CEO Update: Q1, 2025

Operational highlights for Q1

Your quarterly inside track on the work of the World Scout Foundation from CEO, Mark Knippenberg.

 

Governance

The Executive Committee and Investment Committee met several times during this quarter, including to prepare for the May 2025 Board and Committee Meetings. The 2024 audit was also a feature of this quarter and is nearly complete. 
Our World Scout Foundation representative on the World Scout Committee, Jennifer Hancock, and I, participated at the World Scout Committee meeting in Nairobi, Kenya, 21–23 March. We provided an update from the Foundation, including on the progress of the renewal of funding for Messengers of Peace and the joint fundraising efforts underway with the World Scout Bureau. We also enjoyed engaging with the leadership of the Kenya Scout Association and participating in Scout activities with young people at the Rowallan Scout Camp.

Our BP Fellowship 

In the first quarter, we welcomed 17 new Baden-Powell Fellows and 12 Members of the Honours Programme (new and moving through the various Circles). The US BP Fellows Chapter held two online engagements for its BP Fellows, and the Japan Chapter hosted its annual meeting, where excitement is growing for the upcoming BP Fellowship event later this year in Malaysia! The team worked with the Swedish Chapter to update donor records ahead of their annual meeting in early April, where they will get together to welcome new BP Fellows and celebrate their ongoing support for World Scouting. 
Members of the High-Value Donor Fundraising Committee and the UK Chapter have been working to identify new prospective donors to engage during activities linked to the Foundation’s Board and Committee Meetings this May in Egham, UK. This event will also provide a very welcome opportunity to celebrate the re-energising of the UK Chapter.

Founder’s Heritage

One of the most meaningful ways you can create a lasting impact – whether for your loved ones or for the causes you care about — is through planned giving, and we are delighted that 65 of our BP Fellows have chosen to leave a gift in their will or testament to World Scouting. The steps you take today will shape the future for generations of young people in World Scouting, while accommodating your own personal, financial, estate-planning and philanthropic goals. Find out more about our planned giving programme and your benefits as a member of the Founder’s Heritage here, and get in touch with us for a personal consultation if you are interested in joining — we would love to hear from you!

Institutional partnerships

We continue to prepare for the renewal of a significant second phase of Messengers of Peace funding from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and look forward to sharing an update soon!  
We are excited to see the momentum in growing our portfolio of institutions, foundations and corporations in collaboration with the World Scout Bureau. In the first quarter, we explored new collaborations with a variety of partners, for example the Citi Foundation and UBS Switzerland, to grow financial support for key Scouting projects worldwide.  

Note: If you are a UBS client and interested in learning more about a potential collaboration, please get in touch with Mischa Rychener, Director of Philanthropy, to find out more. 

Many of you will have read in the news about sweeping foreign aid cuts that are affecting the non-profit sector worldwide. Now, more than ever, we need your strong support to ensure the continuity of our work to develop and strengthen World Scouting as partners worldwide scale back on funding and operations.

2025 Engagements with BP Fellows and Partners!

In the first quarter, we have been working to prepare key engagements in 2025 to bring together BP Fellows, supporters and key partners from around the world to strengthen our network and support for World Scouting, whilst highlighting the impact of your ongoing contributions. We have also happily confirmed the dates for the next two annual BP Fellowship Events. 
  
79th Meeting of the WSF Board and Committees  

The Foundation Board and Committees will meet in Egham, United Kingdom, 1–3 May. This event will also provide an opportunity to introduce several prospective donors to World Scouting, to engage with existing and new BP Fellows from the UK and celebrate the re-energising of the UK Chapter.

US Chapter Reception, Scouting America National Annual Meeting 
  
Our US Chapter will host a reception at the Scouting America National Annual Meeting on 14 May at 17:30 in Orlando, Florida. We look forward to welcoming BP Fellows from across the US and to recognising any new BP Fellows wishing to join on this occasion! 
 
77th Baden-Powell Fellowship Event, Kuala Lumpur, 23–26 October  

We’re working in cooperation with the National Scout Organization, Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia, and our Board Member Dato’ Soo Keng Yeoh, to plan and deliver a fantastic event. Join us to discover Scouting in Malaysia, learn about the impact of Malaysian and international Scouting thanks to your support, connect with friends in our unique network, and celebrate our BP Fellows and Honours Programme Members as we continue to expand our vibrant BP Fellowship. Registration will open in June 2025.

Honours Programme Field Trip

We’re working hard on a plan for a field trip for Honours Programme Members to discover the impact of Scouting close-up. We’re scoping options (Tunisia is in the mix, TBC!) — and we’re hunting for dates (November or December are likely). More information will follow as soon as possible!   We look forward to seeing you this year at one of our engagements. 

Save the dates: 78th BP Fellowship Event, Sweden
 
Our 2026 BP Fellowship Event in Stockholm, Sweden, is expected to take place 7–10 May 2026. Please save the dates. 

Digital engagement

 Work on the digital 2024 Annual Report is well underway, featuring engaging content highlighting the impact of Scouting, key donor support, our financials and governance — keep an eye on your inbox for your copy in late April. 
Over the last quarter, our digital content has highlighted your vital support to our successful 2024 Annual Appeal, celebrated International Women’s Day, shared inspiring Messengers of Peace impact stories in collaboration with World Scouting social media channels, all driving steady follower growth.  

We have also showcased Scout projects on the Scout Donation Platform to drive much-needed support, including the next phase of the Ticket to Life project in Kenya and support for Scout-led humanitarian response in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, Yemen and Syria via the regional Sanad appeal. You can help Scouts do more by donating to a project online today!  

We have also completed a major upgrade to our website architecture this quarter, replacing outdated systems and introducing a new navigation bar. We will soon move to also refreshing the content! 

For the latest information, please be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Photo Credits: The Kenya Scouts Association/WSC/Bonface Mania; Scout Association of Japan; World Scout Bureau Arab Support Centre;Pexels from Pixabay; Persekutuan Pengakap Malaysia.