Case studies

MND Association is a national charity in England, Wales and Northern Ireland focused on MND care, research and campaigning. They support a wide range of people affected by motor neurones’s disease from a wide range of backgrounds. 

Volunteers play an important and key role in the MND Association. They support people with MND and ensure that families receive the support and services they need.

As an organisation that supports people with a disability, MND Association wanted to ensure that disabled volunteers were supported effectively. 

Diverse Matters were commissioned to write a practical guidance to support the recruiting managers to effectively recruit and support disabled volunteers. This has supported them to ensure that volunteers are supported appropriately throughout their volunteering experience within the charity.

Training was also provided to the Volunteering and HR team regarding Inclusive recruitment, Unconscious bias and Disability awareness to support the organisation ensure that the widest pool of volunteers and employees were recruited to support the diverse needs of people affected by motor neurone’s disease. In addition, training was also provided to wider functional teams/departments regarding Diversity and Inclusion and roles and responsibilities in embedding inclusion.

During 2020 we have continued to support the organisation with reviewing of inclusion policies and delivery of race inclusion/anti-racism training.  In 2021 we have supported with Inclusion Champion training and support. In 2023 we supported them with an in depth Diversity and Inclusion audit so they could implement a structured and actionable plan for continuing to embed Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Client feedback:  Developing manager guide

Tash is passionate about EDI, but she is also pragmatic. This blend allows her to find practical, business-friendly ways to help organisations realise the strategic benefits of diversity in a very harmonious manner, that the whole team can buy into.

An example of the practical way Tash helped us at MDNA, was by helping us create tools for volunteers and for managers to help the organisation attract, welcome, engage and retain disabled volunteers. These tools are widely regarded by our team as being extremely practical guides that help them anticipate and address needs in a jargon free manner.

Client feedback: Diversity and Inclusion audit

Diverse Matters provided us with an excellent and comprehensive EDI Audit which will provide an excellent foundation on which to further develop our work in this area. They were efficient, easy to work with and provided us with excellent insights that will really help us improve our practice.