Equity, diversity and inclusion
Whoever we are and wherever we’re from, we stand together as one crew.
Over 200 years ago, RNLI founder Sir William Hillary called for volunteers to rescue ‘every stranger’ – anybody in peril.
In the same way that the RNLI saves lives at sea without prejudice, we aspire to be a charity where all our people are truly valued for who they are.
In our crew, everyone should be able to be themselves and reach their full potential.
Embracing the diversity of RNLI people and the communities we work in helps us deliver innovative solutions that save more lives and prevent drowning. We understand that it takes a wide range of diverse minds, abilities, cultures and experiences to engage effectively with communities – and this is what we’re building within the RNLI.
As we look to our future, building an inclusive organisation is more critical than ever. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our strategy – Goal 1 of our 2040 Plan is: ‘To continue to be an independent, volunteering charity and world-renowned rescue service’. Sustaining a safer, more effective and inclusive one crew will help us to achieve this.
Our organisational inclusion statement
Inclusion is vital to the RNLI and our purpose: to save lives at sea. Our RNLI 2040 Strategy is focused on on continuing to fulfilling this lifesaving purpose in a changing world. We need to deliver a safe and effective lifeboat, lifeguard and water safety service while evolving to secure the RNLI of the future.
To achieve this we must continue to remove barriers that prevent people joining and engaging with the charity. This will allow us to share safety messages more widely and create a diverse volunteer and staff community to carry out our lifesaving work. The richness of their range of expertise and experience will ensure we are ready for anything.
So, we are improving our approach to inclusion, and our commitment to it will be unwavering – because it is the right thing to do for the RNLI, our people, and the communities we serve. It will enable us to continue to save lives for generations to come.
How we’re working to better serve our people
Everyone is welcome at the RNLI. We believe that our volunteers and staff should be empowered to thrive in their roles and give back to their communities without experiencing exclusion, disadvantage or discrimination.
These are some of the ways we’re working to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion at the RNLI:- Our pledge: Our one crew pledge (PDF 1.6MB) underpins how we work together with our communities. This statement outlines the spirit in which the RNLI, our volunteers and staff will act to achieve our lifesaving goals.
- Volunteer Commitment: At the heart of our volunteer ethos is the Volunteer Commitment, which is a statement of the hopes and expectations between the RNLI and volunteers.
- Our EDI plan: Our EDI plan contains seven areas of focus, which will allow us to embed inclusion across all that we do.
- Training: We have rolled out EDI training to all our staff and volunteers. This training gives everyone the same understanding and awareness of inclusion and why it is important to us as an organisation. We will continue to develop and expand on the training we offer.
- People networks: People networks are groups from across the RNLI who are committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. We have six active people networks: the Disability Network, the Race Equality Network, the Harbour Network (LGBT+ network - lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender), the Young People's Network, the Women's Community, and the Men's Support Network. They help us to identify what we already do well and influence our charity to act when change is needed. Staff and volunteers can find out more and connect with the networks through our internal channels.
- Inclusion governance: We have several groups which support the delivery of our EDI plans and ensure we are working to best practice. This structure includes representation from volunteers, staff, trustees and members of our Executive Team, and inclusion professionals from other organisations.
- Inclusion champions: We have a group of inclusion champions across the RNLI: people who are passionate about inclusion, can help support engagement with our EDI plan and act as a point of contact for questions relating to inclusion.
- Flexible working: Our flexible working and volunteering options help everyone to fulfil their role at the RNLI, wherever they’re based and whatever responsibilities they need to work around.
- Gender pay gap reporting: You can view our Gender Pay Gap reports from 2017 onwards on our website.
We are recognised as a Stonewall Diversity Champion and are also part of the UK Government’s Disability Confident Scheme.
 |
 |
How we’re working to better serve our communities
In a rapidly changing world, we must respond to the needs of our communities. We believe that everyone should have access to water safety education and advice.
Some of the ways we’re working to support our communities include:
- Swim Safe lessons for children: We want to make sure vital water safety education is accessible to children from low-income families. In partnership with Swim England, the RNLI offers free water safety sessions for children at a range of different locations, through Swim Safe.
- Partnerships for water safety: We are working together with local and community organisations, including the Black Swimming Association, and are looking to work with others, to help spread water safety messages to diverse communities.
- Multi-lingual safety resources: Language shouldn’t be a barrier to getting our safety messages out to the diverse communities across the UK and Ireland. We’ve translated safety resources into 19 different languages, to reach as many people as we can with our safety messages.
- Supporting Pride: The RNLI has a presence at Pride events in the UK and Ireland to show support for LGBT+ people in our communities, and to share our lifesaving advice with a wider audience.
- Working with inland communities: We want to ensure our education work reaches as many children as possible, including those who live within inland towns and cities, rather than coastal communities. Our team of water safety volunteers and staff work with schools and clubs throughout the UK and Ireland so that children can learn how to stay safe near open water, whether or not they live near the coast.
How do we measure our progress?
The RNLI measures progress against our outcomes in our Annual Reports and Accounts, which are published on our website.
Our policies
We respect people’s views, interests and uniqueness. We do not tolerate disrespectful behaviour towards each other, our supporters, or members of the public.
Our lifesaving work is underpinned by equality legislation and RNLI policy. We take pride in our values, and will continue working to make our charity a place that every RNLI volunteer, staff member and supporter can take pride in.