Every club has its own unique culture made up of traditions and history. As clubs consider diversity and inclusion, it’s key to include both club members and club staff.
From NCA’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee
In recent years, there’s been an emerging trend at clubs to create a more sustainable membership model and satisfy member demand for a more inclusive and diverse club environment. According to NCA’s 2023 D&I Committee Club Survey, 79% of respondents identify diversity among club staff and its staff leadership as clubs’ most important D&I opportunities.
For many clubs, the best place to start is at the staff level. Club staff engage members and help carry the club’s culture, and represent an area where club management has direct input. Additionally, as the club talent pool has waned in recent years, clubs have expanded searches for viable candidates at the same time more potential staff look to join inclusive workforces. In a recent CNBC and SurveyMonkey survey, 80% of respondents said they want to work for a company that values diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
What is D&I?
While often narrowly defined, diversity covers a remarkable number of demographic areas such as age, ethnicity, gender, education, income, marital and disability status, education, sexual orientation, as well as choice in music, friends, occupation and more.
Inclusion simply is the feeling of belonging—that members and staff always feel welcome regardless of any personal characteristics.
CARE
Consolidating information from NCA’s D&I Blueprint, NCA’s D&I Committee developed the CARE model for staffing (Clarify, Assess, Review and Engage) to help club leaders evaluate policies and procedures to create programs and guidelines to hire the best staff and offer opportunities for advancement.
This document clearly lays out steps to support a more diverse workforce to elevate the club. Going through each step will help your club identify valuable contributors to the workforce at all levels and positively affect the club’s culture and traditions.
