Trustee Vacancies 2017
Candidate pack
Letter from the Chair Thank you for your interest in joining Generation Change’s board of trustees at this exciting time. This is a pivotal moment for our organization, the partnership we lead, and for the future of youth social action in Britain. Generation Change has united a diverse coalition of the leading charities and social enterprises that support young people to make an impact in the lives of those around them. Together we share a powerful vision: to give all young people these opportunities – the chance to gain skills and experience by giving back as they grow up. To make that vision a reality will require deep-rooted, systemic change in the way that social action programmes are recognised, delivered, and supported to scale up across the country. No single organization can achieve this alone – it requires all of us.
framework will deepen our collective and drive a wider movement for best practice – informing how programmes are funded, delivered and replicated across the country. But we can’t get there alone. We are seeking two trustees with specific skills in finance and product strategy to help guide Generation Change in achieving our ambitious mission. We look forward to meeting you. Sam Conniff Chair of Generation Change
That is why we are proud of what we have achieved in just three short years. Our tightly knit partnership has had an impact greater than the sum of our parts by working together as Generation Change. And now, building on these achievements, we are about to embark upon an exciting next step in our mission. Starting this year, we will re-launch Generation Change around a new offer for organisations to join us: by adopting a rigorous impact framework that we have designed and piloted with Dartington Service Design Lab. A shared impact
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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About Generation Change Generation Change was founded by the leaders of youth social action charities as a means of achieving a common mission. That mission was enact a dramatic, lasting change in the way youth social action is offered to young people in this country. Our partnership of 18 organisations, which includes The Scout Association, NCS and vInspired, supports over 600,000 young people every year to lead social change in their own communities by taking part in voluntary social action. That might include mentoring a peer being bullied, helping an elderly neighbour learn IT, or starting a social enterprise.
Generation Change will then support high quality programmes to collaborate on the ground, so that together they can achieve more than the sum of their parts; and join up the dots across the country quicker, creating a joined up experience for young people. Through this strategy we will create a recognised, continuous pathway for all young people to take part in high quality social action at every stage of growing up. This is how social action becomes mainstream: a staple feature of young people’s experience of growing up in Britain.
Our goal is to leverage the combined reach of our partnership to achieve a step change in the way social action programmes are funded and delivered in Britain. We have already had a significant impact by collaborating and joining up the dots – but now we intend to go further. We have worked with research partners to design a robust impact framework to evidence and improve the outcomes that social action programmes achieve. Over the next 2 years, we will support a critical mass of youth charities to adopt our framework, and build a vibrant learning community to elevate best practice and improve delivery across the UK. In doing so, we can help funders, employers and educators identify the programmes and practices that have the highest impact and potential to scale.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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Context of the vacancy
Trustee vacancies
Our founding board of pioneering chief executives and social entrepreneurs created Generation Change as a sector-led response to the historic challenge of growing participation in quality social action in the UK. In our first three years we built a committed partnership of 18 organisations that has set the agenda with government and led to greater cooperation in delivery. We have now embarked on two strategic projects that give our organisation the means to make dramatic progress towards achieving our mission over the next three to five years.
About
Sam Conniff has recently joined our board as our first independent Chair, someone who does not have a link to one of our Founding Member organisations but is solely focused on Generation Change’s mission on its own terms. We are now seeking skilled trustees who can provide key roles in shaping the organisation’s independence and capability for delivering its products and services.
Applications close: 30th October 2017
You will be joining a board of highly enterprising leaders; who are redefining the nature of youth volunteering in their own charities, and who have successfully led organisational growth that has been out of pace with the wider youth sector. Your focus will be in helping Generation Change to achieve its aims, supporting our Director, who has been with the organisation since its inception, to lead a small team of paid staff and volunteers from our Member organisations. Our organisation is accountable to our National Steering Committee, a bi-annual meeting of the chief executives of our Founding Members. Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
Generation Change is seeking two trustees to join our board of trustees for the next 3 to 6 years. You will join our Board of Directors, and become a registered Trustee of the organisation for a period of 3 years, with the option to renew your post for a second term of a further 3 years.
