CEO Update: Q4, 2023
Operational highlights for Q4
Your quarterly inside track on the work of the World Scout Foundation from Mark Knippenberg, CEO.
Annual Appeal 2023
We exceeded our USD 1 million goal with our 2023 Annual Appeal, which ran from October to December 2023, raising over USD 1.25 million for World Scouting!! More than 230 donations were received, including general donations to the appeal from existing and new donors, as well as annual contributions made by BP Fellows against existing pledges.
BP Fellows, WSF Board and Committee Members, volunteers, as well as my staff: thank you so much for all your efforts to increase our reach and impact. Thank you also to those who introduced and onboarded 25 new BP Fellows during this period. Several Young BP Fellows have already been onboarded following a "KISC Pinkie" sponsorship initiative at our 75th BP Fellowship Event, and more will follow!
In October we also updated our donation pages, making it even easier to donate online and to set up a monthly donation to ensure regular support and/or as a great way to pay off an existing pledge over time. Take a look here and please don’t hesitate to contact us should you want more information or support your outreach to potential new BP Fellows!
Gatherings of the BP Fellowship
75th World BP Fellowship Event
Our 75th World Baden-Powell Fellowship Event took place 5–8 October 2023, bringing together over 250 BP Fellows, guests and Scouts in Kandersteg, Switzerland, as part of the Kandersteg International Scout Centre (KISC) centennial celebrations and in cooperation with the Swiss Guide and Scout Movement. For a full recap of the rich programme of activities, please refer back to our detailed web news and photo galleries.
A key feature was our 2023 Impact of Scouting Seminar, which included introductory inputs by WSF Board Member and Immediate Past Chair HRH Prince Guillaume and Kandersteg Mayor Barbara Jost; followed by moving accounts of the impact of incredible Scout initiatives by four Scout speakers: Gidds Bambaga from Uganda, Lisa Strehlke from Switzerland, Yossr Baaziz from Tunisia and Edward Nyamwera from Malawi — all introduced by our MC Flor Cagliero (KISC/Argentina); We then hosted a panel discussion and audience Questions and Answers session featuring our Scout speakers and panellist Dr Nina Ferencic from UNICEF, who shared about the incredible impact of Scouting and UNICEF's joint response following the war in Ukraine via the project UAct. Read some accounts from young Scouts in the Scout Diaries here. We also heard from WOSM Chairperson and WSF Board Member Andy Chapman and the panel was facilitated by BP Fellow Tania Roach, Chief Marketing and Fundraising Officer at Save the Children Germany. In closing, we launched the 2023 Annual Appeal for all present, alongside a simultaneous digital launch.
Another special element was the Gala Dinner, where 59 new Baden-Powell Fellows and 31 Members of the Honours Programme (couples and individuals) were recognised by HM The King and HRH Prince Guillaume, undertaking his last official duties as WSF Chair.
Feedback received from the event was positive — the average satisfaction score was 9.1, with 48.4% giving the event the highest score of 10 — and critical qualitative feedback has been collected to ensure we continue to build on our learning for future events.
Regal Circle Dinner
Prior to the 75th BP Fellowship Event, 30 Members of the Regal Circle of the Honours Programme and guests joined His Majesty at a Regal Circle Dinner generously hosted by Beat Wenger on 5 October 2023 at Schloss Oberhofen, a thirteenth-century castle on Lake Thun in the Canton of Bern, Switzerland. During the event, HRH Prince Guillaume and Beat spoke passionately about Scouting, recognising the generosity of Regal Circle Members and encouraging continued support from existing and potential new RC Members.
Meetings in Seoul and Tokyo
In November, I had the pleasure of travelling to Seoul and Tokyo for meetings with BP Fellows and respective Board Members. In Seoul, I met with Board Member Byung Soo Baik and Hi Moon Shin, former Executive Director of the Korea Scout Foundation, with discussions related to further increasing the number of BP Fellows and Honours Programme Members.
In Tokyo, I was joined by Thijs Stoffer, Board Member and Co-Chair of BP Fellows Fundraising Committee, to attend the annual meeting of the Japan Chapter. We briefed the Chapter on the WSF Strategy and the important role of our Chapters in this. Together with Yorimasa Matsudaira, I presented four new BP Fellows with their pins and certificates. We met with the President and Secretary General of the Scout Association of Japan, thanking them for the significant support given to the Japan Chapter over the past years. We also met with the family of our beloved, late Board Member, Masaya Arao, to pay our respects.
Institutional Donors & Partners
Key meetings and discussions continued during this period with our longstanding institutional partner for Messengers of Peace, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in preparation for a second phase of the flagship World Scouting initiative. We hope to be able to announce a new partnership imminently.
