Trustees' Report and Accounts 2014
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TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2014 TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2014 CONTENTS TRUSTEES’ REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2014 2 DONKEY SANCTUARY IN 2014 4 MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE 6 TRUSTEES’ REPORT VISION, MISSION AND VALUES 8 RESCUE AND REHOMING 10 DONKEYS IN THE COMMUNITY 12 HUMAN DONKEY INTERACTIONS 14 CONSIDERING THE FUTURE 16 FINANCIAL REVIEW OF 2014 18 THANK YOU 22 STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT 24 STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES 28 AUDITOR’S REPORT 29 CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES 31 BALANCE SHEETS 32 CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW STATEMENT 33 NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 34 REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS 66 Pages 2&3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF TRUSTEE DIRECTORS Knowing that we are making a difference to the lives of donkeys around the world, as well as to those who depend upon them, is what keeps us going…be that as trustees, staff, volunteers or supporters of The Donkey Sanctuary. For the trustees, the privilege of being in a position of governance brings with it the responsibility of ensuring that as an organisation we remain focused on making that difference. As you will see from the pages that follow, the charity has had another remarkable year and, tempting though it is to concentrate on the figures, I encourage you to look behind and beyond the numbers and to read for yourself the stories and testimonials that show just how we are addressing a real need in the donkeys, as well as in those adults and children who benefit from their labours and companionship. There is no shortage of need. Whether it is a working donkey overseas, or a neglected or abused donkey closer to home, we realise that our task will never be finished. However, we also know that with the wonderful staff and volunteers who deliver first-class donkey health and welfare through dedicated care and attention, and with the incredible support we receive from you, The Donkey Sanctuary can continue to make a real difference wherever it is needed most. Stuart Reid Left: A donkey taxi on the island of Santorini, Greece. We are furthering our understanding of donkey and mule welfare needs around the world and giving these animals a voice where they need it most. www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk THE DONKEY SANCTUARY IN 2014 30 project countries 4,725 animals were cared 1,575 donkeys were cared worldwide. The Donkey for at sanctuaries and holding for by supporters through our Sanctuary either worked bases across Europe. Rehoming Scheme in Europe. directly, or supported projects, to help donkeys and mules in 30 countries worldwide. 1 MILLION donkeys 1,600 volunteers gave us 280,000 people visited were reached in our five largest the precious gift of their time. our charity’s main Sanctuary in project countries alone (Egypt, Sidmouth, Devon. Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Mexico) and many more through our supported projects. Pages 4&5 SINCE COMMENCEMENT 800 donkeys were rescued 40,000 donkey-assisted OF THE CHARITY IN 1969 or relinquished into our care therapy sessions were delivered during the year in Europe. to children with additional needs, 18,000 donkeys and and our first donkey-assisted mules in Europe have been therapy operation commenced provided with a sanctuary for life. in Africa. OUR FOUNDER’S LEGACY The Donkey Sanctuary was founded in 1969 by Dr Elisabeth Svendsen MBE (pictured left). She dedicated her life to championing donkeys, and it is through her devotion that The Donkey Sanctuary grew to be the international charity it is today. Sadly Dr Svendsen passed away in 2011 but her memory lives on in our work, as does her eternal motto that, in everything we do, donkeys will always come first, second and third. www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Without our wonderful supporters and Ireland, and this trend has continued into 2015. sponsors we could not achieve all that we We therefore need to find many more homes that do, so a big big thank you to you all. Your can look after two or more of our donkeys. We generosity has enabled us to continue to also strive to find more partners around the world expand throughout every area of our work. so that we can provide more donkeys with better In January 2014 we refined our Vision and care and welfare. Mission aims around our three main values of Compassion, Collaboration and Creativity, In summary we are delighted to report that in 2014 evidence of which can be found in the we spent more than ever before on transforming activities described in our five-year Strategic donkeys’ lives. Our income was £32.4m, up Plan entitled “Our Journey Continues…”. £1.7m (5.5%) on 2013. Our expenditure, including capital, was £30.7m, an increase of £2.2m (7.7%). We achieved almost all of the growth objectives We are still