

Provide a quiet area for candidates to wait before the interview

A quiet waiting area can help people with disabilities feel more at ease. Candidates with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for example, can be sensitive to noise and their surroundings. A bustling waiting room could make them uncomfortable, which is not going to put them in the right mindset to ace an interview.

Offer the opportunity to break

For some people with disabilities, concentrating for long periods of time can be challenging. So let them know at the beginning of the interview that they can ask for a break whenever they need one.

Final Word

Recruiting disabled staff isn’t an act of charity - it’s what smart employers are doing to get ahead of the competition.

We have a diverse pool of candidates ready and willing to help your charity grow. Call us on 0203 750 3111 to discuss your requirements.

Fundraising complaints report 2021/22: Key takeaways

Gather ‘round folks. The Fundraising Regulator has published its annual complaints report.

Covering the period April 1, 2021, to March 31, 2022, there’s a lot to unpack, but we’ve gone through it with a fine tooth comb and extracted the relevant bits, so you don’t have to.

You’re welcome.

The key findings

In 2022, the Regulator received a total of 1080 complaints (19% more than 2021).

Of all the complaints, three concerns were expressed more than any other:

1.     Misleading information

Complaints about misleading information increased by 17% in 2021/2022.

The Regulator defines misleading information as ‘unclear claims about why donations are needed and how they will be spent. Or a failure to present information that allows the donor to make an informed decision’. 

The complaints related to concerns that charity fees or charges were misleadingly described as donations.

The learning: If you want to build trust with supporters, your communications with donors need to be clear and accurate.

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising provides some clarity in its ‘accuracy and clarity in fundraising’ document.

A few pointers:

• Don’t leave information out

• Don’t be inaccurate or ambiguous

• Don’t exaggerate details

• If you make direct or implied claims, make sure there’s evidence to back them up.

2.     Approaching vulnerable people for funds

These complaints relate to in-person fundraising, and focus on fundraising from ‘vulnerable people’.

The Regulator defines a vulnerable person as ‘someone that lacks the capacity to make the decision to donate, or is facing a vulnerable circumstance which means they may not be able to make an informed decision’.

The Regulator defines ‘vulnerable’ as:

• people with physical or mental health conditions, disabilities, or learning difficulties

• people facing a time of stress or anxiety (for example, following the death of a loved one)

• people under the influence of alcohol or drugs

The learning: Fundraisers need to be able to identify vulnerable people and know how to engage appropriately with them.

The Chartered Institute of Fundraising offers some guidance in its ‘Treating Donors Fairly’ document.

3.     Negative fundraiser behaviour  

The third finding relates to concerns about the behaviour of third-party fundraisers (i.e., volunteers/professional fundraisers).

Specifically, the concerns were around fundraisers ‘pressuring people to donate’ and ‘providing incorrect information’.

The learning: If you want to hold on to your donors (and keep your reputation intact), you need to ensure third-party fundraisers are properly vetted, trained, and supported so they can carry out ‘their role in a way that is legal, open, honest and respectful.’

Once again, the Chartered Institute of Fundraising has some handy guidance around this. Check it out here.

Need some help recruiting top fundraising talent? Give us a call on 020 3750 3111.

Can you help us open doors for guide dogs?

This is Ricky - Bamboo’s Junior Consultant. If you’re a regular reader of the Bamboo blog, you may be aware that, when he’s not screening CV’s and answering phones, he looks after Graham, (one of our Founding Directors).

Graham has a genetic eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare disease that makes cells in the retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of the eye) break down, leading to vision loss.

Graham relies on Ricky (one of 4,800 working guide dogs in the UK) to help him travel around safely and independently. And yet he and many other guide dog owners are refused entry to public places, such as cafés, shops, pubs, and taxis with their furry companions.

The law

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits service providers from discriminating against those who need an assistance dog. It also requires them to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers.

And yet research by Guide Dogs for the Blind Association found that 81% of guide dog owners have been refused entry to a business or service with their guide dog. And 73% have been refused entry to a taxi.

The statistics are shocking.

For people with a vision impairment, a guide dog can be life-changing. Refusals are standing in the way of owners having the chance to flourish in their social and professional lives.

