ALCS Membership EDI Survey: FAQ’s
What is the ALCS Membership Experience Survey?
This Membership Experience Survey is an opportunity to hear the voices of ALCS members, especially in relation to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). We want to ensure that ALCS is an equitable organisation that allows its members a sense of safety and belonging.
Why are we doing this survey?
We want to know about the experiences of individual members so that we can identify areas where ALCS might need to make changes, to ensure the best possible experience for everyone.
Membership surveys are one of the most useful ways of gathering data to improve our experiences. With the results, we can identify what is working well, so that we can use these things as models and grow them, as well as any issues that may need development.
Who is administering the survey?
ALCS has commissioned Impact Culture, a social justice-led EDI consultancy, to run this survey. Impact Culture are EDI specialists, with extensive experience in running and analysing engagement surveys with organisations across the UK and internationally. If you want to find more about Impact Culture visit www.impactculture.co.uk
Is the survey anonymous?
All information provided by you in these surveys is anonymised. No raw demographic data is ever shared with any external parties or individuals outside of Impact Culture. Personal data cannot be traced back to any specific respondent. Sub-samples of 8 or less are not reported on quantitative analysis, although all text-based comments will be thematically analysed and potentially included in the final report.
Where are the survey responses stored?
All survey responses are stored within Qualtrics and is subject to their data protection policy. Impact Culture does not store or retain personal data beyond its use in report composition. Data is removed after 8 weeks of survey completion. The type of data we collect is categorised as research and, due to the data being completely dissociated with any identifiable information, it cannot be requested as part of a data access request.
Will ALCS have access to my data?
All surveys are disseminated by Impact Culture and all data is held by Impact Culture. ALCS will have access to the final report with data anonymised and analysed, but not at any point will they have access to the raw data.
When does the survey open and close?
The survey launches on Tuesday 9 April and closes on Friday 3 May.
How do I complete the survey?
When the survey launches on Tuesday 9 April, each ALCS member will receive an invitation email from the ALCS team. Included in the email will be information about the survey and a link to access it. From there you will complete the survey online on either a computer, a tablet or another mobile device.
What do I do if I experience problems using the link in the email?
If you experience any problems accessing the survey through the link, please email jack.vincent@impactculture who should be able to solve any technical issues.
Is the survey accessible?
The online survey is compatible with multiple browsers and mobile phones and works with many screen readers. If you face any further issues, please do not hesitate to contact Impact Culture at Jack.Vincent@impactculture.co.uk for further assistance or if you prefer to fill in the survey as a Word document.
Is the survey voluntary?
Absolutely, participating in the survey is completely voluntary. It is an opportunity to share your views and secure more of the outcomes that are important to you. We would really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions that you have, to make ALCS a truly equitable and inclusive space for all.
What questions does the survey ask?
The survey explores a range of themes, mainly about your experiences as members of ALCS and how equitable you have found the organisation to be. The questions will be a mixture of qualitative (open answers) and quantitative (e.g. rating your experience on a scale). This is to enable a holistic understanding of the lived experiences of members of ALCS, and clearly address any overarching themes within the responses. There will also be a section asking a range of demographic monitoring questions.
How long will it take to complete the survey?
The survey takes 10-15 minutes to complete. Some questions ask you to tick a single option to indicate how much you agree or disagree with a statement and some questions are open, providing you with an opportunity to write fuller, free text comments.
Do I have to complete the survey in one sitting?
Yes, unfortunately the survey cannot be started and re-accessed.
Can I have a paper-based version of the survey?
We do not provide paper-based versions of the survey for environmental reasons and on a content analysis basis, although we do offer a Word document-format of the survey, if necessary. For support or the word document format, please contact jack.vincent@impactculture.co.uk.
Who is being invited to complete this survey?
This survey is for the entire membership of ALCS.
Why are you asking for our demographic data?
