Like other public-facing organisations affected by COVID, closing the school for four months meant a significant disruption to our revenue – primarily through decreased opportunities for fundraising and postponement of courses for individuals, schools, and organisations.
Three days after level 4 put New Zealand into full lockdown, we reached out to our community by email, Facebook, Instagram, and phone to ask for support as part of an urgent fundraising appeal.
Over two months the campaign saw 1461 donors raise $460,000 to secure OB’s future so we could continue delivering life-changing courses for Kiwis for years to come. From one-off donations of $5 from teenagers, to major donations from the likes of Thanksgiving Trust, Duncan Charitable Trust, Dick and Diana Hubbard - the support for our organisation was profound.
Here are some of the amazing words of support we received >>
"Thank you Outward Bound for putting me in a position to be able to give back. I have been through some very challenging times - almost dying several times (this is since my time as a student at OB in 2018) and overcoming adversity with grit and determination which I learned as a student at OB. Thank you for giving me a flying chance at life when I could have given up and no longer be around to make it count."
"Outward Bound has built a national network of connected, resilient and resourceful people through the individuals that have been through your training programmes. Those people are now demonstrating their own forms of leadership, resilience, and resourcefulness within their whānau, their communities and their workplaces. Your donors should know our country’s survival depends on this. You are relevant and will continue to be relevant because we will continue to need to nurture and grow the qualities of connectedness, resilience and resourcefulness in our communities well beyond COVID 19."
"I've donated the modest amount I could. I'm an alumni in Dunedin and currently have the virus. My watch is all in a Facebook group and remains a support network even today."
"The experience and lessons learned in my weeks at OB have been invaluable to my life. I am happy to have the opportunity to support OB during these difficult times."
The campaign also made TVNZ One News which further promoted our appeal and put us on track to open the school in August.
The staff, Board and families of OB would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank everyone who showed their support either financially or in kind.
The pandemic impacted differently on all of us. Some enjoyed the down time that lockdown allowed but many were negatively impacted: the essential workers who kept us safe, the families who grieved alone, and those who lost their jobs.
Acknowledging this incredible collective commitment and sacrifice was important to us as an organisation and focussing on the critical role we could play to help society heal and rebuild, was a way we could show our gratitude for the wonderful support we received. It was with this sentiment that we launched ‘Inward Bound’.
For two months over the lockdown, we invited our alumni, stakeholders and the wider public to join us on the ‘Inward Bound’ journey which involved our team sharing an OB values-based intention three times each week.
Each intention provided the opportunity to develop connection to self, with others, and the natural world. Some included physical tasks, some developed a new skill and others just asked for a moment of reflection. All the intentions remain on the website and are being utilised for post course support.
We hope that Inward Bound offered support and brought New Zealanders a little bit of the Outward Bound goodness during difficult times.
"I have enjoyed the videos and I told my son who did OB to watch them. He is living overseas now. He loved Marcel’s haircut!"
"I really appreciated your gift to us. I think these videos are a great way for old OBers like me to reconnect with Anakiwa."
"Inward Bound was really informative and inclusive it made me feel like I was still on an OB course. The content was really well thought out. Thank you OB for making the effort and taking the time to reach out to all of us."
Click on the video above to hear instructor Dave Taylor’s Inward Bound intention.
Every day we are humbled by the generous and loyal support of our community. Whether it be one off donations, bequests or ongoing support from families, foundations, businesses, or community funds, we genuinely would not be here without their enduring commitment to our organisation. We checked in with a few of our schools programme students to see what that support means for them as young New Zealanders facing an everchanging world.
Pōneke 2020
Kotahitanga 2020
Takere 2020
In July 2019 Outward Bound signed a three year partnership with New Zealand’s iconic outdoor clothing and equipment company Macpac. The generous sponsorship is part of Macpac’s Fund for Good programme and sees our staff and students kitted out with quality Macpac clothing, packs, tents and significant support for our Regional Schools Programme. We feel incredibly fortunate to have Macpac’s backing and are very much looking forward to introducing future students to their outdoor products and sustainability initiatives.
Photo: CEO Victor Klap with Matt Cowie, Macpac Export Manager & Commercial Sales
