GIN is a global network of LGBTIQ++ people of faith who use their faith traditions as a source of insight and energy to advocate for the human rights of LGBTIQ++ people globally. GIN has a specific focus on what we call Key Affected Contexts, places where violence and power collude with religion, culture and tradition most viciously to instigate homophobic and transphobic discrimination, many of which are in the Global South. Our Secretariat is based in South Africa, and we have approximately 420 members (both individuals and organisations) worldwide.
Our Board consists of 8 regional representatives (one for each region: Latin America, the Caribbean, Sub Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, East and South East Asia, the Pacific, and the ‘Global North’ region which includes the US, Canada, Australia, NewZealand and Europe) as well as 3 South African representatives to facilitate the day to day operations of the organization.
The Board meets online every two months, and face to face once a year for about three days (although at the moment, this meeting is also taking place virtually).
In our upcoming GIN General Members’ Meeting (GMM) which will take place online in September 2021, we will run Board elections for 6 Board representatives.
In this round of elections we are replacing outgoing Board members in the following regions:
- Latin America,
- South and Central Asia,
- East and South East Asia,
- the ‘Global North’,
- 2 of the 3 South Africans.
We are therefore calling for applications for Board representatives for the above mentioned regions. The process will be as follows:
- See below the list of requirements for a representative to be elected onto the GIN board. We are sending you a questionnaire, via this link, for applicants to answer as part of the application process;
- Questionnaires should be filled out on the Google form at the above link and submitted. Please note that applications to be a candidate for a Board seat will close on 20 August 2021;
- The Board nomination committee will vet candidates according to our set criteria, and applications will be made available online for members to review on 6 September 2021;
- Elections will then be run virtually following the GMM webinars, and the results will be made available within two weeks of the end of the voting.
Requirements for Candidacy
- You must have demonstrable qualifications in one or more of the following areas:
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- Financial management and Treasurer duties
- Fundraising, grant writing, and grant reporting
- Legal issues and compliance for non-profits
- Staff supervision and strategic plan implementation through programming
- Board governance and management
- You must be an individual GIN Member or a representative of a Member Entity.
- You must have excellent attention to detail and communication skills, both written and oral; consistent access to internet and a computer are essential
- You must have strong character, tenacity, and integrity
- You must have 10 hours per month to dedicate to your work as a Board Member
- You must have strong political analysis of what it means to be a Global South-centered organization, member-led, and intersectional
- You must be able to, in your own way, provide spiritual leadership within and on behalf of our organisation
Desirable Qualities
- Strong collegial networks, preferably international in scope
- Experience in one or more of our programmatic areas:
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- Creating Religious Dialogue
- Training and Educational Resources
- Media and Global Messaging
- Human Rights, Policy, and Legal Advocacy
- Regional Networking and Outreach on Behalf of GIN
- Creating Safer Spaces and Skills for Maintaining Groups/Movement Work
- Skills in content development for educational materials
- Ordination or formal leadership within a faith community
- Public speaking skills
