Deaf Ministries International Inc. 15th Annual General Meeting 21st May 2016 Financial Statements and Reports

Transcription

1 Deaf Ministries International Inc. 15th Annual General Meeting 21st May 2016 Financial Statements and Reports

2 DEAF MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. and DEAF ACTION FUND Elected Australian Board Chairperson Vice Chairperson Public Officer Treasurer Rodney Chapman Susan Shannon Geoff Brooke Matthew Farmilo Neville Muir Lynne Graham

3 DEAF MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. & DEAF ACTION FUND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Chairperson/Australian Director s Report 1 st January 31 st December 2015 On Behalf of the Australia Board of DMI I welcome all members and supporters to 2015 AGM. I continuously thank God our father for all of you and for your prayers, support and service over this past year. DMI God has been so good to us through our ups and downs during the year. When we going down, God always provides for DMI need. However, we must always keep financial in prayer and remind ourselves that God is in control and we keep spreading the Gospel. I would like to thank Brenda, Matt, Jenny, Amy and our band of volunteers for their hard work to get us through. I can see the work of DMI continuing to reach the deaf here and overseas. Without your support and prayer, nothing will have done. Thank you for your support to DMI. Please keep on pray with us without stopping; that the lord will continue to provide for the work of DMI, which is HIS work. I have been helping Brenda, Matt and Jenny with their work so we can shoulder the load together. Deaf Action We thank God too for the success of Deaf Action which has been steady with child supporters coming on board during I thank Jenny for her dedicated service as Sponsorship Co-ordinator and the many hours of work in the office keeping up with all the work related to his mammoth task. We are so thankful for this and the extra work that she does in contributing to reports for World Relief Australia and representing Deaf Action in many places around Victoria. We are grateful also to Susan Shannon, Faye Kendall and Jeanette Lee for their volunteer work. Special Thanks of Appreciation On behalf of the Australian Board I extend special thanks to Neville and Lill for their ongoing years of dedication in service to deaf people in many countries. It has been through their service that many deaf people around the world have been blessed and found Christ and have been given hope for the future. I also thank the members of the Australian Board for their service over the last year and for their support, wisdom, prayers and dedication. Board members have been involved in fundraising for DMI through trivia night at Berwick Church of Christ, sale of handcrafted cards, Filipino pearls and Chinese handcraft goods.

4 To all the members and supporters, involvement and encouragement as together we share the tasks and challenges in our service to Deaf people around the world. I would like to thank Vizma Jones, Gwen MacKelvie and Helen Ligt for volunteer help with newsletter mail outs. I thank God for answering prayer from around the world. Neville s bladder cancer is gone and as he needs to keep receiving check up, let us continue to pray that the tumours never return, especially that prostate cancer stays clear also. Finally, I thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, for the privilege of serving Him as Chairperson of the Australian Board of Deaf Ministries International and Australian Director of DMI/Deaf Action, throughout this year. Pastor Rod Chapman (Chairman) Director for Australia 21 May 2016

5 DEAF MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL INC. & DEAF ACTION FUND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING International Director s Report 1 st January 31 st December 2015 I have great pleasure in reporting on some of the activities and ways that the Lord blessed us during the year of We are most grateful for God s provision of finances, a measure of good health, and wonderful workers both on the home front and overseas. Our thanks go to the home office staff where Office Manager and Personal Assistant Brenda Clearwater; Finance Manager Matt Farmilo; Deaf Liaison Officer Rod Chapman; Lill Muir who liaisons the Norwegian side of the work and Administrative Assistant Amy Jack, all serve. They are joined by volunteers Susan Shannon on a regular basis and others who come in when the load is heavy. Thanks to Vizma Jones, Jeanette Lee, Gwen McKelvie and Helen Ligt. A special word of thanks is extended to Jenny Reid, who for many years now has taken on the ever increasing burden of the child sponsorship program. Jenny serves on a volunteer basis and it is close to being a full time job. Thank you to everyone. Overseas we also have a few paid administrative staff especially in Norway. Many volunteers make up our boards in Japan and the US with representatives in the UK and Germany. We could not function without this band of dedicated people. Thank you for your continued support. God has opened up opportunities throughout the year to share the vision of the work with many churches and groups. Jenny has been able to present the work at Clayton Church of Christ seniors group, together with Lill at Mill Park Baptist, the Stamp club and in other groups. Matt has shared at Rosanna Christian Church. Susan, Lill, Brenda and Amy have represented DMI at various bazaars and women s groups selling Chinese and Filipino products and presenting the Deaf Action Sponsorship Program in Beaconsfield, Leongatha and TLC church in Bayswater to name a few. I have had the opportunity to speak at Telopea Church of Christ in Sydney, Bruce Rock Church of Christ, Encounter Church of Christ, Malaga Church of Christ, Wilson Christian Church, Kalgoorlie Uniting, Yokine Baptist, Kelmscott Baptist, all in Western Australia. In Victoria opportunity has been given at Berwick Church of Christ, Beaconsfield Baptist, Mill Park Baptist, Cranbourne Baptist, Pakenham Baptist Men s group, Mitcham Baptist seniors group, Altona Evangelical Church, Kyabram Uniting, Kyabram Christian Fellowship, Caulfield Methodist and Korumburra Uniting. We were also able to have several display booths at the Belgrave Heights Convention and thanks to those who helped with this outreach. We have appreciated these opportunities but would like to see more.