Planning for renewed funding to build on Scouts for SDGs funded initiatives continued in the fourth quarter with longstanding partner Alwaleed Philanthropies, alongside ongoing reporting and planning for the Global Initiatives funding in 2024. A six-month extension was also agreed for the local Saudi Arabia University Rover Scout project running since 2020 up to July 2024, offering Scouting and leadership opportunities for more women in Saudi universities.
During this period, our team, supported by the World Scout Bureau Business Development Unit and members of the Institutional Fundraising Committee, advanced numerous discussions and early partnership work with potential new institutional donors in London, Zurich, Luzern, Singapore and New York.
Meetings of WSF Board and Committees
The 76th Meeting of the WSF Board took place on 7 October during the 75th BP Fellowship Event. Key items for discussion and/or approval included the WOSM report; CEO update; Investment Committee update (following its October meeting); Messengers of Peace funding update; approval of the 2024 Operational Budget; Oversight Committee report (following its October meeting); upcoming engagements and events; the Nominations Committee report and subsequent approval of new Board Member Nathan Rosenberg, new WSF Chair, Rob Woolford and new Chair Elect, Beat Wenger. The Board Meeting was also the opportunity to sincerely thank HRH Prince Guillaume for his strong support over the past two years, and warmly congratulate him on successfully completing his two-year term as WSF Chair. HRH Prince Guillaume now holds the key role of Immediate Past Chair.
Members of the High-Value Donor/Regal Circle Fundraising Committee, supported by the Swiss Chapter, hosted a successful cultivation event in Zurich on 4 October, featuring our Impact of Scouting Seminar speaker from Malawi. At the end of November, we received a new pledge to the Regal Circle from US BP Fellows. The Committee continues the follow-up with guests that attended the events in 2023 in Zürich and New York and is also working on an engagement strategy for outstanding pledges.
The Honours Programme Fundraising Committee met in November to review progress against the goals and plan upcoming work. It established four working groups to advance work on Legacy Giving (Founders Heritage), Honours Programme engagements and a review of the Honours Programme levels and incentives.
The BPF Fundraising Committee met in November to discuss an action plan for 2024 and delegate several topics to smaller working groups including the review of promotional materials and recognition procedures ahead of its next meeting in January.
Progress against goals
Our fundraising income remained steady in 2023 and we ended the year with USD 4.8 million (2022: USD 4.9 million), compared to an average donation income of USD 2.4 million from 2012 to 2021, showing that the foundations we are laying are already producing significant results to support Scouting worldwide. We will continue to build on this to realise the targets set in our Strategy.
By the end of the year, we had gained 81 new BP Fellows and 29 persons had advanced through the Honours Programme, including 1 couple joining the Regal Circle — representing a 10-year high. It also shows us that with the support of the Fundraising Committees, active Chapters, committed recruiters and streamlined processes, we should be able to reach 100 new BP Fellows annually. Thank you again to everyone who has contributed to expanding our unique network of passionate supporters of World Scouting.
Digital engagement
Our digital engagement in the fourth quarter focused on promoting our Annual Appeal and sharing stories of Scouting’s Impact via a dedicated landing page and multi-channel communications including e-news, web stories, social media and video clips. We also teamed up with the World Scout Bureau communications colleagues to extend our reach.
As such, our digital content during this period highlighted: the launch of our 2023 Annual Appeal; news of the 75th BP Fellowship Event; the CEO Quarter 3 Update; Edward’s Ticket to Life story and his Impact of Scouting Seminar recording; Giving Tuesday, with a broader Ticket to Life feature on three young Scouts from Kenya, Thailand and the Philippines; International Volunteer Day; my Season’s Greeting and a popular end-of-year feature on key moments that moved us in 2023.
We continued to increase our social media following during the last quarter of 2023, closing the year with a 6.36% growth of followers on Facebook, 63.97% on Instagram and 72.79% on LinkedIn. Our most popular social media post during this quarter featured the 75th WSF BP Fellowship Event wrap-up on 9 October!
In partnership with WOSM
The Foundation was pleased to participate at the 4th World Scout Education Congress in Paris in December to connect, support and network with educational leaders from the worldwide Scout Movement. A few days later, Board Member and Co-lead of the Institutional Fundraising Committee, HH Princess Sama Bint Faisal Al Saud represented the Foundation at the 2023 UN Climate Change Conference “CoP28” in Dubai, including a speaking engagement on the joint SAP/WOSM panel discussion held at the Rewired Education Summit on 8 December, hosted by Dubai Cares. She also participated in side events with WOSM Youth Representatives and additional partner meetings.
During this period, we were also pleased to provide input on the ongoing process of developing a new WOSM Strategy.
A big Thank You to all of you — our BP Fellows, Board and Committee Members, volunteers, partners, and staff colleagues, for what we have achieved together in 2023! Let’s continue in 2024 by raising more funds for World Scouting!
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