Gaining support for progressing EDI at your club
Gaining the commitment and support of those in leadership and decision-making positions.
Gaining support from people in key positions is vital to embedding Equality, diversity and inclusion in the core values of your Club and its day-to-day processes. This means getting the Club secretary and committee on board and where applicable senior managers, CEO and directors. Gaining commitment from decision-makers means you are more likely to get support from everyone throughout the Club to implement key actions in the Clwb PAWB Framework taking a whole Club approach.
If you don't yet have this commitment, then you may need to use some strategies for highlighting the benefits of implementing the Clwb PAWB Framework and developing an inclusive and representative Club. This is an important first step towards creating a culture and environment that will foster community cohesion and inclusion.
These can include:
- A meeting with key decision-makers to gain their commitment and support for the development and implementation of EDI initiatives, while taking overall ownership of the Club PAWB Action Plan, ensuring that it is monitored and progress reported to all members.
- Obtain agreement from key decision-makers to announce to all members, the Club's commitment to progressing EDI along with its full support for the Club's Equality Champion in implementing the Clwb PAWB Framework.
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Provide information about the benefits of an equal, inclusive and diverse Club.
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Hold a meeting inviting all Club members to inform them that the Club will be making an effort to ensure the Club is welcoming for everyone. Let your members know you are coming together to discuss barriers and challenges that might prevent inclusion and share ideas so that the Club can provide more opportunities to grow and be more reflective of the local community. You can even provide examples of other Club's initiatives and their impact.
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Involve all Club members in the development of the Action Plan and Club review to get their input and ideas on how the actions can be achieved, keeping members informed of progress and how they can be involved.
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Invite members to contribute to taking action. You could even start a sub-committee or working group.
involving others
By involving all of your members you may find there are people with ideas, experiences and connections that can help you achieve your actions. Getting input and ideas from others will help everyone feel included and part of the process, helping with buy-in and support. Ultimately it is the responsibility of everyone at the Club and with strong commitment from people in leadership, you will increase your chances of making progress.