6 Lill has been able to share in Churches in Norway and during two trips to the United States I have made presentations in many churches across the country as well as having a booth at the Church of Christ Missions Conference in Norfolk Virginia. We are thankful for Barry Cutchie who has again lead a team to Ligao in the Philippines and for Chris Hennequin and Geoff Brooke, who took another team from Berwick Church of Christ to Davao in the Philippines. Their contribution and encouragement to workers there has been invaluable. Our thanks and appreciation to them all. It was decided to make trips to the Davao work a regular yearly effort. Past efforts have all been directed to Ligao but, the work done there has resulted in great improvements so one of these outreach teams will be concentrating on Davao in the future. The work in Ligao has greatly benefited from the change of leadership with Bing Medes and Annabel Cuachin now in charge of the school and project. Also, there is a more settled scene in Uganda as the new board and leadership of Sam Begumisa is bringing about spiritual growth. I was able to make two trips to Africa during the year. One was in relationship to the imprisonment of 3 deaf young men on false charges in Zambia. Work to free them is ongoing. Matt and Jeff Weston were also able to visit Africa and presented seminars on management and income-generating projects, to many of our workers in Uganda and to others who came to the seminars from surrounding countries. One of our workers, Dennis, commenced a new school for the deaf which he named the Neville Muir Comprehensive School for the Disabled. This is in the town of Lira in Northern Uganda. Dennis is physically disabled as well as being deaf but is very enthusiastic and passionate about getting the gospel to the deaf. He started the school, which is now overflowing with needy young people but, did so without any consultation with DMI. It has put us into a difficult position but he is pressing on regardless! Gunnar, In Yong from Korea and myself were able to visit the work in Egypt after a long absence. Unfortunately DMI-Egypt has split into two, which has been a bit difficult. One section is hearing governed and the other deaf! We inherited this situation when the work there was abandoned by a previous leader. The hearing section has leaders who do not really understand the deaf and this has caused the current situation we have. Nevertheless, both sections are working well and there is growth in both areas. Syria DMI also continues to thrive but constant prayer for the safety of our leaders and believers is an ongoing request. We thank God for another year where we are still free and able to serve Him in bringing the deaf to know Jesus. To God be the Glory Neville Muir International Director 2

