Erasmus Student Network UK SCIO
Scottish Charity Number - SC051188 Annual Report and Accounts
For the year ended 30 June 2024
Table of Contents
| Table of Contents | Erasmus Student Network United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Table of Contents | 1 |
| Trustees’ Annual Report | 2 |
| Reference and Administrative Information | 2 |
| Charity name | 2 |
| Charity Number | 2 |
| Address | 2 |
| Trustees until 30 June 2024 | 2 |
| National Level | 3 |
| Structure, Governance, and Management | 4 |
| Constitution | 4 |
| Appointment of trustees | 4 |
| Objectives and Activities | 5 |
| Charitable purposes | 5 |
| Activities | 5 |
| Financial Review | 7 |
| Reserves policy | 8 |
| Statement of Receipts and Payments | 8 |
| Statement of Balances | 10 |
| Notes to financial accounts | 11 |
| Plans for the future | 13 |
Trustees’ Annual Report
For the year ended 30 June 2024
The trustees of Erasmus Student Network UK (“ESN UK”, “the Charity”) are pleased to present their report together with the financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2024. The Charity has income below 250,000 GBP and as such is eligible to prepare its accounts on a Receipts and Payments Basis. The governing document does not require the Charity to prepare fully accrued accounts, nor does it require an audit.
Reference and Administrative Information
Charity name
Erasmus Student Network (“ESN”) UK
Charity Number
SC051188
Address
ESN Strathclyde 51 Richmond Street Glasgow G1 1XU
Trustees until 30 June 2024
1 Resigned on 2 September 2023
2
*ESN Erasmus Student NetWDrk Kln¢dam National Level
Structure, Governance, and Management
Constitution
ESN UK (“the Charity”) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (“SCIO”). It was registered in its current legal form on 9 August 2021. The assets of the unincorporated association were transferred to the SCIO upon registration. As the charity is built upon a two-tier structure, the aforementioned trustees are the trustees of the Charity with a membership body made up of local associations, or ‘sections’, each represented by a legal representative.
Appointment of trustees
Members of the broader management committee (“National Board”) are the Charity’s trustees. Election to the National Board (“NB”) and National Level (“NL”) - which acts in a non-executive function - is open to all volunteers within ESN UK upon successful nomination, as are external advisory positions. Trustees are assigned to NB positions.
2 The NB positions[,] are:
-
President
-
Vice-President for Human Resources
-
Vice-President for Training and Development
-
Treasurer
-
Project Manager
-
Communication Manager
-
National Events Manager
-
Education and Policy Officer
The NL positions for the 2022-2023 mandate are:
- Liaison Officer
The external advisors are:
-
Financial Regulator
-
Legal Regulator
2 Please note, due to the voluntary nature of ESN UK, some NB and NL positions may remain vacant in some years.
Appointment of NB and NL - and thus Trustees - occurs towards the end of the Financial Year, during the second National Assembly in the year, between March and June. There must be a minimum of three trustees and a maximum of ten trustees. For further information, the 3 constitution of ESN UK can be shared upon request .
Objectives and Activities
Charitable purposes
ESN UK is a charity student organisation representing local associations (‘ESN sections’), operating an association model. Our aim is to foster student mobility in Higher Education, provide opportunities for cultural understanding and self-development under the principle of ‘Students Helping Students’. ESN UK works in the interest of international students who are spending parts of or their entire formal education at a Higher Education Institution in the UK, as well as UK students who spend parts of or their entire higher education at a Higher Education Institution abroad. We are working on a volunteer basis in 15 Higher Education Institutions in the UK. All the sections of ESN UK help thousands of international exchange, international full-time degree, and local students every academic year. In summer 2021, ESN UK adopted their mission: promoting international sharing through the exchange of experiences and people since 1991.
