Our commitment to equality, equity and inclusion.
Our software will only be ever be world class by building an inclusive and tested network. For everyone to benefit from technology and the opportunities it creates, we need a truly diverse technology sector and we are deeply committed to that.
Building tech is challenging and even with the best of intentions, there is no guarantee of a positive outcome. Therefore, a sole focus on what technology can do is far too closed and naive. We need to shift our priority to how we design, implement and monitor tech, across contexts and differing environments.
We have seven principles for Tech for Good that we follow to help us enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion at Engaged Communities and GoVolunteering by, fostering a stronger sense of belonging and involvement and recognition. It’s quite literally a declaration of the principles we have signed up for;
- Design with the user and keep them involved
- Understand the context and current eco system
- Build the right team & create a thriving culture
- Design for scale and build for sustainability
- Be data driven & build digital services not websites
- Use open standards, open source, and open innovation
- Be inclusive
Every technical development, work package and feature goes through the process of ensuring we are adhering to the above principles. It’s our mandate for product design and development. Being purpose-driven translates to not just being successful from an economical perspective, but using the power that comes from our business success for the better, by having a positive impact on communities, people and the environment.
The publication of the Tech For Good Principles is our first step towards encouraging an open dialogue with our stakeholders about the role our platform business, GoVolunteering, plays in shaping the future of volunteering and community engagement. It’s the starting point. However, this is an evolving process and we must take our steer from principles, like the UN’s Principles of Human Rights or OECD’s AI Principles. These are “values-based” and filtered over time through an inclusive process that seeks input from all stakeholders, to enable equality, equity and minimise bias. We will continue to use principles such as the OECD’s AI framework and the work that the OECD Network of Experts on AI provides.
Simply put, it’s our goal to ensure individuals get equal opportunities to thrive in the new era of work and make a full contribution to the design and development of our software.
