If you would like a copy of our latest Annual Report, please see the Charity Commission website.
Here's a summary of our work from our latest annual report:
2009/2010 |
Objects
As stated in the trust deed: `The objects of OSCAR are to advance the Christian faith in accordance with the Statement of Beliefs appearing in the Schedule hereto in such parts of the United Kingdom and the world as the Trustees may from time to time think fit by the management of an information website on the world-wide internet to
- provide a comprehensive resource for United Kingdom missionaries and overseas Christian workers
- research new ways of providing more effective transport and propagation of the Trust's services
- provide a network for mission organisations associations and services in order to pool resources and
- to develop teaching training and consultation services for missionaries, mission organisations and their supporters to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Christian mission work throughout the world
and to fulfil such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law of England and Wales and are connected with the charitable work of the Trust.’
We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This report is part of that process that helps us remain focused on our stated purposes. We have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when conducting this process. In particular, we consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objects of the charity and provide public benefit.
Activities
The trust continues to maintain and develop the OSCAR website as its main activity in achieving the trust’s objectives. In addition, in support of the website and to further these objectives, a significant amount of email, telephone and face-to-face support is conducted. Access to our website and other services is provided free to all of our users.
Review of 2009/2010
Website Statistics
Statistics for the main OSCAR website show that the number of users remains steady at just under 10,000 per month.
The website continues to be updated every few days with new and revised information, which makes it a very current and dynamic resource. We still receive a steady stream of positive comments about the site either from our regular users or from those who have only recently discovered our services.
"I am so grateful for the time you invested on our behalf. You have given me so much useful information and links. Bless you. This is just the kind of support we value so much.” DW, missionary in West Africa
We continue to monitor the optimisation of many of OSCAR’s key web pages to improve ranking with Internet search engines. This means that not only the main front page achieves a high ranking, but other specific web pages also appear high up the search returns when an individual uses a relevent search term to that page or section.
OSCARactive
OSCARactive, our separate online mission-focused community website, has steadily grown through the year and has attracted just under 10,000 visits in total, viewing 46,000 pages. The average time that people spend on this site has increased from just over 2 minutes at the beginning of the year to over 5 minutes at the end. There are over 250 who have joined the main community and it has reached a point where discussions or interactions are quite dynamic. We look forward to exploring and developing this aspect of our service further through the next year.
Part-time Web Developer
In October 2009, we took on a part-time volunteer to help manage OSCARactive and she has steadily got familiar with and started to cultivate the various aspects of the Ning social networking platform (the software which OSCARactive uses). She has also been helping to grow our presence in our social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Mission Participation
Our open content management system, where mission and support organisations have their own account and update their own information and vacancies, has seen a further increase in partipation. The number of organisations managing their own info grew from 75 to 181 during the year. At any one time we now have around 500 current vacancies on our system, which is more than double the number we were advertising in the previous year.
"Last week we met up with our new intake of workers, still doing their orientation. I discovered that out of the seven Brits on the current course, three applied in response to our advertising on OSCAR!" Flora Davies, WEC
OSCAR’s 10th Birthday
On March 1st 2010, we celebrated OSCAR’s 10th birthday with an online coffee party. Most of the party activities were done through OSCARactive, but we also utilised our group and page on Facebook. There were games, competitions and opportunities to interact with other OSCAR users all over the world. Statistics from OSCARactive show that over 100 people came to the ‘virtual’ party and stayed an average of 15 minutes. Being a global community, the party lasted 24 hours with the first person logging on from Sri Lanka just after midnight and the last person logging on from Australia just before midnight at the end of the day. It was an exciting and dynamic day.
We sent out ‘party packs’ to over 100 of our major stakeholders and funders, each pack including a special edition OSCAR 10th birthday mug, an OSCAR coaster and various refreshment items so they could have their own celebration for OSCAR. These were well received and can now be seen in many mission offices throughout the UK!
OSCAR Update
Subscription to the OSCAR Update increased during the year to around 1170 (up from around 1000 the previous year) and several mission organisations continue to use extracts from this in their own communiques with their staff.
"We have found OSCAR to be a great resource both on and off the field. Thank you for your ministry and hard work. It is very much appreciated." Steve M
Summer Conferences
This year, OSCAR participated in three major summer events. Firstly, we hosted a mission opportunities stand at Breakout, the Methodist youth event, to help delegates explore and ask questions about gap years and short term mission. Secondly, we ran the central mission advice and information area at the New Wine summer conferences in Shepton Mallet. We also provided a static mission advice stand and jobs board at New Wine North in Newark. Thirdly, we provided job cards for a jobs board at Detling Summer Conference in Maidstone. All these are significant opportunities for OSCAR to disseminate its information and advice in a practical way. A total of 86 jobs were submitted for display at one or more of these events.
Admin Worker Changes
With finances becoming much tighter this year, we had to make the difficult decision in May 2010 of terminating the contract of our paid, part-time admin worker. She had worked with us for nearly 2 years and helped significantly with some of the back office work of OSCAR. In her place, we have someone else doing the occassional day on a voluntary basis to help out with admin. We have been advertising for a voluntary replacement admin worker on a more permanent basis but no-one has come forward as yet.
Future Plans
Our main areas for ongoing website development continue to fall into two categories: 1/ improving content management of information online and offline, and 2/ developing the interactive, community building aspects of OSCAR.
We have made huge strides in both of these areas over the last few years. Our main aims are to continue to improve our facilities for the world mission community and provide the best service possible to support them in their vital roles.
Financial Overview
It has been a difficult year financially, with our income significantly down on the previous year. Most of this was due to the decrease in trust funding, which is basically due to the low interest rate and the effects of the recession. Some of our regular funders have either reduced their grant significantly or withdrawn it altogether. The rest of the decrease of income is mostly down to mission organisations cutting back on recruitment, either because they are not recruiting in difficult financial times or because they have needed to cut their advertising budget. It has taken a while, but this year the knock-on effects of the recession were very much evident through our income.
As soon as we realised that income was going to be significanly down, we made moves to limit our expenditure, particularly with regards to staff fees. One result was the termination of our paid admin worker’s contract. For our director, as he receives discretionary payments from the charity, there is a system in place that protects the charity from insolvancy by limiting payments when the charity cash reserves become low. Whilst this works well in the short term, the burden is then on the director to step up fundraising efforts for the charity and/or raise the replacement funds from personal supporters.
It is anticipated that a larger proportion of time and resources will need to be devoted to fundraising and income generation in the next year, in order for OSCAR to maintain a healthy financial balance through difficult financial times, and in order for our services to the mission community to continue unhindered.
Mike Frith
Director