Open Doors

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has launched a campaign called ‘Open Doors’ to help end illegal access refusals.

The aim is to educate the public and businesses on the law and grow understanding and awareness of how access refusals impact guide dog owners.

Of the campaign, Blanche Shackleton, Head of Policy, Public Affairs and Campaigns at Guide Dogs, said:

"Guide dog owners deserve to be able to live their lives the way they want and feel confident, independent, and supported in the world. The law is clear, and yet guide dog owners continue to experience access refusals, which are almost always illegal … Businesses and services need to do more to ensure they have open doors to guide dog owners.”

How can you help?

Guide Dogs has launched a petition calling for the strengthening of the Equality Act, so businesses are not able to refuse assistance dogs.

Add your signature here.

You can also show your support by displaying an ‘Open Doors’ sticker in your office, stating that your organisation welcomes assistance dogs.

You can request one from Guide Dogs by emailing campaigns@guidedogs.org.uk.

The Fundraising Regulator is updating the Code of Fundraising practice: Have your say!

Back in September, we published a blog post titled The Fundraising Regulator: Should your charity register?

A quick recap: The Fundraising Regulator is an independent body that regulates fundraising across the charitable sector in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. They set and maintain standards in the Code of Fundraising Practice to ensure that fundraising is carried out legally, honestly, and respectfully. They also investigate complaints about fundraising.

It’s not mandatory for charities to register, but it’s a good idea to do so, as it will add credibility to your brand and demonstrate your commitment to lawful fundraising.

Updating the code

Over the next two years, the Fundraising Regulator is reviewing and updating the Code of Fundraising Practice (a document that outlines the standards expected of charitable organisations across the UK.)

Why are they updating it?

A new version of the code was published in 2019, but COVID-19 changed the fundraising landscape and brought about a lot of changes that weren’t being addressed.

Gerald Oppenheim, CEO of the Fundraising Regulator explained, “we're thinking about how we can reflect [digital] through in the different parts of the code to remind people that if you're fundraising digitally, as opposed to face-to-face, there’s still a need to ensure you're fundraising lawfully.”

Have your say!

To kick off the review, the regulator wants charities, agencies, and other fundraising professionals to share their thoughts about how the code can be improved.

It’s asking respondents to consider the following questions:

• Which parts of the code do you think work well, and why?

• Are there any issues relating to charitable fundraising that the code does not adequately cover?

• Do any standards in the code need be updated, for example, to reflect advancements in technology, or new legislation?

• Do any parts of the code contain overly prescriptive or unnecessary standards?

• Are there any ways in which the code could be made shorter, clearer, or more accessible?

The regulator is particularly keen to hear from organisations that struggle to have their voices heard, such as smaller charities. 

They also want to consult with donors and members of the public, so they can consider the needs and experiences of individuals being asked to give, particularly those in vulnerable circumstances. 

What will the Fundraising Regulator do with the information? 

It will turn the feedback into a proposal for updating the code and conduct a 12-week public consultation on the potential changes in the autumn of 2023.

The revised code will be published on the Fundraising Regulator’s website in autumn 2024, along with a timetable for implementation. 

How to respond

Guidelines for responding can be found here. The closing date is Friday 25 November 2022 at 5pm.

Looking for trustworthy fundraisers to join your team? We can help. Give us a call on 0203 750 3111 to get the conversation started.

Word from the Top: The importance of proper job marketing

Talented fundraisers who can transform your charity’s prospects and outlook are a rare commodity, so why are we marketing roles to them as if they’re ten-a-penny?

Putting together an uninspiring word document that focuses on what you’re looking for and not why a fundraiser would want to take on the role, and creating an advert that does much the same, is never going to secure you the calibre of fundraiser your charity deserves.

At any one time, CharityJob advertises 3 – 6 times more jobs in fundraising than any other role specialism. There aren’t 3 - 6 times more fundraisers than any other profession …

I think this tells us all we need to know about how competitive it is out there.

We need to start acknowledging a reality: Great fundraisers don’t struggle to secure roles and people are fighting for their attention, we can either get into the fray, or we stand back and get the results that we get. The good news is most people are doing a terrible job of role marketing, so you don’t need to make too many improvements to stand out.