Timeframe Selection panel: w/c 6th November 2017 Start date: November (negotiable) 2017 End of post (with option to renew): October 2020
Time commitment • Four Board meetings of 2 hours per year, • Annual Board Away Day • Oversight of annual audit of accounts • Irregular check-ins over email with the Director and Board chair Generation Change is seeking to appoint two trustees: 7
Financial Director vacancy
Product Strategy vacancy
About the role
About the role
• Contribute to organisation.
overall
strategy
and
direction
of
the
• Work closely with a young CEO to help develop the financial procedures, budgeting and cost structure for Generation Change’s products and services • Provide oversight of the organisation’s finances and accounts • Help to develop strategy for improving operations, auditing and financial procedures • Act as an ambassador to Generation Change and draw on your personal networks to develop new opportunities for the organisation
• Contribute to organisation.
overall
strategy
and
direction
of
the
• Work closely with a young CEO to help develop the strategy for Generation Change’s products and services • Provide oversight on the development of the organisation’s brand, value proposition and key offer. • Help to develop strategy for improving the organisation’s core pitch documents, messaging and marketing • Act as an ambassador to Generation Change and draw on your personal networks to develop new opportunities for the organisation
Application process
Application process
Please provide your CV along with a covering letter stating why you wish to work for the organisation to our Director: david.reed@generationchange.org.uk - include “Financial Director” in the subject line.
Please provide your CV along with a covering letter stating why you wish to work for the organisation to our Director: david.reed@generationchange.org.uk - include “Product Strategy” in the subject line.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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Mission statement
Why social action?
We will transform the experience of growing up in the UK by collectively increasing the scale, quality and status of youth social action programmes.
The Changemaker Generation This is the first generation expected to be poorer than their parents. Young people today are growing up in a rapidly changing economy, and a society that is witnessing rising levels of inequality, a crisis around caring for older people, deep problems with social integration, and many other social and environmental challenges. Over 850,000 young people in the UK are currently not in education, employment or training. With the nature of work changing more rapidly than our education system, we risk creating a lost generation, for whom the transition to adulthood is defined by poor preparation for the world of work and increased levels of anxiety and disadvantage. Young people have much more to offer society than they are given credit for. Research shows that this generation are more concerned about social issues and willing to volunteer than their parents were. They are increasingly opting for careers that have a social purpose, and are more likely to be ethical consumers. The world of business is responding in kind, with the largest graduate employers moving towards social business. In the last 4 years the social economy has grown twice as fast as the rest of the private sector.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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The double benefit of social action
A Changemaker society
Social action helps to connect young people’s enthusiasm and interests to the problems that their communities face. This can give every young person a job to do - acting as a powerful form of work experience.
We believe the UK should be tapping into this generation’s desire to do good – by giving every young person a high quality opportunity to address social need in the places where they live. By doing so, we could mobilise millions of extra hands to tackle the problems our communities face in the here and now. At the same time, we can support young people to thrive and develop the skills they will need as adults. And over time, we can build a new culture of citizenship and giving in this country to enrich all our lives.
Young people who take part in structured social action programmes are shown to be more successful in interviews and in hard tests of the skills that employers seek most but struggle to recruit for: like teamwork, problem solving and resilience. At the same time, social action programmes have been shown to make a significant impact in an area of high social need, such as reducing the attainment gap in schools, or tackling severe mental health problems. Young people can make a unique impact on these causes – above and beyond existing services that might be in place. Younger volunteers form unique relationships with those in need, and bring a unique perspective, energy and idealism to long-standing social problems.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
In the UK, hundreds of charities and social enterprises seek to recruit young people into social action and support them to make an impact. These programmes can start as young as the age of 5 and span all the way up until 25 and into adulthood. They take place inside and outside of the classroom, and at all the pivotal transition points in young people’s journey. But social action is still not a mainstream part of young people’s lives in the same way as sport or music – despite there being considerable demand from young people. Our vision is to see social action woven into every stage of growing up in the UK as a high status activity recognised and valued by schools, colleges, universities, and employers.
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Why Generation Change? Background
Early achievements
In 2012, then Prime Minister David Cameron launched the Decade of Social Action review, stating his aim to grow participation in social action across the ages of 10 and 20 – by encouraging volunteering opportunities before and after the newly launched “National Citizen Service” (NCS) scheme for 16 year olds. Our founding trustees – 7 chief executives and entrepreneurs who were redefining the role of social action for young people – came together to shape this review by setting out a dramatic vision for how it could succeed.