spending less than 19 pence in the we set ourselves for the first year of that plan. I pound on fundraising and governance and as at will mention a few here but further detail can be 31 December 2014 we had a free cash reserves found within this annual review, or on our website position equivalent to 10 months’ expenditure. www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk. In 2015 growth and development of the charity We are now operating directly or indirectly in 30 will continue in accordance with our five-year countries around the world, providing resources to Strategic Plan, including seeking planning ensure we improve the lives of donkeys and mules permission for the construction of a purpose-built through care, welfare and community education, veterinary hospital. To date our main veterinary and by doing so also improving the lives of their facility has operated out of a building that cannot owners. Within our five major international accommodate large donkeys and mules and is projects alone our work touches the lives of one located right in the heart of the main Sanctuary million donkeys. in Sidmouth. The new facility will be relocated to another of our farms, together with the new In Europe we restructured our whole welfare arrivals unit, thereby significantly reducing the operation and then set about getting as many possibility of the transference of disease on donkeys in our care as possible out into new homes our main Sanctuary site. The resultant vacated under our rehoming policy. In December 2014 there premises in the centre of the main Sanctuary will were 4,725 donkeys and mules being looked after by be converted to enhance visitor engagement and us and a further 1,575 living with donkey guardians, communication of our work around the world. mostly in private homes but a growing number in schools and institutions, where the donkeys and Our aspiration to extend our work further their carers benefit from the daily contact. throughout the world is only possible due to your continued support. We are truly grateful. We have expanded our donkey-assisted therapy operation where human donkey interaction provides so much to humans with additional needs. One of these units has opened in Ethiopia through a joint project with Cheshire Homes. As well as benefiting donkeys and humans it also demonstrates to government, local authorities and local communities that the donkey is so much more than a beast of burden. Unfortunately there is still a high number of donkeys being relinquished to us after being abandoned or because their owners cannot continue to care for them. In 2014 over 800 came Right: Our Chief Executive, David Cook with Ponk into our care from within the United Kingdom and at our main Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon. Pages 6&7 www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk VISION, MISSION AND VALUES OUR VISION COMPASSION The Donkey Sanctuary is above all else A WORLD WHERE compassionate. We never turn away from a DONKEYS AND MULES donkey in need. Donkeys and the people who rely on them for their livelihoods or to help them cope LIVE FREE FROM with physical, mental and emotional challenges, SUFFERING, AND THEIR lie at the heart of everything we do. We act as a global driving force for caring, both for suffering CONTRIBUTION TO donkeys and mules and for all those people whose HUMANITY IS FULLY lives they touch, generating understanding, VALUED. compassion and support all over the world. COLLABORATION OUR MISSION The Donkey Sanctuary is collaborative in all its To transform the quality of life for donkeys, activities, working through a worldwide network of mules and people worldwide through greater partner organisations, communities and individuals. understanding, collaboration and support, and We work inclusively with people frequently by promoting lasting, mutually life-enhancing marginalised within their own countries and relationships. communities, whether due to poverty, ignorance, race, gender or disabilities. We treat every OUR VALUES interaction as a two-way opportunity to learn and Compassion, collaboration and creativity are The to teach. We know that it is only together that Donkey Sanctuary values. They are the key to our we can help donkey owners and carers become journey as they represent what we stand for and donkey welfare ambassadors wherever they live what we measure ourselves against. and work. CREATIVITY The Donkey Sanctuary’s goals are ambitious, but its resources are finite — which means that we must exercise creativity to meet the ambitious goals we set ourselves. Creative thinking underpins everything we do, whether adapting locally available materials for donkey-friendly harnesses across projects that span four different continents, developing donkey-assisted therapy activities tailored to the unique challenges of a child with additional needs, or reaching donkey-owning communities in the midst of man-made or natural disasters. Right: Thanks to the generosity of our supporters and donors, we were able to rescue donkeys like April from terrible conditions across Europe in 2014.