Dynamic Meetings of WSF Board & Committees
Foundation Board and Committee Members, staff and guests gathered in Cascais, Portugal, 22–24 April 2023 for a series of governance and fundraising committee meetings; a vibrant Scout evening to discover Portuguese Scouting; a dinner for volunteers and staff including a welcome opportunity to recognise new BP Fellows and Honours Programme Members; and the 75th Meeting of the Foundation Board.
75th Board Meeting
The 75th Meeting of the Foundation Board took place on Monday 24 April, under the leadership of our Chair, HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg, and our Honorary Chairman, HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
"What we are doing here is extremely important to support millions of young people— young leaders." HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Honorary Chairman of the World Scout Foundation
Governance decision-making and discussions took place on a wide range of topics, including:
- The report of the Investment Committee and the performance of the investment portfolio.
- The report of the Audit Committee, a report from the representative from our external auditors, Price Waterhouse Coopers and approval of the annual audit.
- The report of the Oversight Committee, which oversees the World Scouting grant making process.
- Membership and structures of the Sub-committees of the Board, including the Fundraising Committees.
- Progress to secure renewed institutional funding for Messengers of Peace.
- The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) activity report, including the use of the Operational Grant, delivered by the World Scout Committee Chair, Vice Chair and WOSM Secretary General — all ex-officio members of the Foundation Board.
- The Treasurer’s update and agreement of the WOSM annual Operational Grant 2023–24.
- Future events to support fundraising and engagement, including the upcoming 75th BP Fellowship Event in Kandersteg, Switzerland (5–8 October 2023); Honours Programme Field Trip, Split, Croatia (28 September–1 October 2023); in addition to events in 2024, now approved and to be announced shortly!
- The revised handbook for Board Members, including related Terms of Reference and policies.
New Board members
The Board also discussed the recommendation of the Nominations Committee, which had met prior to the Board meeting on 29 March and approved the co-optation of four new Board members to boost the work of the Foundation: Mrs Jennifer Hancock from the United States of America; Ambassador Ahmad Rusdi from Indonesia; Mr Thijs Stoffer from the Netherlands; and Mrs Darci Swanson from the United States of America.
Board Members warmly welcomed their new colleagues, expressing confidence in their accomplishments and ability to significantly contribute to the Foundation’s objectives to drive fundraising and engagement to achieve the 2022–2030 Strategy.
Sub-committee meetings
Hybrid meetings of the Investment, Audit and Oversight Committees took place in advance of and in preparation for the Board Meeting.
Four newly reorganised Fundraising Committees also held hybrid meetings with the participation of members who could not join in person. The four committees for Institutional Fundraising, High-Value Donors, the Honours Programme and Baden-Powell Fellows and new networks; each focus on different segments of the Foundation's donor base.
The Fundraising Committees then came together for the Joint Meeting of the Fundraising Committees on Sunday 23 April to review progress against the Strategy; share plans for the next period; and identify areas for cooperation and synergies to support the Strategy. Key topics workshopped included life-long giving and planned giving. The meetings closed positively, recognising the achievements to date by volunteers and staff and underlining the need to boost efforts further, regularly convene online and implement the ambitious plans to drive more funding for World Scouting.
Scout evening: Why we do what we do!
In the midst of meetings of the Foundation Board and Committees, the Federação Escutista de Portugal (Portuguese Scout Federation) welcomed us for an incredible evening on 22 April to discover local Scouting alongside Scouts from Cascais, the wider Federation and its two national Scout associations.
Our guests enjoyed international ice-breakers, a fantastic spread of Portuguese delicacies and traditional foods, and then as the sun set; a Scout campfire celebrating international friendship and unity — all an incredible reminder of exactly why we do what we do! No one will forget our four Swedish BP Fellows singing their National Anthem, our guests sharing Scout stories from their countries, and the wonderfully animated campfire dancing and singing!
Addresses were given by Ivo Moreira de Faria Oliveira, President of the Federação Escutista de Portugal and BP Fellow; Dr Carlos Carreiras, Mayor of Cascais — also a proud Cub Scout in his youth; HM The King of Sweden, our WSF Honorary Chairman; and Mark Knippenberg, WSF CEO.
“I always like to tell Scouts: You’re never alone. You have 57 million friends around the world. And when I think of that, I feel proud. And what you’re doing, you do it together with another 57 million young people, and we can do a lot together! Thank you for what you’re doing and above all, keep on doing it!” HM King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, WSF Honorary Chairman
Our profound thanks to the Portuguese Scouts, in particular to José Pamplona, International Commissioner of the Federação Escutista de Portugal, for the coordination of the evening and support to the Foundation’s broader event; to the Municipality of Cascais, and in particular the Youth Department, for their generosity and kind support for the evening, on top of long-standing and significant support to Portuguese Scouts; and to all of the Scouts, Rovers and leaders who brought the evening to life, animating activities, MC-ing the proceedings, and cooking for all the guests. We loved being with you; thank you!
BP Fellow and Honours Programme Presentations
On Sunday evening, 23 April, our Board and Committee members, staff and guests enjoyed an intimate dinner on the seafront, and a most welcome opportunity to recognise several new BP Fellows and Honours Programme Members.
HM The King of Sweden and HRH Prince Guillaume of Luxembourg presented the iconic gold BP Fellow pin and certificate to:
- Mr Ivo Moreira de Faria Oliveira, Portugal, a BP Fellow since 2019.
- Mr José Pamplona, Portugal, and new BP Fellow since 2023.
- Ms Amélie Bossomo Makom, a new BP Fellow, since 2022, from Cameroon.
It was a pleasure to then recognise BP Fellows moving through the Honours Programme:
- Mr & Mrs Walter and Maya Schadenfroh, from Liechtenstein, recognised as Members of the International Circle of the Honours Programme. Walter is also a Member of our Investment Committee.
- Mr Stefan Mahlstein, from Sweden, recognised as a Member of the Chairman’s Circle of the Honours programme. Stefan is also Co-Chair of the Institutional Fundraising Committee.
In an unexpected turn of events, HRH Prince Guillaume was then surprised with the gift of a BP Fellowship for his one-month-old second son, HRH Prince François, from a generous, anonymous donor, which he was delighted to accept.
HRH Prince Guillaume addressed the guests, thanking our donors for their continued generosity; our passionate volunteers for their time, efforts and strategic input to date; and the staff team for the fantastic work invested in modernising the Foundation and developing the tools needed to achieve the Strategy.
“Thank you to those who have contributed generously to the Foundation. We live in extremely challenging times and we know to cherish donations like yours.” HRH Prince Guillaume, Chair of the World Scout Foundation
Don’t miss out:
- Our 2022 Annual Report is just out! Find out more about our impact, discover some of the incredible Scout projects we fund; learn about our Strategy, our generous donors, 2022 financials and governance!
- Learn more about the Foundation including the BP Fellowship and how to join.
- We look forward to welcoming BP Fellows to the 75th Baden-Powell Fellowship Event, taking place as part of the centennial celebrations in Kandersteg, Switzerland, 5–8 October 2023. Registration is planned to open later in May!