Generation Change first coined the “double benefit” definition of social action, along with 6 quality principles – both of which are now ubiquitously used by Government, education, business and voluntary sectors as a central part of the #iwill campaign.
The UK had, at this stage, experienced a troubled history when it came to youth volunteering. David Cameron and his two predecessors had each scrapped a flagship volunteering scheme and set up their own. Youth social action had never become as embedded in UK society as it is in the US, Germany or Canada – and we lack a recognised institution like Americorps or similar civic service schemes in other developed countries. The vision our founders presented to Number 10 inspired and then shaped the creation of a multi-million pound, cross sector campaign led by the Prince of Wales – the #iwill campaign. They launched Generation Change during this time as a vehicle for leading collaboration between delivery organisations.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
We secured 18 of the UK’s leading charities that deliver social action to sign up to our Charter of Commitments and pledge staff time to achieving our mission. We worked to advance public understanding of best practice in social action and inform strategic funding for delivery. This meant that we: • Shaped the evaluation of an £11 million 2-year Government trials programme • Helped write the tendering of grant funding worth a combined £81 million for youth social action delivery • Created a best practice guide that consulted over 65 youth organisations and was accessed by over 1200 unique users • Launched a manifesto and policy report in parliament in advance of the 2015 general election
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We facilitated collaboration amongst our Members, involving over 120 members of staff and 4 long term working groups, that resulted in: • 12 direct delivery partnerships involving at least two members that created more opportunities for young people. • New funding for strategic work to expand youth social action in the care homes setting • Over 400 referrals between members for services and programme opportunities • Over two thirds of our member chief executives say that their organisation’s long term goals can only be achieved through Generation Change • 75% say that staff at their organisation have “significantly benefitted” from Generation Change membership • 6 Members peer reviewed each other’s impact frameworks and 3 adopted new evaluation methods as a result
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
More recent achievements There has been a significant alignment of Government policy with the aims of Generation Change – with progress on each of our 5 manifesto asks made at the 2015 election. We have: • Hosted the Minister for Civil Society at an event in Manchester that demonstrated the importance of a joined up ‘social action journey’ before and after NCS • Advocated for increased funding for non NCS delivery, and produced costings research that helped inform the creation of a £40 million fund for social action – the #iwill fund. • Led a campaign for full time social action to be given a legal status, which has resulted in an independent inquiry. • Led coordinated joint responses to key policy announcements, and hosted roundtables with senior figures in Government to shape legislation: e.g. the incorporation of National Citizen Service by Royal Charter
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Highlights Right: Staff training – 48 hour away day in Oxford with 23 practitioners from 18 delivery partners
Above: Event in parliament to launch our policy report: “Service Nation 2020” Below: Showcase event in Manchester highlighting programmes at different age ranges
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
Below: Event in parliament with Lord Blunkett to launch our 2015 General Election manifesto
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Our Partners Funders
Key partners
Above: Our launch event in 2013 with the Minister for Civil Society
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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Supporters
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The youth social action sector is going from strength to strength
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Dan Jarvis MP, speaking about Generation Change in Parliament (2017)
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The Government’s commitment to grow National Citizen Service (NCS) for 16 year olds will enable thousands more young people to get a taste of social action. However, many young people are ready to start that journey much earlier, while many more are keen to take on bigger and different challenges once they finish NCS. It’s important that we can sustain funding for opportunities that have equally powerful outcomes for young people at different stages and in different situations in life.
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Rob Wilson MP, Minister for Civil Society, speaking at a Generation Change event in Manchester (2015)
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
There are already great charities, leaders and young people who are leading the way (...) But they need more than just warm words and congratulations from a future government. Generation Change, a coalition of leading organisations that support young people to give something back, has set out what actions we need to see from a new government. I agree with them: we need to do much more to embed volunteering and community action within the school system. Lord Blunkett, writing in the Guardian about Generation Change (2015)
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I hope Generation Change continues to play a significant role in improving, connecting and broadening social action opportunities available to young people.
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Nick Hurd MP, speaking as Minister for Civil Society (2014)
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Financial Director vacancy Person specification
Job role
• A passion and belief in the power of young people to change the world is a must.
