Funding the DofE


The charity was able to increase the amount of charitable spending this year whilst still strengthening the reserves position. These reserves include Diamond funds targeted to be spent on disadvantaged groups over the next three years and will be match funded by the £1m grant from #Iwill.


Savings of £1.3m were made in the year-on-year cost of fundraising allowing a further £1m to be channelled into charitable spending. This was used primarily to fund additional operational staffing to support the increasing local requirements due to the growth of the Award and the increasing proportion of Directly Licensed Centres.


Licence fees


More than 40 pupils from Northern Ireland took part in the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) in Dublin. DofE participant Harvey Donnelly from Wellington College in Belfast impressed judges with his project, which uses a computer programme to model electrochemical cell reactions to build better batteries. The exhibition teamed up with the DofE so that participants can use their project work to count towards the Skills section of their Bronze programmes.


The overall position this year has been an increase in funds of £1.2m, giving the charity a firm foundation for the investment in growth and support initiatives.


Some funding comes from Licence fees paid by those who offer the DofE. The pace of change for our charity shows in the growth in the number of Licensed Organisations (LOs) that make up our network.


Other funding comes from donations and, of course, payments from young people for their DofE Welcome Pack/Participation Places.


Future funding


We take this opportunity to thank all of our supporters who have helped the DofE positively change the lives of young people and in particular those whose exceptional commitment has given us the confidence to invest in our employed team and the growth of our network.


Thank you to our Strategic Partners - Heathrow, Amey, British Gas and St James’s Place Wealth Management and our major supporters Pears Foundation, Gosling and RSM.


Our primary commercial income comes from our expedition licence partnerships. As part of our ongoing quest to deliver value to the DofE network and the charity, in April 2018 we moved the DofE licence for the Recommended Retailer of Expedition Kit to the JD Outdoor group of companies.


The first six months have gone well, with more of the DofE network saving more money than ever before, which means that the DofE also benefits through royalty income. This bodes well for the start of the new expedition season in 2019.


With the introduction of personalised DofE Cards sent directly to the homes of 36,000 Leaders/volunteers in April and personalised cards being sent directly to homes of participants from October, this should create a much higher level of usage benefiting parents and the DofE.


In addition to the expedition licence income, we have a number of wider partner agreements, including a new official DofE clothing supplier, providing Leaders, participants and parents with the opportunity to save money. All of these provide an income to the DofE with each purchase made.


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