In this survey, we will ask you for a range of demographic data points including (but not limited to): questions about your ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, gender identity, sexual orientation and class. We understand that these could be very personal questions for most people and that you may be concerned about confidentiality. Any groups of less than 8 will not be included in the final data analysis to avoid identification.
Although these (as all) questions are voluntary, demographic monitoring is essential in helping us understand and develop the equity within an organisation. It helps us:
- Gain a fuller picture of the membership of ALCS to understand any under- and over-represented groups
- Identify potential inequalities around any marginalised characteristics
For further information, please access our privacy policy here
Do I have to answer all the questions?
No. All the questions in the survey are optional, so if you don’t feel that a question applies to you, or you feel uncomfortable or unsure about giving an answer, then feel free to move onto the next question.
You will find a list of terms within this section that arise in the questions on the survey:
Bias
Bias, in a social justice context, talks about the prejudicial ideas and stereotypes that people have about predominantly marginalised folk. These could be conscious or unconscious, and usually manifest in discriminatory policies, procedures, microaggressions or general behaviour toward a person or group of persons.
Discrimination
Prejudiced or unequal treatment towards people or groups based on characteristics such as: race, physical appearance, sexuality or gender and others.
The Equality Act (2010) defines discrimination in four ways:
1. Direct discrimination (when someone is treated less favourably because of a characteristic they hold, are perceived to hold or someone associated with them, holds)
2) Indirect discrimination (structural or institutional policy or procedure that may advertently or inadvertently negatively affect marginalised people)
3) Harassment (unwanted conduct towards a person about a characteristic, with the aim or effect being of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, or offensive environment for them)
4) Victimisation (when someone suffers poor treatment because of a claim they made about discrimination).
The Equality Act 2010 only protects against discrimination from 9 characteristics (see: ‘protected characteristics’)
Equity
An organisation that wants to create an equitable workplace and service gives employees and members. For example, elevators to enable access for wheelchair users.
Diversity
Diversity in an organisation means that the organisation employs, engages, and serves a diverse group of people and characteristics that’s reflective of the society in which it exists and operates.
Inclusion
Inclusion in an organisation means that every employee, volunteer or service user feels welcome and valued. This happens because organisations have taken active steps to ensure this.
Marginalised people
Marginalised groups are groups that are side lined or separated from mainstream social, economic, cultural, or political life—for example; POC, LGBTQ+ people, people who practice non-Christian faith. There are more marginalised groups than the nine characteristics protected under the Equality Act (2010), for example, those with varying body types or marginalised socio-economic background.
What data protection standards are followed?
Our practices align with GDPR regulations, including the lawful and fair processing of data, purpose limitation, data minimisation and the rights of data subjects. We abide by the principles and guidance outlined under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
Will direct quotes be taken from my free text answers in the survey?
Yes, to support Impact Culture’s observations and recommendations, direct quotes from the survey will be used. All efforts will be taken to ensure the anonymity of these statements and identifying features will be removed.
How can it be when you’re asking me for demographic details?
All responses to this survey will be processed by Impact Culture and data will only be shared with the ALCS once it has been anonymised. Results will be presented in analysed form in the report and responses for marginalised groups of less than 8 will be removed to avoid identification.
Will what I say make a difference?
Absolutely. The membership survey is an incredibly important opportunity for the members of ALCS to talk about their experiences and every comment is invaluable. Impact Culture uses all of the responses to identify EDI themes running through the organisation, and this will then be used as an evidence base to inform ALCS policy and procedure. The results of the survey will enable us to identify strengths and weaknesses and base the development and implementation of new strategy on this information.
How and when will you release the final report to the members?
We will report back about any findings at our AGM on 28 November 2024, and in our review of the year which we will make available to members in November.
Who can I contact if I have further questions or need support?
For general survey enquiries, please contact: Charlotte.Williams@impactculture.co.uk
If you have any problems accessing or completing the survey, or want to withdraw or amend your response, contact: Jack.Vincent@impactculture.co.uk
