CEO Update: Q1, 2023

Operational highlights for Q1

Your new quarterly inside track on the work of the World Scout Foundation.

Strengthened working relationship WSF and WOSM

Thanks to a strengthened working relationship with the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM), the team is collaborating on several key projects this year to strengthen and diversify fundraising efforts and reshape operations to deliver even more resources to World Scouting as per our 2022-2030 Strategy.

Representatives of the Foundation Board, Committees and staff participated in an initial focus group discussion on 21 January to provide input on a new bold, forward-thinking Vision and Strategy for the World Organization of the Scout Movement.

On 22 and 23 February, Mark Knippenberg had the pleasure of attending the second meeting of CEOs of National Scout Organisations, organised by WOSM and hosted by the BSA in New York City. CEOs (or equivalent) from the US, Sweden, UK, Czechia, Kenya, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Brazil and Tanzania attended the meeting, chaired by WOSM Secretary General Ahmad Alhendawi, and discussed and shared ideas and best practices on topics including strategy development, resource mobilisation, governance and child protection and safeguarding.
The Foundation staff is collaborating closely with the new Business Development Unit of the World Scout Bureau (WSB), including on the development of a new strategy to secure new partners to create a more diverse, sustainable model with a suite of different income streams linked to effective reporting, grants management and advocacy activity.
Quarter 4 reporting for the 2022 Scouts for SDGs funding was finalised with colleagues from the WSB and shared with the Alwaleed Philanthropies team.

Annual Appeal

The first-ever Annual Appeal of the Foundation ran from October 2022 to 31 January 2023, raising USD 719,000 in donations and resulting in 16 new BP Fellows. Learnings from this first digital appeal are being captured to inform the next appeal, which will run in Quarter 4 of 2023. Data analysis showed that a good number of donations were received from ‘new network’ donors and that the donation amount per donor was well above the non-profit benchmark.

Scout Donation Platform

Working closely with colleagues from the World Scout Bureau, the staff finalised the development of a new and improved co-branded Scout Donation Platform. The new platform is a fresh, state-of-the-art crowdfunding solution, fully integrated with our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, allowing the Foundation to broaden its donor base. The platform will provide resources for Scouts worldwide to create and fundraise for their own projects at a local level and will allow for fundraising campaigns with WOSM, for example, to support emergency Scout appeals and for the Foundation’s Annual Giving Appeal. Here’s a sneak preview of the Platform, which aims to go live in late April.

Emergency Response for Earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria

In early February, World Scouting launched a call for emergency funding for Scouts responding to the devasting earthquakes, facilitated via the World Scout Foundation, which raised over USD 137,000 from over 420 BP Fellows, Scouts and supporters worldwide. Read more about the impact here.

Committees of the Board

The staff continues to work closely with the Committees of the Board to make progress against goals in the areas of fundraising, governance and oversight. In the first quarter, we have taken steps to restructure the largest of the Fundraising Committees, developing a more focused mandate and clear goals for the volunteers. In addition, Fundraising Committee members have developed new relationships with institutional partners, set clear goals for the active WSF Chapters in several countries and supported the development of several key resources and tools to support our fundraising efforts.

Two meetings of the Executive Committee took place in this quarter in addition to meetings of the Investment, Nominations and Oversight Committees.

Progress against Goals

The Foundation aims to raise USD 10 million in 2023. To date, we have raised USD 1.5 million and welcomed 19 new BP Fellows into our network!

We count on your continued support so we can provide the necessary resources to contribute to the development of 100 million young, active citizens worldwide. Do you know someone who would like to join this incredible network of BP Fellows and support the work of Scouting worldwide? Please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you!

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Thank you for your continued support!

2023 Engagement with BP Fellows and Partners

This year marks the first full year of implementing our new Strategy. In support of our ambitious fundraising goals, the team is preparing multiple opportunities to showcase the impact of your contribution and establish new opportunities and funding streams for World Scouting throughout the year. Here’s a brief overview of what’s to come:

75th Meeting of the WSF Board and Committees

The Board will hold its first meeting of the year in Cascais, Portugal, 22–24 April.

A New Strategy and Vision for Scouting

In May, we are headed to Pforzheim, Germany to participate in a collaborative strategy workshop, joining key stakeholders from across the World Scout Movement to together build a first draft of WOSM’s new Strategy for Scouting. The workshop is generously hosted by Board and Regal Circle Member Siegfried Weiser. We look forward to working closely to attain greater efficiency based on stronger alignment to reach the Scout Movement’s aspirations for Vision 2023 and beyond.

BPF Reception, Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Annual Meeting

We will host a reception at the BSA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia on 31 May. We look forward to welcoming BP Fellows from across the US, where we will give a brief update on our new Strategy and introduce members of the Board of the new US Chapter, which is in development thanks to the BSA.

Partner Conferences

In close collaboration with WOSM, the staff is preparing for three events to bring together existing partners and donors and explore new collaborations to support World Scouting. The first event will be hosted by our Chair, HRH Prince Guillaume in Luxembourg on 9 June, followed by a joint event in New York City during the United Nations General Assembly. A final forum will take place at the World Scout Education Congress this December in Paris. We will use the three occasions to strengthen our approach to “Accelerating World Scouting’s Impact on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” by showcasing the impact of Scouting on young people and society at large, with a focus on how Scouts are contributing to the Sustainability Agenda 2030.

World Scout Jamboree

The 25th World Scout Jamboree will take place 1–12 August 2023, in SaeManGeum, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea. The Foundation will host a BP Fellowship Reception on 3 August and leverage a Jamboree programme opportunity to reach a diverse, young audience by promoting and spotlighting the new Scout Donation Platform.

Honours Programme Field Visit

This year’s Honours Programme Field Visit will take place 28 September–1 October 2023. Honours Programme Members are invited to join us in Split, on the beautiful Dalmatian coast, to experience Croatian Scouting, participate in the innovative and successful Scout Boranka initiative to reforest areas destroyed by wildfires, discover projects to skill up young people, promote nationwide volunteering and grow Savez izviđača Hrvatske, The Scout and Guide Association of Croatia. Our exciting programme promises to be a fantastic learning opportunity and enormous fun!

75th BP Fellowship Event, Kandersteg

The next BP Fellowship event will be held 5–8 October 2023 in the home village of the WSF office, Kandersteg, Switzerland, as part of the centennial celebrations of Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) and in cooperation with the Swiss Scout Movement. We are busy planning a thrilling programme in this stunning part of the Swiss Alps with both Swiss and international flavours. We can’t wait to let you know more next month!

2023 Regal Circle Dinner

This year’s Regal Circle Dinner, for Members of the Regal and Baden-Powell Circles, will take place on Thursday 5 October 2023 at the beautiful Castle Oberhofen on Lake Thun in Switzerland, and will be hosted by Board and Regal Circle Member Beat Wenger.

We look forward to seeing you at one of the many events!