As a partner to the other trustees, you will provide leadership to Generation Change as it transitions from a new start up organization into a sustainable organisation with secure income streams.
• You will have experience of financial management of companies at an FD level, in any background (charity or corporate) • You will have significant leadership experience, which might be in any sector - business, government, philanthropy, or the nonprofit sector. • You will have significant experience in managing risk, particularly for new ventures, companies or services. • We are seeking applicants with a passion for entrepreneurship or developing new products and services. • Personal integrity, credibility and a commitment to high standards are a must.
Trustees will occasionally work with the Director outside of trustee meetings to provide leadership in the development of new strategy and planning. Specific responsibilities include: Leadership • Contributing to the strategic decision making of Generation Change. • Acting as an ambassador and advocate for the organization.
Service on Generation Change’s board of trustees is without
Governance
remuneration, except in rare cases for travel and personal
• As a board member, approving Generation Change’s annual budget, audit reports, and material business decisions; being informed of, and meeting all, legal and fiduciary responsibilities.
costs incurred in relation to board members’ duties.
Board terms Generation Change trustees serve a three-year term to be eligible for re-appointment for one additional term. Board meetings are held quarterly.
• Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by Generation Change for evaluating its progress and impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness. • Providing oversight for Generation management – including reviewing management accounts and budgets.
Change’s financial cashflow forecasts,
• Helping to identify processes and procedures that will strengthen Generation Change’s performance and financial conduct.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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Product Strategy vacancy Person specification
Board terms
• A passion and belief in the power of young people to change the world is a must.
Generation Change trustees serve a three-year term to be eligible for re-appointment for one additional term. Board meetings are held quarterly.
• Candidates with an experience in developing incubators, accelerators or boot camps are highly sought. • You will have a strong experience of driving the growth and leadership of new products and services in any market a strong value proposition and communications. You will be passionate about passing on this experience to the team at Generation Change. • You will have leadership experience in any sector - business, government, philanthropy, or the non-profit sector. • You will have a critical mindset, feeding into our hunger to learn as an organization and our need to be challenged. You will already be coming to the table with ideas about our approach, areas for improvement and ways of winning new business for Generation Change.
Job role As a partner to the other trustees, you will provide leadership to Generation Change as it transitions from a new start up organization into a sustainable organisation with secure income streams. Trustees will occasionally work with the Director outside of trustee meetings to provide leadership in the development of new strategy and planning. Specific responsibilities include: Leadership
• We are seeking applicants with a passion for entrepreneurship or developing new products and services.
• Contributing to the strategic decision making of Generation Change.
• Personal integrity, credibility and a commitment to high standards are a must.
• Acting as an ambassador and advocate for the organization, identifying opportunities for the organization and making connections through your personal and professional networks.
Service on Generation Change’s board of trustees is without remuneration, except in rare cases for travel and personal
Continued overleaf.
costs incurred in relation to board members’ duties.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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Current Board Governance • As a board member, contributing to Generation Change’s overall commercial strategy, focusing on the strategy and marketing of new products. • Reviewing outcomes and metrics created by Generation Change for evaluating its progress and impact, and regularly measuring its performance and effectiveness. • Providing oversight of Generation Change’s creative strategy, product and services development, and brand. • Helping to identify processes and procedures that will strengthen Generation Change’s operations and service delivery.
Application process (both roles) Please provide your CV along with a covering letter stating why you wish to work for the organisation to our Director: david.reed@generationchange.org.uk - include “Financial Director” or “Product Strategy” in the subject line.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
Sam Conniff Chair of the Board Chief Purpose Officer, Livity
Co-founder and joint CEO for 16 years of youth-led creative network Livity, Sam has recently taken a step back from the hands-on running of Livity, becoming its Chief Purpose Officer, focused on growing opportunities for social impact across the organisation. Sam is an influential figure in the fields of marketing and social enterprise, making regular media appearances on The Politics Show, Sky News, Financial Times, and Radio 4. Sam has been acknowledged as one of the Top 5 of 50 New Radicals by The Observer and was awarded the Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the year Award. Sam is a trustee for the Ernst & Young Foundation, and sits on the board for NESTA and The Cabinet Office’s £15m Social Action and Innovation investment fund. He is also mentor to dozens of young entrepreneurs. Sam’s first book, ‘Be more pirate: a 21st Century survival guide for young leaders’, is due to be published in March 2018.
