Chairperson for GZL’s board (voluntary)
Are you passionate about art, heritage, and small charities? Want to lend your time to a radical, grassroots organisation that works in community? Do you have leadership skills that you can share?
Glasgow Zine Library is seeking a new Chairperson to lead our small, engaged board of trustees into the future.
About Us:
GZL aims to celebrate zine culture; uplift the experiences and practices of marginalised creatives; resource do it yourself (DIY) creativity; build community connection and joy; and democratise community arts access.
Using the basic principles of zines – DIY art, activism, and community-building, we host learning opportunities through accessible, affordable arts and heritage programming. We run a vibrant community space in the heart of Govanhill that encourages active participation, and we host a library of over 4000- self-published zines, the largest independent archive anywhere in the country. We also run the annual Glasgow Zine Fest, a giant celebration of zine culture that is now in its 11th year!
To do what we do, we need a board of trustees.
About our board:
A board is a crucial role for an organisation like ours; members lend their knowledge and their expertise, sign off on important decisions, act as a sounding board and governing voice, and help direct the future of the organisation. We want people who represent the amazing voices in our community to allow us to improve everything we do.
As our current Chairperson retires at the end of the year, we are seeking a Chairperson to lead our board.
A Chairperson:
Leads board meetings,
Liaises with staff to set agendas,
Works with the Treasurer and Team to produce the annual accounts.
They also work with the GZL Team on strategy and policy.
Advises on policies and strategic decisions, and helps to ensure that the charity complies with charity law and regulations.
Communicates decisions between board and staff
The Chair will need to attend 4 quarterly meetings throughout the year, and an annual away day/strategy day. These vary between Zoom and in-person meetings - candidates do not need to be based in Glasgow.
Our ideal Chair will have experience, knowledge or skills in some but not all of the following:
The third sector
Business leadership
Finance or charity accounting
An understanding of working in a small organisation.
Communication with stakeholders, including other board members.
We aim to have a board with a diverse set of skills and experiences, so we would love to know about any background you might have beyond those listed above.
As GZL moves forward, we will be expanding our accessibility and outreach, increasing our fundraised and earned income, providing more opportunities for our audience and network of collaborators, and finding new ways of serving and engaging our community.
As an organisation that sits in the middle arts, community, and heritage programming we are particularly interested in ideas that expand and solidify our ability to provide opportunities in all of those spheres - in terms of funding, programming and community engagement.
About your application:
Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the forefront of our organisation - and we want to make being a board member accessible. If there’s anything we can do during your application to make the process more accessible, please let us know.
We are offering informal chats to people who would like to apply but don’t know if they meet the criteria. Please get in touch and we would be happy to chat to you.
If you are interested, please send an email using the button below using the subject heading “Chair Application”, including a brief statement (300-500 words) about why you want to be on the board and what skills you might be able to bring.
Closing date: 24th November