Monday 5th November marked the Annual General Meeting for Wellington SPCA for the 2010/2011 financial year.
The 55 assembled members and visitors were welcomed by Chair Theresa Gattung, who opened the meeting by reflecting on the previous 12 months.
Theresa stated that a lot of positive change had occurred since the 2010 AGM, with a new Board elected to ensure that the Society moves forward in a sustainable way.
Theresa said that the two main priorities for the new Board have been to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer and to progress the move to the Fever Hospital site in Mount Victoria. The hiring of Iain Torrance as CEO in March fulfilled this first need, and the Society was making progress in regards to the latter.
The Chair went on to say that while the financials stated in the 2010/2011 annual report showed a deficit, she was pleased to see a marked improvement for the first quarter of this financial year, without a reduction in the level of service provided.
Iain Torrance then took to the stage to present the annual report for the last financial year. He also took the opportunity to give members an update on the current structure and financial position of the Society, since he started, eight months ago. Firstly Iain gave thanks and appreciation to the more than 400 supporters and volunteers who were involved in the running of the shelter in a variety of roles, as well as the permanent staff who have all gone above the call of duty over the last year.
Iain then listed several key milestones that had been achieved since the last AGM, among these the appointment of a new Board in December 2010, an Extraordinary General Meeting in April 2011, a surveying of Members in June (with over 1,200 detailed responses received) and the commencement of a major restructure in September. As a result of these milestones. the new Senior Leadership team was assembled in late November of this year, where they engaged in an intensive Strategic planning session.
Other key initiatives of note include the signing of a pair of MoUs, firstly with Wellington Zoo for wildlife to be treated at the Zoo’s Nest instead of spending time at the shelter, and an MoU signed with WELTEC in November for all 2012 animal care students to do their work experience at the Newtown shelter. Iain also detailed how the Wellington SPCA had been working with veterinary clinics in the local area to provide collective services for the community.
Iain then provided an update on the financial statement in the Annual Report, stating that while the overall situation at the end of last financial year was a deficit, things were looking decidedly more positive at the end of the first quarter of the current financial year. In this first quarter there is a $18,000 loss showing, which was approximately $300,000 less than when compared to the previous two financial years at the same time. The Board has a stretch goal to break even by the end of this financial year.
Iain made special mention of the fundraising team, who had worked hard to increase all other income streams (eg donations, sponsorship) which, along with increased revenue from education and retail, helped to offset the reduction in bequests. He reminded Members that bequests are unpredictable and are not income that, can be, or should be, budgeted for, a lesson learnt by many charities over the past few years. Bequests are strongly linked to the reputation of the organisation and this can be seen that as at October 2011, the Society has already received a higher value of bequests than it finished the 2010/11 year with.
Of particular interest was the change in forecast life for Wellington SPCA. At last year’s AGM it was forecasted that the life of the SPCA, with its current outgoings, would only be 18 months. Given the increase in income and the reduction of expenditure, the current forecast, if costs remain “as is”, would be 20 years.
Iain concluded his speech by updating those assembled on the Societies’ move to the “Fever Hospital”. He was pleased to report that the Wellington SPCA is now in a position to move forward with this project, with several third parties interested in partnering with the Society for the provision of education services at the new premises. He cautioned that before they could move to the new site, further remedial work is required to be completed by the Wellington City Council.
The final order of business was to pay recognition to a long-serving staff member at the Society. Iain and the Board asked their Chief Inspector Ritchie Dawson, who started with the Society back in 1990, to come up to the stage to receive a framed certificate and 21 year service medal. Ritchie was thanked for his service, and recognised by the attendees as an understated and valuable part of the Wellington SPCA team who was highly respected person by other SPCAs and the RNZSPCA National Office.
In addition Ritchie’s wife Rachel was presented with flowers, as thanks for the number of additional hours Ritchie had put in with the Society at the expense of not at home with his family.
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