Good application packs are not a luxury

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve told charities that they need to improve their role collateral, only to be told that they don’t have time, or it’s not important, or it’s a ‘nice to have’.

Whilst I would always advise a fully designed application pack (our design team can help you with this if you don’t know where to start), even if you create something a little more visually interesting in PowerPoint and converted it to a PDF, or learn to use Canva (the free, online graphic design tool), your ads will immediately look better than the majority of your competitors.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, first impressions count, the idioms are numerous. It needs to look like you care about the role, otherwise why should the candidates you’re looking to attract?

Talk to fundraisers in the language of fundraising

Just because your work is interesting and impactful doesn’t mean you’re fundable. The building of a fundraising team is a huge culture clash for growing charities. It’s the first time their work is held up to a rigorous, external light, which can be uncomfortable.

The facts of the matter are that fundraising (and the rest of the organisation) need to work in tandem. You might need to change some things about the way you work to be attractive to donors and demonstrate your impact to their standards. Most fundraisers will have a horror story or two about walking into a charity and trying to work collaboratively to get them ‘fundraising ready’, only to be told to stay in their lane and fundraise for what they’re given.

Some leaders with limited experience of fundraising rationalise that a good fundraiser should be able to secure the funds and that they’re trying to change things instead of doing the hard work.

This is tantamount to an estate agent telling you that you’d get a better price if you put the fire in your house out, and you telling them to get better at selling houses.

Fundraisers will be looking for signs that you have the right information behind the scenes to ensure fundraising success.

You can demonstrate this by illustrating some of the following in your application pack:

·        Facts, figures, and metrics that demonstrate the need for your work.

·        Facts, figures, and metrics that demonstrate your charity’s impact.

·        A detailed breakdown of the income stream/s they’ll be working across - in terms of budget and portfolio size, as well as highlighting some of your more interesting products, events, partners, or initiatives.

·        Give them an understanding of the size and scale of your network.

·        An explanation of the future-plans of the income stream/s. What are they working towards? What exciting prospects are on the horizon?

You likely need fundraisers more than they need you, so spend some time telling them how exciting your programme is.

Bursting the bubble

I have to burst a pretty tenacious bubble here: Fundraisers don’t come with a ‘little black book’.  

Think about this demand for a moment. Your position is that there are people in the world who come ready made with a contact network that can fully fund your charity and that you can secure them for £40k - £50k. It doesn’t seem likely, does it? Donors are sophisticated beings and the idea that they would mindlessly follow a fundraiser around, rather than staying committed to the causes they’ve grown an affinity for, is borne of wishful thinking.

This doesn’t mean their previous experience with high-profile donors isn’t useful, but they’ll need to reach back out to those individuals and institutions through you and your contact network to have any credibility.

Fundraising is a collaborative process, which the whole organisation needs to get behind. It’s not an unpleasant task you can hire someone to sit in the corner to do while you ‘get on with the important work’.

Fundraisers will be looking for an acknowledgement of this reality, through you making efforts to sell your network, contacts, initiatives, and assets.

You need to sell the fundraiser on the tools they’ll have available to them.

Describe all the benefits available

Not telling candidates about all the benefits of working for you is like getting into a fight with your hands tied behind your back.

I’ve worked with charities who advertise benefits like their cycle to work scheme and access to a wellbeing assistance line, but don’t describe the 10% non-contributory pension, or the fact that there are annual cost-of-living increases.

You never know what might take a role from not being workable, to being ideal for any given candidate. Make your life a little easier and sell every advantage you have.

Conclusion

In my experience, the cynicism of thinking efforts in this area are unwarranted, or that you shouldn’t need to compete for fundraisers “if they really want to work for you” is fear dressed up as wisdom.

Many managers don’t know where to start (and so don’t), but version one is always better than version none.

Why don’t you try implementing a few of the pointers above and see how you get on? You don’t need to have it perfect immediately - you can work on it over time.

If you don’t have the team capacity to focus on this, or want to get to ‘perfect’ a little more quickly, get in touch on 0203 750 3111 or info@bamboofundraising.co.uk and our design team can chat with you about developing one of the best application packs in the sector.