Structure and operations
ESN UK acts as a central organising body for its Members, called ‘Sections’, of ESN UK, located at 15 Higher Education Institutions in the UK4. It supports the existence of these Sections by arranging opportunities for best practice sharing across Sections, acting as a resource and support hub, and providing capacity-building training to volunteers that sit on Section committees (often University students themselves). Aside from organising large events for participation by Sections, ESN UK represents the voice and views of the international students its Sections support to educational stakeholders across the UK, and facilitates the benefits of membership to Erasmus Student Network International (“ESN International”) for its volunteers. Across the year ending 30th June 2024, ESN UK is estimated to have supported
3 Please contact ESN UK at info@esnuk.org 4 A full list of these sections can be viewed at https://esnuk.org/our-sections
over 3,000 international students across its network via a network of over 150 volunteers. Our research shows that students who participated in our activities were 48.5% more likely to 5 strongly agree that they were satisfied with their social life in the UK than those who did not . 6 For more information on ESN UK, please visit the website .
Activities
As mentioned above, a significant amount of the Charity Trustee’s activities are operational and involve supporting our sections and their work directly. Often ad-hoc, these activities vary significantly across NB positions throughout the year. Below are a number of key highlights, initiatives and projects from ESN UK’s work in FY24.
In November 2023, ESN UK held an annual national trip to Edinburgh for volunteers and international students. Consolidating successes from the last two years post-COVID, the trip was attended by around 200 students from across the UK. ESN UK continue to organise this independently of trip providers and have managed to put solid organisational groundwork in place to aid with future editions of the event. The purpose of the trip remains as an introduction to Scottish culture and participants were able to take part in a Ceilidh, Whisky tasting and historical tours of Edinburgh.
Significant progress in advocacy was made during FY24, particularly highlighted by the publication of the International Student Perspectives UK report7. This eighty page report, analysing over 1000 responses from international students, aimed to highlight key findings of the perspectives of International Students studying in the UK. Such findings included the main barriers to studying in the UK, overall satisfaction with provisions for International students, and knowledge of available mobility opportunities in the UK. A further breakout report published in February focused on the impact of ESN on international student experience - amongst further analysis, the report found that students taking part in ESN events were significantly more likely to rate the enjoyment of their studies highly. The recommendations made in the ISP UK report have and will continue to be used as the foundation for ESN UK’s advocacy work over the coming years, aiming to represent the voice and views of international
5 Erasmus Student Network United Kingdom (2023). International Student Perspective UK Breakout Report: Impact of the Erasmus Student Network on Students Mobile in the UK.
6 https://esnuk.org/
7 Read more here: https://esnuk.org/international-student-perspective-uk
students to stakeholders within Higher Education. Future research is planned for the next financial year, alongside Brand Scotland and the Scottish Government.
Alongside International Student Perspective UK, September saw the publication of ESN UK’s Survival Guide8. Forming a core offer to new international students in the UK, the Survival Guide is designed to provide a succinct introduction to UK culture, a guide to the cities in which we operate, and helpful contact and support information - all by students, for students.
Financial Year 2024 saw important growth in terms of communications for ESN UK. Social media followings increased exponentially, driven by a new approach to communications management focusing on short-form content. ESN UK’s following on Instagram increased to over 20,000, LinkedIn engagement grew tenfold, and an Instagram Reel garnered over 34 million views. This has helped enormously in extending the organisation’s reach and bringing attention to the work that we do, targeting young people and international students.
ESN UK hosted two AGMs for its members (commonly referred to colloquially as ‘National Assemblies’). One was held in Aberystwyth in October 2023, and the other in March 2024 in Birmingham, organised by our newest section, ESN Aston. These events focused mainly on training our local volunteers in different soft and hard-skills related to their volunteer positions, as well as their personal development outside of the network. They were very well attended with approximately 30 participants at each event, including National Board members, Section volunteers, chairing team members and International guests. Voting also took place on changes to various documents including amendments to internal statutes and policies. The second National Assembly also included the elections for the next National Board (and therefore trustees), as well as the National Level. One Extraordinary AGM was held online in June where the previously vacant positions of Vice President for Training and Development and Education and Policy Officer were elected, alongside an expansion of the Liaison Office team to four members for FY25.
8 Read more here: https://esnuk.org/how-survive-uk-international-student-guide-esn-uk
Financial Review
During FY24, ESN UK’s finances remained stable in the face of surprise software costs and increased fundraising outgoings. To mitigate risks, a cautious budgeting approach, which included the allocation of a specified buffer amount around all projected costs, was adopted. The ability to withstand unexpected costs, such as the surprise £1463.53 software cost during FY24, demonstrates the growing financial resilience of the Charity. Increased ticket sales from Trips, including the Edinburgh Trip, represented a key diversification of income that enabled further purchases of ESNcards, a primary fundraising asset. This stock grew from 1700 in FY23, to over 2500. Inflationary rises in sale price also contributed to the strengthening of this asset.
