Spirit of 2012

WELCOME

Dear Candidates, THIS IS AN EXCITING TIME TO JOIN THE SPIRIT OF 2012 BOARD. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO READ THIS INFORMATION PACK AND I DO HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER MAKING AN APPLICATION.

2022 was a significant year for major events in the UK, from the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June to the Women’s Euros and the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham and Unboxed across the UK. In 2023 we are looking forward to the Coronation of King Charles III, Eurovision in Liverpool, the 75th anniversaries of the NHS and Windrush and the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.

Spirit was set up by the National Lottery Community Fund (then Big Lottery Fund) in 2013 to continue the legacy of the London 2012 Games for people and their communities, by harnessing the catalytic power of events in how they can bring communities together and increase people’s wellbeing and sense of connectedness to their communities.

Over the last 9 years, we have funded more than 240 projects, engaging 5.5m participants and almost 50,000 volunteers across the UK, spanning

physical activity and sport, arts and culture, volunteering and social action. We have a particular focus on ensuring inclusion for disabled people, young people, and those that might be excluded from participatory activities.

With a strong executive team, dynamic brand and ambitious strategy, Spirit’s portfolio of grants and commissioned research is designed to increase wellbeing by enabling people to become active, creative and connected and so contributing to the following outcomes:

• Increased individual and community wellbeing

• Greater social cohesion and understanding

• Improved attitudes towards and perceptions of, including selfperceptions of, disabled people

In November 2021 we launched the Spirit of 2012 Inquiry into the power of events to build happy, thriving, more connected communities. We look forward to releasing the full report and recommendations in the House of Commons in January 2023.

Spirit was established as a spend-out Trust and we have committed to closing the organisation by 2026. It puts us in a powerful position because we are not a fundraising board, so we can focus intently on the learning coming from

our funded projects and research. We are using this knowledge to advocate for better understanding of how more active, creative and connected communities and individuals can have better lives and in turn contribute more to society.

Looking ahead, we are turning our attention to the spend-down phase of Spirit’s organisational lifespan to ensure that we can make the greatest impact with the time and resources we have left until we close in 2026.

This means that whoever is appointed will only serve a maximum of a fouryear term but it will be a very interesting four years!

I hope you feel that your skills, energy and interest in governance volunteering are a good match for our mission.

Jane, Lady Gibson OBE Chair, Spirit of 2012

ABOUT SPIRIT OF 2012

SPIRIT WAS SET UP BY THE NATIONAL LOTTERY COMMUNITY FUND (FORMERLY THE BIG LOTTERY FUND) IN 2013 TO CONTINUE THE LEGACY OF THE LONDON 2012 GAMES FOR PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES. WE SEE THE CATALYTIC POWER OF EVENTS IN HOW THEY CAN BRING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER AND INCREASE PEOPLE’S WELLBEING AND SENSE OF CONNECTEDNESS TO THEIR COMMUNITIES.

OUR VISION

In January 2020, we launched our strategy Happier People, Happier Places. Happiness, as the emotional manifestation of wellbeing and connectedness, is at the heart of Spirit of 2012’s vision.

OUR PURPOSE

To unlock a future where events and volunteering are a pathway to wellbeing for all people and their communities.

OUR MISSION

To do all we can with the funds, resources, and time we have left to fund, research and share what we have learned to enable all people and communities to be active, creative and connected.

As well as funding projects around the social legacy of specific events, we fund some non-event focused projects and research. These help us to really get under the skin of why and how participatory activities increase people’s wellbeing and sense of connectedness. Together with the project evaluations, we feed that insight into how we, and others, design and deliver projects to have the most social impact, particularly for those with the lowest starting points.

As we move towards the spend down phase of Spirit’s organisational lifespan, we have increased the volume of targeted research and policy advocacy we do to deliver these objectives, including launching an Inquiry into how events can help build happy, thriving and more connected communities, which will report in January 2023 at an event in the House of Commons.

OUR PRIORITIES

Our Happier People, Happier Places Strategy sets out key priorities for how we will use our remaining National Lottery resources to maximise people’s happiness. We will:

BUILD THE EVIDENCE BASE

Learn what works to improve wellbeing and social cohesion and how to capture and share it to have a sustained impact after Spirit funding ends.

