OBI Chair & Treasurer's Reports
OBI was created to oversee i) licensing of new Outward Bound Schools, ii) risk management and program quality standards for all Outward Bound Schools across the network, iii) brand management, and iv) the promotion of communications and networking amongst OBI members. Our mandate states that OBI exists:
To promote and protect the good name of Outward Bound throughout the world, and to assist in the establishment, development, and support of Outward Bound Centers able to provide safe, high-quality programs that fulfill the Mission of Outward Bound.
2021 has been an exceptional year for OBI and for our members around the network – a year that will again be remembered for the global Covid-19 pandemic and the effect it has had on the world.
The effect on our member Schools has been dramatic. We have seen a huge reduction in participation numbers, revenue has declined sharply and Schools have been forced to suspend operations – some for almost a whole year. However, as I write, the position is improving – but some Schools are still very badly affected by restrictions.
Early in 2021, we took the decision to cancel the World Conference that had been scheduled to take place in Brazil in March. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Outward Bound Brazil for all that they did to facilitate the Conference and then to reschedule with virtually no notice. We remain committed to visiting Brazil when we can.
In 2021, we held our AGM by Teams call and all of our Board meetings were “virtual” rather than face to face. We have grown accustomed to TEAMS calls and all of the Schools in our network have engaged with, and contributed to, regular update calls.
You will know that a key priority in our Strategic Plans is collaboration, and through our investment in Microsoft 365, SharePoint and TEAMS, we have been able to bring Schools together on a regular basis to exchange ideas, share our Covid experiences and to look forward to better times for Outward Bound.
The OBI Board has also made good use of TEAMS for regular updates and formal meetings. We have made good progress in the final year of our 2019-2021 Strategic Plan – with almost all of our stated objectives being achieved (we haven’t been able to bring the network together at a World Conference as explained above). We have worked hard to develop the next iteration of the plan that will take us through to 2024 and beyond and I commend this to you.
I also would like to record the thanks of the Board to Rob Chatfield who completed his employment with OBI this year. Rob has unrivaled OB experience having worked across the network for over 40 years, and we will miss him greatly. I am delighted that we had the opportunity to present him with the Kurt Hahn Award when we met in Canada in 2019.
In these highly unusual circumstances, it has not been possible to undertake a normal round of Program Reviews in 2021. However, the RMC developed a system of Virtual Risk Assessments and 37 of our 38 Schools completed a VRA in 2021. I would like to thank Ops. Com. and the reviewer team for the their time, commitment and expertise. Hopefully, Reviews will be back to normal in 2022!
We established “Global Ambassadors” in 2020 and this year saw further growth in membership . Outward Bound Global Ambassadors are a distinguished and dedicated group of Outward Bound champions who have been involved in a significant way with Outward Bound either regionally or globally, and would like to continue to support and inspire the global Outward Bound movement. You can find out more on our website and in the Treasurer’s Report below.
This has been a very difficult year for Outward Bound both operationally and financially. However, I want you to know that I have been unendingly impressed by the resilience, compassion, innovation and dedication that our Schools, their Boards and staff have shown throughout this crisis. Our regular update calls have been both informative and inspirational.
Special thanks to Iain Peter, our Executive Director, and Rob Chatfield, our Associate Director, for their guidance and dedication. To our consultants Sarah Wiley, Faye Cowley and Stephen Sacks and to all of the other folks behind the scenes who support OBI. Thanks also to our Board and the Chairs and members of the sub-committees responsible for: Operations (Nicholas Conceicao), Risk Management (Deirdre Lander), Finance (Colin Maund), Nominations & Governance (John Atkin) and the Environmental Working Group (Grant Faber).
The pandemic has demonstrated to us all that the world needs Outward Bound now more than ever before – I am confident that the network is safe in your hands and that we will emerge stronger, better and ready to deliver.
David Kong
David Kong, Chair, Outward Bound International
2021 has been a very difficult year for Outward Bound Schools around the world. The worldwide Covid19 pandemic has had very serious effect on our members’ ability to deliver programs. Participation numbers reduced dramatically again this year as did School’s revenue.
Each Outward Bound school is financially independent and has responsibility for its own financial performance, so the accounts presented here are solely for Outward Bound International (OBI). OBI acts as a coordinator for the schools and awards and maintains licenses as the agent of Outward Bound Global, the ultimate trademark owner of the Outward Bound name and process.
In 2021 we saw OBI funding from schools fall as a result of the pandemic. The OBI Board decided early in the year that we would, again, do all that we could to accommodate Schools who were struggling to pay their fees. In addition, we have reduced expenditure wherever possible.
Rob Chatfield’s employment with OBI concluded this year and these accounts include costs associated with the conclusion of his contract. Rob has been a great servant to Outward Bound and we take this opportunity to thank him for his commitment and service and wish him well for the future.
The OBI financial position has been supported this year by the fundraising efforts of our consultant Sarah Wiley and by our Global Ambassadors. Their financial contribution has enabled us to continue to deliver against our Strategic Plan objectives and I would like to formally thank them for their support.
Despite Covid’s best efforts, the core elements of OBI’s service to the network remain broadly in line with cost expectations. The financial effect of the pandemic has been to reduce fee income by almost $70K on the previous year . However, fundraising and funding support has improved and so the overall position is broadly stable. Cash reserves fell by a modest $40K which is in line with expectations and is less than 5% of overall reserves. Total assets have decreased as we have been forced to take a pessimistic view as to the likelihood of Schools being able to pay the back fees that they owe. Cash balances remain healthy and OBI continues to able to fulfil its role and pursue its strategic initiatives for the long term benefit of the network. We are confident that the ongoing Strategic Plan work will continue to be of significant benefit to the network.
I would also like to thank the members of the Fundraising and Finance Committees together with our book keeper Stephen Sacks for all of their help and support this year.
This has been a very difficult and demanding year for the whole Outward Bound network. I am particularly grateful for the support of our Chair, David Kong, the members of the Finance Committee and particularly the support staff of OBI, Iain Peter, Sarah Wiley, Rob Chatfield and Faye Cowley. Without the hard work, dedication and ingenuity of our staff the position of OBI would be far more fragile.
We have another tough year to come and will again have to deploy a portion of our reserves to see us through but as I write this there are positive signals that some of our schools may be back to normal before too long. We will have to remain cautious in the short term but the excellent work put in place to take forward our strategic initiatives means that we will be better placed than ever to provide a service to our member organisations and to re-energise the Outward Bound network as we emerge from this truly global crisis.
Colin Maund
Colin Maund, Treasurer, Outward Bound International
OBI Board Members: John Atkin, Henry Morse & David Kong