Join us as a Trustee

17 November 2022

Difference is seeking new Trustees and a Treasurer to join our Board.

We are a small, award-winning regional charity aiming to change perceptions of disability to create a more equal North East for disabled people. We are run by disabled people, for disabled people and we have some exciting voluntary opportunities for people who share our commitment to human rights, social justice, and equality.

Outstanding contribution to Social Change Winner, banner

What we stand for

At Difference, we spend our time campaigning for equality for disabled people, training organisations in disability awareness, digital inclusion and accessibility, and encouraging shifts to more inclusive cultures in systems and organisations. We work with all sorts of partners and collaborators to find ways to make change happen for disabled people. These include the NHS, Local Authorities, Human Rights organisations and others across the voluntary sector.

We want to dismantle the barriers that exclude disabled people from participating and having voice and influence in the decisions that affect them. At Difference, we seek ways to respect, support and celebrate human diversity, and then push for this change in the wider world.

We recently won a North East Charity Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Change. This not only reflects the work we do, but our commitment to our values.

A quote from Margaret Mead- 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has'

Where we’re at

As we move forward as a very small, but impactful, organisation that is passionate about social change for disabled people, we commit ourselves to a rights-based approach. This means we actively seek to practice Participation, Accountability, Non-Discrimination, Empowerment and Legality.

As a small charity, with income under £100k pa, this is a great opportunity to gain experience at Board level. Our Trustees and staff are a small group of friendly and highly committed disability activists, campaigners and researchers.

We are one year in to Delivering Difference in the North East, A National Lottery Community Funded project to amplify the voices of disabled people across the region. You can get a flavour of what we have done during that year in the video below.

 

What we need

Trustees

We want to add to our Board of Trustees, diversifying our range of skilled people to help steer our charity. We are committed to taking an intersectional approach to our work and want this to be reflected in our Board too.

You don’t need to be in a senior leadership post already – we are more interested in your commitment, enthusiasm and lived experience.

Some personal experience of disability would be helpful, but not essential. We just need you to share our commitment to the principles of equality, access and inclusion.

The Trustees Week website has these useful 5- minute guides for charity Trustees which offer bitesize insights into the responsibilities of a Trustee.

A group of people stand shoulder to shoulder in a semi circle, making space for disabled people to join in full participation. Text reads ' Open Minds for Human Rights'

Role of Trustees

Trustees have independent control over, and legal responsibility for, a charity’s management and administration.  While our small team do the everyday work of Difference, we need our Trustees to make the big decisions. In making decisions, trustees need to make sure that they are working for the public benefit, making responsible use of resources and acting in the best interests of the charity. You can find out more about the role of a Trustee here.

There is also some key information from government available here.

Treasurer

We have a voluntary opportunity for an individual with experience of finance and accounting to join our Board as Treasurer.

This role involves

  • presenting financial reports to the board in a format that helps us understand Difference’s financial position
  • advising the board on how to carry out its financial responsibilities and manage financial risks
  • working with professional advisors
  • overseeing the preparation and scrutiny of our annual accounts

 

Please see this Treasurer Job and Person Specification for more details: Treasurer role spec

Interested?

To have an informal conversation with our Chair about these roles, please email hello@differencenortheast.org.uk

To apply, please submit a CV and covering email outlining your interest and suitability to hello@differencenortheast.org.uk

We will welcome your application in a format that is most accessible for you. This might include, but is not limited to, audio or video.

Closing Date: 13th January 2023