SHAPE THE NEXT DECADE OF YOUTHBANK INTERNATIONAL
Help build a world where young people have real power, real resources and real influence.
YouthBank International is entering an ambitious new phase.
We are looking for new people to join our Board of Trustees—people who bring experience, curiosity, judgement and connections, but who also believe deeply in something simple:
Young people should be the ones deciding.
For more than 20 years, YouthBank has put real money and real decisions into young people’s hands, supporting youth-led grantmaking across a network of more than 40 countries.
Now we are building the organisation that will take that work into its next decade.
Could you help us shape it?
This is not a typical trustee role.
YouthBank is built around sharing power.
Young people are not simply consulted. They are trusted with genuine decision-making power over funding and community priorities.
That principle applies to our Board too.
We want experienced people who are prepared to listen, learn, ask better questions and create space for younger voices—not crowd them out.
Our Board has been clear about the values we will not compromise:
Young people in the driving seat.
Sharing power and listening.
Integrity and sound judgement.
Belief in the mission.
Resourcefulness—the instinct to find a way forward.
If those values resonate with you, we would like to hear from you—whatever your background or CV looks like.
Three opportunities. One purpose.
We are currently recruiting for three types of Board role.
Chair-designate
Help a global youth-led movement decide how it finances and leads its next decade.
Our current Chair steps down in 2027, and we are recruiting a Chair-Designate now to allow a genuine 6–8 month transition and handover.
The Chair is the steward of YBI’s purpose, culture and partnerships.
You’ll help:
- Hold together a values-based culture as we grow
- Create space for the Executive Director to lead
- Build confidence and credibility with international partners and funders
- Mentor younger trustees
- Ask better questions rather than provide all the answers
The relationship between the Chair and Executive Director is central to this role. We are looking for someone who can provide honest challenge, support, counsel and a steady sounding board while enabling executive leadership.
We would particularly welcome someone with:
- Experience leading an organisation, community or major project through change
- International or cross-cultural partnership experience
- A strong public presence and ability to open doors
- A deep, demonstrated belief that young people should hold real decision-making power
You don’t need to have chaired a Board before. You don’t need to come from the charity sector.
We are interested in people from education, enterprise, technology, activism and beyond.
Treasurer
Help us answer one question: How do we finance the next decade?
We are not looking for someone simply to explain last month’s accounts.
We are looking for someone who can help YBI build a more sustainable future.
The Treasurer will help the Board understand and challenge:
- Cashflow forecasting and scenario planning
- Income diversification
- Earned income, consultancy and subscriptions
- Partnership agreements
- Investment in digital products and organisational capability
- Pricing and the relationship between income and delivery costs
- Financial controls, reserves and statutory reporting
Who are we looking for?
A formal accountancy qualification is welcome, but not essential.
We are equally interested in people from:
- Social enterprise
- Finance
- Business development
- Mixed-income organisations
We need someone comfortable with uncertainty, interested in how money comes in and calm when things are tight.
Integrity, sound judgement and a belief in young people’s decision-making power are non-negotiable.
Trustee
Real lives. Real money. Real change.
We are looking for new trustees to join our Board as YouthBank International enters its next phase.
We are deliberately looking for a mix of people, because a strong Board needs different experiences, perspectives and ways of thinking.
We would especially like to hear from:
YOUNG PEOPLE
People under 30, including YouthBank alumni.
No Board experience needed.
ENTREPRENEURS & BUSINESS BUILDERS
People who think about how organisations sustain themselves and grow.
CONNECTORS
People who enjoy opening doors to funders, partners and new audiences.
INTERNATIONAL & CROSS-CULTURAL LEADERS
People with experience of the regions and communities our network reaches.
ACTIVISTS & ORGANISERS
People working outside the traditional NGO world who bring different perspectives and experience.
What matters more than your CV?
When our Board was asked what it would not compromise on, the answers were about character rather than credentials.
We are looking for people with:
Integrity and sound judgement.
A real belief in our mission.
A commitment to young people holding genuine decision-making power.
The ability to listen and share power.
Resourcefulness – the instinct to find a way forward in a lean organisation.
If that sounds like you, we would like to hear from you.
You don`t have to know everything!
We don’t expect new trustees to arrive with every answer.
Every new trustee receives a proper induction and is paired with an experienced trustee as a mentor.
And the relationship works both ways:
Our experienced trustees expect to learn from our newest ones.
That’s particularly important to us because YouthBank is about sharing power – not simply passing knowledge from one generation to another.
Why YouthBank International?
Because we believe participation isn’t enough.
Young people should have the opportunity to make decisions, manage resources and create change.
YouthBank has developed a methodology that has been implemented across more than 40 countries, putting real money and real decisions into young people’s hands.
Our next challenge is to build the organisation that can take that work further – without losing the values that made it possible in the first place.
That’s where you come in.
Could you help shape what comes next?
Whether you’re an experienced leader, entrepreneur, finance professional, activist, international practitioner, YouthBank alumni, or simply someone who believes young people should have genuine power…
we want to hear from you!
You don’t need the perfect CV.
You need the right values, judgement and willingness to contribute.
Choose your role.
CHAIR-DESIGNATE
Help steward YBI’s purpose, culture and partnerships through its next phase.
TREASURER
Help YBI build the financial thinking and sustainability needed for the next decade.
TRUSTEE
Bring your experience, perspective and networks to a Board committed to sharing power.
Ready to apply?
You can apply by sending a CV or a short paragraph explaining why you would like to fill the role to norman.leet@youthbankinternational.org.
Applications close: 11 September 2026
Not ready to apply yet?
That’s completely fine.
We welcome informal conversations about the roles. Reach out to us with questions, doubts, or ideas via email: norman.leet@youthbankinternational.org