CEO Update: Q4, 2024

Operational highlights for Q4

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

Our 2024 Annual Appeal  

Our Annual Appeal ran from 1 October to 31 December 2024, raising USD 1,026,256 for World Scouting thanks to the generosity of our BP Fellows and supporters worldwide. Throughout the appeal, we highlighted recent and ongoing Scout humanitarian action, both emergency response and preparedness following man-made and natural disasters and vital long-term Scout support to rebuild devastated communities and support the children and families affected. We know how Scouting can bring communities together in times of need, not only supporting vital access to education and skills development for young people but nurturing solidarity and kindness in the most difficult of circumstances.  

A special thank you to everyone who contributed, shared our stories and coverage, and/or introduced new BP Fellows!  As in previous years, we reached this total thanks to a combination of 394 donations of varying sizes coming from 189 donors: long-standing and new BP Fellows, plus donations from new and existing online donors. We are excited to see an increase in recurring donations set-up via our website, as this gives us a reliable source of funding, supporting longer-term forecasting.  

We were also delighted to welcome 26 new BP Fellows during this period, bringing the total for the year to 105!

76th BP Fellowship Event   

Our 76th BP Fellowship Event took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 25–28 October 2024, with the support of the Escoteiros do Brasil, the Scouts of Brazil. Over 150 BP Fellows, guests and Scouts joined our dynamic programme to celebrate the impact of Scouting and the continued support of our BP Fellows, recognise new BP Fellows and Honours Programme Members, discover Brazil Scouting and culture and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Brazil National Scout Organization, share updates and showcase our 2024 Annual Appeal to raise more funds for World Scouting!  

40 new BP Fellows and 21 Members of the Honours Programme were presented at the event. We were also proud to announce our first-ever Brazilian members of the Honours Programme, and the number of Brazilian BP Fellows increased from 10 to 24! For more details, please revisit our web news, photo galleries and Impact of Scouting Seminar video.   We also had the opportunity to join a special evening to thank and say farewell to the former Secretary General Ahmad Alhendawi, a fitting tribute to his dedicated services over the past 7.5 years.

Kenya Honours Programme Field Visit  

In November, Honours Programme Members joined an exciting Field Visit to Kenya to discover the vibrant Ticket to Life programme for children from vulnerable communities in Kenya. Over the course of three days, they engaged with representatives from the WSB Africa Scout Support Centre and the Kenya Scouts Association, discovering the regional and national priorities and learning more about the Ticket to Life programme. They visited dynamic Scout groups in Nairobi and Kisumu who are delivering Scouting alongside vital income-generating activities, as supported with funding via the World Scout Foundation and key BP Fellows, which is enabling the young people involved to learn key skills to boost their future employability. The group also travelled to Nyeri, to the resting place of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell, the Founders of Scouting and Guiding.   

The group has shared how special it was to witness just how far our funding goes and the difference that this programme makes, as well as to meet and connect with the incredibly inspiring and committed Scouts and Scout leaders involved. They have each pledged funding to resource the next phase of the Ticket to Life project in Kenya and would like to extend an invitation to all BP Fellows to join this effort so we can reach the USD 20,000 target by donating via the Scout Donation Platform. 

Fundraising 

The staff team prepared and submitted several funding proposals during this quarter with institutions and corporations, in coordination with members of the the Institutional Fundraising Committee, World Scout Bureau and national Scout contacts. A number of introductory meetings also took place with new institutions, as well as a coordination meeting with long-standing partner Alwaleed Philanthropies, to plan for the 2025 Global Project Fund.

The team is working on a portfolio of projects for potential new and existing donors from our network in cooperation with the World Scout Bureau Business Development Unit and tied to the new World Organization of the Scout Movement Strategy for Scouting. We are seeking support for a number of key projects including leadership training, skills for life, climate action and health and wellbeing. Please contact us directly if you are interested in learning more. During this quarter, two events were also held in Switzerland to engage existing and new donors in Zurich and Geneva.  

Work also continued, with the support of our Fundraising Committees, on key initiatives to review the recognition model, support BP Fellowship and Honours Programme pledge reconciliation efforts and confirm pledges to the Founder’s Heritage.
 

Governance 

The 78th WSF Board Meeting took place on 27 October 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, coinciding with the BP Fellowship Event. Amongst the decisions taken, the Board approved the creation of a WSF Investment Fund and mandated various actions to support the advancement of this work; approved a proposal for revitalising the Board, and approved the Statement of Principles on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. 

One meeting of the Executive Committee took place this quarter, in addition to several meetings of the Investment Committee to support the WSF Investment Fund development process. The Oversight Committee met twice to ensure project oversight of funded grants, including via a WSB led monitoring visit of a Brazil Scout project held immediately after the BP Fellowship Event in Rio de Janeiro.

World Scout Committee Meeting  

In November, Jennifer Hancock, Board Member and WSF representative on the World Scout Committee, and I attended the World Scout Committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur. We updated the Committee on the Foundation's work and presented the joint institutional fundraising and grant-making processes. Among the many items on the agenda, the Committee finalised the 2024–2027 Triennial Plan, completed the structure for the Operational Volunteer Framework, and began the process of searching for and recruiting the next WOSM Secretary General.

Digital Engagement 

Technical and security upgrades were initiated on our website at the end of the year to enable full control, editing and modifications by the team directly, to support a further phase of updates in 2025.

Web news and social media coverage supported our Annual Appeal and donor engagements, including a focus on Scout-led humanitarian action, such as the Brazilian flooding response as shared by Luiza at the 2024 Impact of Scouting Seminar, plus key milestones, including International Volunteer Day and Human Rights Day, Giving Tuesday, and our seasonal end-of-year messages. In December, we collaborated with the Arab Scout Region to promote their ongoing Sanad Appeal on the Scout Donation Platform to raise funds for Scout emergency response and eventual rebuilding in Palestine, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Sudan.

We were delighted with our social media growth throughout 2024, with a 51% increase in followers on Instagram, a 4.5% increase on Facebook and 41% increase on LinkedIn. Our engagement rates remained high, with consistently high post impressions, reach and engagement on our targeted channels, and an excellent Instagram engagement rate (Modash/Phlanx/HypeAuditor).  Our Mailing list increased by 13%.
 

Upcoming Events 

The 79th Meeting of the WSF Board and Committees will take place just outside London, UK in early May, alongside a dinner with the UK Chapter.  

The 77th BP Fellowship Event will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in the final quarter of 2025. Dates will be announced as soon as confirmed.