Enclosed in the following sections of this report are the "Statement of Receipts and Payments," which indicates that a net loss of £943.12 was accumulated within the financial year just ended. The Charity’s final cash balance totalled £4,064.13, rising to £15,453.63 when including assets and liabilities.
Reserves policy
ESN UK has a target cash reserve policy of £3,000.00 which the National Board endeavours to exceed at the end of each financial year. The purpose of this reserve policy is to absorb unforeseen surprise costs, as had to be done during FY24. Looking forward, the Board will budget for this amount to rise into the next financial year.
Statement of Receipts and Payments
| Statement of Receipts and Payments for the year ended 30th June 2024 |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notes | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Year ended 30/06/2024 |
Year ended 30/06/2023 |
|
| Receipts | |||||
| Receipts from charitable activities: | |||||
| Membership fees | £2,397.50 | £0.00 | £2,397.50 | £2,620.00 | |
| Fundraising | 4 | £41,704.03 | £0.00 | £44,206.43 | £9,755.95 |
| Charitable activities | 5 | £2,502.40 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Grants | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Bank Interest | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL RECEIPTS | £46,603.93 | £0.00 | £46,603.93 | £12,375.95 | |
| Payments | |||||
| Fundraising costs | 6 | -£35,460.13 | £0.00 | -£35,460.13 | -£5,444.36 |
| Cost of charitable activities | 7 | -£8,389.29 | £0.00 | -£8,389.29 | -£3,939.74 |
| Governance costs | 8 | -£1,815.33 | £0.00 | -£1,815.33 | -£1,708.68 |
| Equipment costs | 9 | -£1,882.30 | £0.00 | -£1,882.30 | -£506.15 |
| TOTAL PAYMENTS | -£47,547.05 | £0.00 | -£47,547.05 -£11,598.93 | -£47,547.05 -£11,598.93 | |
| Surplus / (Deficit) for the year | (£943.12) | £0.00 | (£943.12) | £777.02 | |
| Transfers between funds | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Surplus / (Deficit) for the year | (£943.12) | £0.00 | (£943.12) | £777.02 |
All values are in Great British Pound Sterling (£).
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Statement of Balances
| Statement of Balances | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Statement of Balances as at 30. June 2024 |
|||||
| Notes | Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Year ended 30/06/2024 |
Year ended 30/06/2023 |
|
| Opening cash at bank and in hand | £5,007.25 | £0.00 | £5,007.25 | £4,230.23 | |
| Surplus / (Deficit) for the year | (£943.12) | £0.00 | (£943.12) | £777.02 | |
| Closing cash at bank and in hand | £4,064.13 | £0.00 | £4,064.13 | £5,007.25 | |
| Bank and cash balances | |||||
| Bank deposit account | £4,064.13 | £0.00 | £4,064.13 | £5,007.25 | |
| TOTAL BANK AND CASH BALANCES | £4,064.13 | £0.00 | £4,064.13 | £5,007.25 | |
| Other assets- unrestricted fund | |||||
| Unsold ESNcards | £11,389.50 | £0.00 | £11,389.50 | £6,030.50 | |
| Property, Plant, and Equipment | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| Outstanding Income | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £860.00 | |
| TOTAL OTHER ASSETS - UNRESTRICTED FUND |
£11,389.50 | £0.00 | £11,389.50 | £6,890.25 | |
| Liabilities | |||||
| Outstanding payments | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | -£1,660.00 | |
| TOTAL LIABILITIES | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | -£1,660.00 |
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Notes to financial accounts
1 Basis of accounting
These accounts have been prepared on the Receipts of Payments basis in accordance with the Charities & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Charities Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2006 (as amended).
2 Nature and purpose of funds
All funds received (receipts) and paid (payments) are unrestricted. This means that all funds may be used at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the objectives of The Charity. All funds are contained within a single unrestricted fund.