7 2015 FINANCE REPORT Total income received by DMI and Deaf Action for 2015 was $1.05 million, which is the second year in a row that our income has been over the $1 million mark. While total income for 2015 is slightly lower than the $1.1 million we received in 2014, once the conference income is excluded, the two years are almost identical. It is good that our income has not dropped, however the fact that growth in our income has stagnated is cause for concern. Both administration costs and the needs of our fields continue to rise, and if DMI is to maintain our current level of ministry our income also needs to increase. If our income continues to be stagnant, the end result will be a decrease in the level of ministry. A second concern relating to our income is that donations received from Australian donors has fallen by 13% when compared to 2014, and is now at its lowest level since Thankfully, donations received from other countries (particularly from Norway) have increased enough to cover the drop in Australian donations, but it is clear that work needs to be done on increasing the level of donations received from Australia. I believe that there are two interrelated factors contributing to the drop in Australian donations. Firstly, our Australian supporter base is generally older and some of our supporters are either passing away, or having to reduce their donations due to retirement. This is just the natural order of things, and is nothing to be concerned about. However, where DMI is struggling is that we are not attracting enough new supporters to replace those that are having to reduce their giving. A major reason for this is that we do not have anyone on our board or staff who has practical experience or skills in fundraising and marketing. We are currently trying to address this issue by looking outside our usual circle to find some new board members who have skills and experience in fundraising, finance, business, governance etc. It is also interesting to note that while donations from Australian supporters have fallen by $60,000, donations to Deaf Action (which are all Australian supporters) has increased by $8,000. This has been a consistent trend for several years now, so it seems clear that Australian donors are attracted to Deaf Action because of the tax deductibility of their donations. To capitalise on this, we have applied to the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission to be registered as a Public Benevolent Institution. This will give us tax deductibility in our own right, saving money on administration fees paid to a third party, and giving us greater flexibility on how money donated to Deaf Action is used. On the expenses side, our total expenses have risen from $1.05 million in 2014 to $1.11 million in Of this total, $295,000 (26%) was spent on various administration costs, which is an increase of $14,000 from Administration and fundraising expenses have therefore increased by less than 5% compared to 2014, with total administration costs remaining lower than they were in The most pleasing aspect of the finance report is that the amount we have sent to our fields has increased by almost $41,000 compared to Funding our ministry is obviously our main objective, so any increase in funds given to our fields is very welcome news. However, it should be pointed out that this has only been possible by drawing down on our cash reserves. In 2014, DMI recorded a net surplus of $44,000, which meant we started 2015 with a reasonable amount of money in our bank account. In 2015, DMI recorded a net deficit of $56,000, meaning that we ended the year with no surplus funds in our account, leaving us reliant on receiving sufficient donations each month in order to be able to meet the budget allocated for our fields for

8 2016. Unfortunately, there have already been several months where our field s budgets had to be reduced due to insufficient funds. In summary, 2015 produced some mixed financial news for DMI. We were able to send more money to our ministry fields than we have previously, our administration expenses were kept relatively low and total income levels did not fall from 2014 levels. However, Australian donations have fallen significantly from previous years and we have only been able to increase the support to our ministry fields by running a deficit, which has compromised our ability to send the full budget to our fields in 2016.

9 1,200,000 DEAF MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL & DEAF ACTION CONSOLIDATED PROFIT AND LOSS Income Variation Australian Donations 381, ,138 (59,210) International Donations 662, ,255 62,128 Craft Sales 8,416 8, Interest 1,493 2,081 (588) Conference Income - 47,333 (47,333) Total Income 1,054,220 1,099,059 (44,839) Expenses Ministry field support 814, ,769 40,894 Payroll 202, ,531 9,810 Travel 41,118 26,395 14,723 Other administration 51,881 62,090 (10,209) Total Expenses 1,110,003 1,054,785 55,218 Surplus / Deficit (55,783) 44,274 (100,057) Total Donations 1,000, , , ,000 Total Australian International 200, , , , , , , , , ,000 - Expenses Ministry Administration