WORK IN PARTNERSHIP

Attract funds and partners that increase the value of Spirit investment by disbursing and matching our funding and contributing to, sharing & amplifying learning through their networks.

BREAK DOWN BARRIERS

Fund projects for everyone but recognise that some people face greater barriers to participation and need extra support. Build evidenced good practice for reducing these barriers.

CHAMPION GENUINE INCLUSION

Use our funding to promote the benefits and understanding of genuine inclusion that enables disabled and non-disabled people to participate, volunteer, and lead together as equals.

INFLUENCE

Embed our learning and codify our approach so that it can reach and influence wider policy and practice through personal connections, public platforms, best practice guidance and toolkits, to leave a sustained impact. OUR

VALUES

STRATEGY

SPIRIT OF 2012 IS NOW MORE THAN HALF-WAY THROUGH OUR ORIGINAL TEN-YEAR TERM AS A SPEND-OUT TRUST.

In 2020 the Board set a firm intention to commit the bulk of our existing endowment by the middle of 2023 and spend out by 2026. We remain on track to spend the endowment and close by 2026 and the Board and Executive are turning our minds to what spending out means in terms of delivering the mission, and managing the staff and organisation through this process.

In the short term we will use the opportunity of the significant body of events in 2022 and 2023 to talk about how events can be used as a catalyst for social change, culminating in the publication of the final Inquiry report and recommendations in January 2023. We continue to have a particular focus on inclusion, drawing together Spirit’s evidence on ensuring that disabled and non-disabled people can participate together as equals, and that events-inspired projects actively work to break down the barriers for those that might be the furthest from participation. We will continue to work with DCMS and other Government-departments, event organizers and franchise holders and other funders, including the other National Lottery distributors, to ensure that this learning is fed into plans for future events, like Bradford 2025 and the UK’s future major events strategy.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT

SPIRIT HAS DEVELOPED AN EDI ACTION PLAN COVERING OUR GRANT-MAKING, SUPPORTING GRANTEES AND OUR CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITIES ON EDI, INCLUDING THE RECRUITMENT OF TEAM AND BOARD MEMBERS.

The current version of this plan was reviewed and approved by the Board in March 2022, and they have committed to all staff and Directors undertaking EDI training, which for longer standing staff and Directors will be refresher training, in 2022-23.

The Plan sets out actions and KPIs in three overarching areas, reporting through the sub-committee structure to the Board:

1. Ensure EDI is well understood by the Executive and Board and that all our staffing, operational and governance structures include active steps to promote greater diversity and inclusion (Accountable to the Spirit Board through Resources, Audit & Risk Committee)

2. Ensure that our fund design, application and funding decision making processes take account of EDI (Accountable to the Spirit Board through Policy, Impact & Influencing Committee)

3. Raise the profile of EDI with our grantees and support them to hold themselves to a high standard (Accountable to the Spirit Board through Policy, Impact & Influencing Policy Committee)

We are committed to ensuring that we sharpen our focus on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion throughout our organisation: as an employer, as a funder and a partner. As an organisation with wellbeing as our guiding principle we recognise that wellbeing cannot thrive where inequality exists. Our action plan does not solve everything, but demonstrates our commitment to EDI, acknowledges that we can do better, and sets out a path for embedding EDI into our practices and a framework for monitoring and continual improvement. In 2020-21 we held two All-Grantee sessions on EDI with external experts to help our grantees think through their responses to this priority.

THE PAST 9

ALSO GAINED MATCHED

OVER November 2022 NLCF GRANTS RECEIVED £47.1M RECEIVED IN MATCH FUNDING £5.8M COMMITTED SPEND ON GRANTS £47.8M INVESTMENT INCOME £6.5M

UK-wide, at least 2

Board meetings

a year are held in person in London

REPORTING TO: Board Chair

STRUCTURE

There are two formal Board committees:

• Resources, Audit & Risk (4 meetings per year) –Chair, Oksana Yesina

• Policy Impact & Influencing (3 meetings per year) –Chair, Bill Morris LVO

All Board Directors are expected to sit on at least one Committee, depending on your skills and interests following discussion with the Chair.