3 Related party transactions
No remuneration, with the exception of Reimbursements, was paid to the trustees or any connected persons during the Year.
| 4 Fundraising | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | Restricted | Year ended | Year ended | ||
| Funds | Funds | 30/06/2024 | 30/06/2023 | ||
| ESNcards | £3,047.24 | £0.00 | £3,047.24 | £8,146.00 | |
| Trips | £38,487.31 | £0.00 | £38,487.31 | £1,043.60 | |
| Partnerships | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £528.35 | |
| Merchandise | £91.48 | £0.00 | £91.48 | £38.00 | |
| Other | £78.00 | £0.00 | £78.00 | £0.00 | |
| TOTAL FUNDRAISING | £41,704.03 | £0.00 | £44,206.43 | £9,755.95 | |
| 5 Fundraising costs | |||||
| Restricted | |||||
| Funds | |||||
| ESNcard purchases | -£2,104.73 | £0.00 | -£2,104.73 | -£4,996.28 | |
| Postage of ESNcards | -£19.18 | £0.00 | -£19.18 | -£21.58 | |
| Promotions and advertising | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | -£426.50 | |
| Trips | -£33,336.22 | £0.00 | -£33,336.22 | £0.00 | |
| Merchandise | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| TOTAL FUNDRAISING COSTS | -£35,460.13 | £0.00 | -£35,460.13 | -£5,444.36 |
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| 6 Charitable activities | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Year ended 30/06/2024 |
Year ended 30/06/2023 |
||
| Training events | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| International events | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| National Assemblies | £2,502.40 | £0.00 | £2,502.40 | £0.00 | |
| Other | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| TOTAL CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES | £2,502.40 | £0.00 | £2,502.40 | £0.00 | |
| 7 Cost of charitable activities | |||||
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Year ended 30/06/2024 |
Year ended 30/06/2023 |
||
| Reimbursements for volunteer costs | -£5,354.11 | £0.00 | -£5,354.11 | -£2,301.83 | |
| Training events | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | -£537.80 | |
| International events | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | -£919.66 | |
| National Assemblies | -£3,035.18 | £0.00 | -£3,035.18 | -£180.45 | |
| Other | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 | |
| TOTAL COST OF CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES |
-£8,389.29 | £0.00 | -£8,389.29 | -£3,939.74 | |
| 8 Governance costs | |||||
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Year ended 30/06/2024 |
Year ended 30/06/2023 |
||
| ESN International membership | -£1,815.33 | £0.00 | -£1,815.33 | -£1,708.68 | |
| TOTAL GOVERNANCE COSTS | -£1,815.33 | £0.00 | -£1,815.33 | -£1,708.68 | |
| 9 Equipment costs | |||||
| Unrestricted Funds |
Restricted Funds |
Year ended 30/06/2024 |
Year ended 30/06/2023 |
||
| Software / internet | -£1,882.30 | £0.00 | -£1,882.30 | -£506.15 | |
| TOTAL EQUIPMENT COSTS | -£1,882.30 | £0.00 | -£1,882.30 | -£506.15 |
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Plans for the future
Looking ahead to FY25, ESN UK hopes to build on the hard work done by previous trustees and to set new strategic goals. In terms of our financial situation, we hope to diversify our income streams by utilising grant funding, increasing our ESNcard sales and exploring commercial partnerships. This is vital in order to ensure imminent financial stability and to create a solid foundation for future financial years.
Furthermore, educating and advocating for International students in the UK will remain one of the highest priorities. ESN UK plans to further utilise the ISP UK to inform our advocacy work and hopefully improve ours and other stakeholder’s understandings of the current mobility climate in the UK.
Another important action point for the upcoming year is to explore ways to ensure volunteering in ESN UK remains as inclusive as possible. We hope to do this by increasing funding and reimbursement opportunities for volunteers to attend events, as well as reducing the cost of volunteering in general.
Finally, and most excitingly, ESN UK has been chosen to host the Western European Platform in October 2024. This is a four day event which will be held in Edinburgh, and will be attended by ESN volunteers from countries such as Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. We are delighted to be given the opportunity to showcase our nation to a large section of the Network, as well as be able to showcase all of ESN UK’s hard work and dedication.
Signed,
13