Expanding the skillset and diversity of our board

Safe in Sussex provides practical and emotional support, information and advice to adults and young people experiencing domestic abuse. They came to Reach’s platform seeking two trustees - one to replace an existing board member, and another to help steer strategic decisions about the charity’s refuge accommodation. 

Leslie Groves, Chair of Trustees, says: “We had never previously recruited for this type of expertise, but we felt it was important as we sought to grow our existing property portfolio and improve our financial sustainability.” The charity also wanted to be proactive about finding candidates that were from the global majority. This had been hard to do through local networks or agencies - partly, as Leslie explains, “due to affinity bias” and the demographics of their area.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for Safe in Sussex to find a match. Although there were only two spots on the board to fill, the charity agreed to take on an extra member as they had “an excellent response rate with very strong candidates.” One new trustee was born outside of the UK, and the other two brought expertise from the private and public housing sectors.

“In recent years, we have recruited intentionally with diversity in mind - be it in skills or background -  to increase our creativity, effectiveness and impact,” says Leslie. “And the different backgrounds of the new trustees we recruited has certainly helped bring in new conversations and ways of thinking. It has also brought to the fore the issues facing different ethnic groups when it comes to domestic abuse.”