This article shows part of the reason we need to volunteer more of
our time helping the community. Your one hour a month is valuable for
giving this time back to those who need us.


Charities Colour Blind Approach Disriminates Against Black Volunteers
31 May 2000

Noticeable by Their Absence, a new report published today by the
National Coalition for Black Volunteering, shows that black people
are under-represented as volunteers in charities. Covering 95
charities involving 263,000 volunteers the survey revealed:

1 in 2 charities did not monitor the ethnic make up of their
volunteers; even in areas of black population, 1 in 2 of agencies did
not monitor the ethnic make up of their volunteers

2 in 5 charities did not involve any black volunteers in their work

in charities using black volunteers, the percentage of black
volunteers to all volunteers was just 2%

more than 1 in 3 charities (43%) had no black trustees

The survey showed charities' lack of commitment to equal
opportunities practice. References to black stereotypes
on 'reliability' and staying with their 'own kind,' were revealed.
One respondent reported that their charity had to buy photographs of
black people for inclusion in their annual report to impress funders!
Last year Tony Blair launched a major Home Office funding programme
for Active Communities spending £17.5 millions on 130 charities.

Were government funded projects any better at monitoring black
opportunities? The Home Office was unable to give any figures on the
participation of black trustees, staff or volunteers involved in the
charities they funded. However the Millennium Commission not only
monitored its Award Scheme, but had allocated 13% of its award funds
to black and ethnic minority volunteers.

David Obaze, Director comments:
In the light of the Stephen Lawrence enquiry it is disappointing to
find that charities are not in the forefront of good equal
opportunities practice. Given that black people are
disproportionately affected by unemployment, it is shameful that
volunteering, which can bring so many benefits, is seemingly not on
offer to them. The Prime Minister talks of inclusion but black people
are excluded from the mainstream and there are precious little
resources for the black voluntary sector.

The National Coalition for Black Volunteering was set up in 1987. The
Coalition is a charity (reg, 1056991) and offers training on
involving black volunteers. The report Noticeable by Their Absence is
available free, please send an SAE to:

NCBV, 35/37 William Road,
London NW1 3ER
Tel : 020 7387 1681