10 DEAF ACTION INC. ABN December 2015 Sponsorship Report In 2015 there was a decrease of 20 in the total number of sponsors and supporters in Australia. However the total amount given in 2015 has increased and is shown in the Financial Statements. The table below shows the number of sponsors over the last 5 years in Australia. Supporters are those who make general donations to the schools but do not sponsor a particular student or school. Student & School Sponsorship, & Regular Supporters for the years 2011 to 2015 Year Student and School Sponsors Regular Supporters TOTAL The cost of Student Sponsorship ($40 per month or $480 per year) has remained the same since October Not all sponsors pay the full amount but some pay extra. School Sponsorship donations are any amount chosen by the sponsor. School Attendance for Years 2012 to 2015 Student enrolments fluctuate during the year and the figures below show a decrease at the end of I expect this will increase again because the Philippine Government has increased the total years of education from 10 to 12. The exact amounts sent to the schools is included in the Financial Reports. The 6 monthly Deaf Action Reports were submitted to World Relief in order to retain tax deductibility in Australia. The Ligao figures below include ex-students in the Livelihood Project. They learn specific vocational skills, small business accounting, and are given small loans to start home-based businesses to support themselves. ENROLMENT AT DECEMBER 31 st 2012 TO School or Dormitory Deaf Ministries Institute, Davao, Philippines F.C.L.C. and Livelihood Project, at Ligao, Philippines Visayas (Bacolod and Borongan Dormitories), Philippines Cagayan de Oro Dormitory in the Philippines 8 8 Muir School in Kalay and Mary Chapman School, Yangon, Myanmar Immanuel Christian School for the Deaf, Ringa, Kenya Ugandan students at various schools and tertiary institutions Individual students in Zambia and Rwanda TOTAL New sponsorships have been obtained mainly through presentations to churches or small groups but some have commenced through word of mouth. Sponsors and Supporters receive two Deaf Action Newsletters each year; and a Christmas card, Student Report or Photo Page with the Newsletter. Some sponsors like to send Christmas cards or letters to their students. They are sent to the office and taken or mailed to the schools and sponsor addresses are not given to the school. Many Sponsors appreciate the personal cards and updated information they receive and student updates also act as a payment reminder and encourage sponsors to continue their financial support. Not all students in the schools have sponsors because it is difficult to obtain up to date photographs and information unless a DMI Representative visits the school. I limit 3 sponsors for each student so the younger students can manage to make all of the cards themselves. I would like to thank Susan Shannon, Jeanette Lee, Rod Chapman and Faye Kendall who assisted with processing, scanning, printing and mailing the hundreds of Cards, Reports and letters that were sent to sponsors in I am also grateful to Brenda and Matt for their ongoing assistance in the important financial area of the Sponsorship Program. Brenda organises Reminder Letters to be sent (if requested by the sponsor), and will now commence sending reminders to sponsors who have fallen behind in donations. This has been an area I have not had enough time to address in the past. Most importantly, thank you to our loyal Sponsors and generous Supporters who make this ministry to give education to disadvantaged deaf students a possibility. Our schools could not continue without your support. Some months we are not able to send the full amount required but we send all we can. Jenny Reid Deaf Action Sponsorship Coordinator (Voluntary)

11 DEAF MINISTRIES INTERNATIONAL SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM ABN: December 2015 Sponsorship Report This Deaf Ministries International Sponsorship report covers the general operation of the sponsorship program in all supporting countries. The previous Deaf Action report covered sponsorship in Australia where the Australian Government requires a separate organisation for tax deductibility. A spreadsheet of all Worldwide Sponsors is kept in Australia and updated with sponsor names, payments and other details when the information from overseas countries is supplied. A second spreadsheet of Student Details is kept with personal student information needed to make the Sponsorship Cards. Cards for all countries except Norway and Japan are made in Australia; and all Christmas cards, student reports and new photos are processed in Australia. The Sponsorship Coordinator writes the School Newsletter and it is ed or mailed in Australia; and ed or bulk mailed to other countries for distribution. The Country Coordinators collect payments and issue receipts in their particular currency, and report changes to the International Coordinator. This table shows sponsors and supporters overseas. The Financial Reports shows actual income. DMI Sponsors and Supporters Country December December December December December Japan Europe/Germany Norway Pacific Countries (+ China) United Kingdom United States of America South Korea TOTAL News from each sponsor s individual student is considered to be of paramount importance to maintain continuity of financial support. The aim is to send something personal from the student with the Sponsorship Newsletter at least twice per year. Christmas cards, student reports, Photo Pages and new cards are processed in Australia, and bulk mailed to Country Coordinators to mail with the Sponsorship Newsletter. The newsletter for German (and other European sponsors) is translated into German then mailed from Australia, but some European sponsors have requested it in English. Several versions of the newsletter are made to cater for different countries and posting on webpages. Materials for making Christmas Cards are delivered by DMI representatives or mailed to the schools and dormitories. The production of Christmas Cards is very time consuming but also important. The aim is for every sponsor or supporter who has made payments that year to receive a Christmas card. Sponsors comment that they appreciate the personal information and cards from their students. Ligao supplies student reports yearly, and I have asked other schools to assist the sponsorship program by obtaining permission from parents to photocopy the end of year report for the sponsor. These have not been supplied yet, but that is the aim. Worldwide Sponsors for 2011 to 2015 (including Deaf Action in Australia) YEAR Australia Norway Japan EU/Germ Pacific U.K. U.S.A. China. S. Kor. Total est est I am very thankful for the contribution made by Country Coordinators. It is greatly appreciated and highly valued. This sponsorship program shows the cooperation between DMI workers worldwide; who all seek to bring education and the gospel to our deaf brothers and sisters. Jenny Reid DMI Sponsorship Coordinator (Voluntary)