ROLE DESCRIPTION

PURPOSE

As a Spirit Director1, you will work as one of up to 11 Board Members and with the Chief Executive to ensure the charity fulfils its remit. The role is not remunerated. We do meet all reasonable expenses.

If you join the Spirit Board, you must be ready to commit time and energy. As a minimum we expect you to participate in:

• three quarterly half-day Board meetings and one full-day Board meeting, including an overnight stay and social function

• three or four two-hour committee meetings each year

You will need to read and reflect on papers in advance, check minutes and follow up actions allocated to you. Spirit Directors must be aware of the importance of accounting properly for the public money we spend, and the executive can provide you with guidelines and information if you need them. As a full Director you will be appointed for a year initially and once you have successfully completed the probationary period for a further 3 year term.

Ideally you will visit projects and meet participants at least twice a year and be able to attend/speak at events as appropriate. It is a bonus if you can help boost Spirit’s social media profile by tweeting, writing, or (more often) approving, blogs or quotes in your name.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Help set Spirit’s strategic direction and keep it under constant and constructive critical review.

• Bring fresh and independent thinking, whilst being a team player and supporting a culture of collective responsibility for Board decisions.

• Work with the Executive Team and Board, in person and through your networks, to enhance Spirit’s profile and promote our achievements, including appearing on platforms to represent and champion our work.

• Embody Spirit values of being Fair, Focused, Forthright and Friendly in all your contributions to, and activities on behalf of, the Spirit Board.

• Practise the highest standards of governance, as set out in Charity Commission Guidance.

• Sit on at least one Committee as well as the Full Board.

• Inform the commissioning of specialist expertise to support Spirit’s mission, including legal services, auditors, investment managers, or as required.

1 Spirit of 2012 is a charity governed by a Corporate Trustee, Spirit of 2012 Trustee Limited, and the Board Members are ‘Directors’ or ‘Governors’ of that company and collectively comprise the Corporate Trustee. They are not individually ‘Trustees’.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The Spirit Board should reflect the rich diversity of the UK in terms of age, ethnicity, culture, gender and social perspective. The current Board includes six women and four men. Directors should have influential networks of existing connections, and the capacity to broker new strategic relationships for Spirit, particularly with policy makers and leading stakeholders in Spirit focus areas.

We expect Directors to offer all or most of the following:

• Governance experience within commercial, public or charitable sectors.

• Awareness of Charity Commission requirements, which is summarised in the following https://www.gov. uk/guidance/charity-trusteewhats-involved

• Demonstrable professional strategic senior leadership.

• Belief in Spirit’s vision and objectives and enthusiasm for our activities.

• The capacity to commit at least 10-12 days per year, including one overnight residential.

• Readiness to offer supportive, inquisitive and challenging contributions to the Board, its committees and panels, bringing distinctive perspectives, experience and expertise to discussions and decision-making.

• Highest standards of integrity, impartiality, objectivity and transparency.

• Commitment to equality, diversity and the safeguarding of marginalised and vulnerable groups.

We are interested in talking to people with an expertise in areas such as social connection, wellbeing, public health and community engagement and who can use that knowledge to influence policy change with senior stakeholders.

We are looking for Directors who are motivated to make a difference, want to engage with Spirit and the projects we fund, and bring passion and energy to the Board.

We are interested in hearing from candidates based in any part of the UK, with good knowledge of one or more of the sectors we fund and of the policy environment in the home nations.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply, please upload a comprehensive CV together with a supporting statement (maximum 1000 words) via the link below.

Please let us know if you will require any special provision as a result of any disability should you be called for interview.

Applications should be made via the Prospectus website at: https://jobs.prospect-us.co.uk/jobs/ details/hq00182291

RECRUITMENT TIMETABLE

Closing date: 14th December 2022 Interviews with Prospectus: w/c 9th January 2023

Final panel interview with Spirit of 2012: 24th January 2023

These dates may be subject to change and applicants will be advised in advance should this happen.

QUERIES

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