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Sophie Livingstone
Michael Lynas
Trustee Chief Executive, City Year UK
Trustee Chief Executive, The NCS Trust
Sophie co-founded Generation Change in 2013 and has led the organisation as its Co-Chair since then. In this role she has represented the youth social action sector on the Steering Committee of HRH Prince of Wales’ #iwill campaign. Sophie has been the Chief Executive of City Year UK since November 2009, when the organisation was first set up in London – during which time she has overseen its incubation in the UK and expansion to the West Midlands and Greater Manchester. While she was Deputy Chief Executive of the Private Equity Foundation, Sophie was introduced to City Year and led efforts to bring the organisation to the UK, raising initial funding and building a range of stakeholder support for City Year’s model of full time service. In July 2011, Sophie was named in Management Today’s ’35 women under 35 list’ and in 2016 received the Mayor’s Fund for London Individual Award for ‘outstanding achievement and lasting impact in tackling the skills and employment agenda for young Londoners from disadvantaged backgrounds’. She was recently listed in the Debrett’s 500 List of top Philanthropists and Activists.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
Michael Lynas is Chief Executive of the NCS Trust, the independent body that delivers National Citizen Service (NCS). Michael joined NCS in 2013 from 10 Downing Street where he led on the establishment of National Citizen Service within government. Michael spent two and a half years as Senior Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister where his main work was on civil society, culture and philanthropy. In addition to introducing National Citizen Service, during his time at No.10 he also focussed on increasing rates of giving time and money by making volunteering more engaging and exploiting new technologies; growing levels of social investment including through the world’s first social investment bank, Big Society Capital; and increasing engagement and social capital in local neighbourhoods. He also co-ordinated No.10’s Olympic 2012 policy work. Michael has previously worked as a strategy consultant for Bain and Company. He has an MA in politics from Cambridge University, and a Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard.
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Tessy Ojo
Jennie Butterworth
Trustee Chief Executive, The Diana Award
Trustee Chief Executive, Envision
Tessy Ojo is the Chief Executive of The Diana Award – the only charity that bears the name of Diana, Princess of Wales. The charity benefits from the support of The Royal Highnesses, Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as the UK Prime Minister as a Patron. Tessy is an inspirational speaker and regularly consults and comments on issues around youth participation, charity growth, diversity, women in leadership and other social issues affecting young people. Prior to joining The Diana Award, Tessy worked in the corporate sector for over 10 years and helped to implement the robust operational planning systems for IBM UK, Borders UK and more. Today, alongside leading The Diana Award, Tessy is on the boards of two charities and sits on the governing board of a chain of academies in London. Tessy is a recipient of various Awards recognizing her outstanding contribution to the wellbeing of young people including an Excellence Award from Eva Longoria’s Global Gift Foundation.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
Jennie is a co-founder of Generation Change and Chief Executive of the charity Envision. In a ‘previous life’ Jennie was a Director of Policy and Public Affairs for a large national youth charity, Fairbridge, and has led on a wide range of policy issues seeking to benefit the most disadvantaged young people in our society. Jennie was on the original group convened by David Cameron to develop the concept of a National Citizen Service. Prior to this, Jennie had 12 years experience of working in alternative education. She previously developed a programme to engage pupils from 50 schools in setting up community orchards, and secured over £1 million to get it started. She has also led several in-school youth empowerment programmes, including a £6 million project to enable young people to enhance their school grounds. Jennie has a wider experience of community volunteering. Her recruitment campaign to revitalise the image of volunteering for Women’s Voluntary Service won the Institute of Public Relations Sword of Excellence (the first time it was awarded to a charity against stiff competition from the commercial sector). 33
Contact Us Contact our Director, David Reed using the details below. Email: david.reed@generationchange.org.uk Phone: 07799308970
Find out more about Generation Change at: www.generationchange.org.uk
Application process (both roles) Please provide your CV along with a covering letter stating why you wish to work for the organisation to our Director: david.reed@generationchange.org.uk - include “Financial Director” or “Product Strategy” in the subject line.
Chair of the Trustees Candidate Pack Generation Change
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