Our current Chair, David Farnsworth of City Bridge Foundation, will soon be coming to the end of his maximum nine-year term on our Board. We’re hugely grateful for all that David has done during his tenure as Chair- his leadership and commitment have been critical to the positive change London Funders has been able to make for London’s communities.
During his time as Chair, London Funders has undergone a lot of change – growing the membership (up by over 60% since 2019), growing our impact (from the 400+ funders who signed up to our covid commitments to reform funding, to the £100m+ being distributed now through our ten-year Propel collaboration), and growing the organisation to support this work (with our turnover up to £1.2m this financial year). We’ve also seen change in the way we structure ourselves – with a new subsidiary company, Collaboration Circle, set up to drive forward work to support funding collaborations across London and beyond; and work underway to rethink and restructure our approach to support place-based giving across the capital.
So as new Chair you will be joining at a hugely exciting time, but rest assured it won’t be with an organisation that wants to rest on its laurels! We want to build on our strong foundations and continue to grow and strengthen the positive impact we achieve for our communities and across the funding sector. We want to ensure we’re structuring ourselves in the best way to achieve the greatest impact, and to make sure that we stay at the forefront of positive and progressive practice in our sector – as Chair, working with the Board, you’ll be key to making sure that we keep on track with realising our ambitions.
As Chair, working with the Board, you’ll be key to making sure that we keep on track with realising our ambitions
When we asked our fellow Board members what they’d be looking for in our next Chair, some of the key words included: bravery, democracy, kindness, empathy, energy, diplomacy and voice. Some of the key areas of skills, knowledge and experience we’ll be looking for include:
- Deep commitment to, and understanding of, the ambitions of our city and our communities, and the ways funding can flow effectively to where it can achieve the greatest impact
- Open to listening and learning from funders, communities, and partners within London and beyond, with skills to apply the learning from these voices to drive positive change
- Ability to convene with confidence, to influence with integrity, and to purposefully share power with Trustees, staff, members, partners and key stakeholders
Could this be you?
As Chair of London Funders you will need to have an association with one of our Member organisations from the philanthropic or private sectors (you can read more about eligibility for the role in our recruitment pack below). We are really keen to get the word out about this opportunity far and wide so that we can reach every corner of our membership and make this process an inclusive as possible – so please do share among your networks.
All of the practical information about how to apply is included in the recruitment pack, together with more detail about the role. We will also be hosting an online conversation in August where we’ll be discussing their experiences of the governance of London Funders over the years, and can answer any questions you have on the Chair opportunity (see the recruitment pack for how to register). Above all, if you are eligible, we’d love you to consider if this sounds like a role for you– and if there’s anything we can do through this process to ensure it is a welcoming, inclusive and accessible experience just get in touch with the team.
Download the recruitment pack here