YWAM Byron Bay

This is a review^[1] for those thinking of getting involved with YWAM Byron Bay^[2], especially as a student or a donor.

If this is you, then please pause and consider the following:

• This is an organisation that has a public invitation to young people to enter agreements, at not insignificant cost^[3], that are likely to be life-changing^[4],
  • that is governed by a Committee of two couples and one other^[5]
    • five people when there should be seven (see below)
  • that does not identify these people, nor the people directing the operation, on its website
  • that has a Committee that that has no outsiders (even from another YWAM)
  • that has a Committee composition that breaches the requirements of Missions Interlink (see below).
• This is an organisation, a registered charity, that had revenue of $805K in the 2020 year, but where the responsible persons continue to show their disdain for their legal responsibilities by
  • again submitting a Financial Report that is grossly deficient
    • two of the four required financial statements missing
    • a long out-of-date format for the ‘Income and Expenditure Statement’
    • a non-compliant director’s declaration
    • 34% of the expenses in an item with no breakup
    • most of the required Notes missing
  • again submitting their annual reporting one and a half months late (with the due date being a generous six months after the financial year-end)
  • still not meeting their responsibilities as the owner of a fund that has deductible gift recipient status^[6]
  • still operating without having the required registration for its name
  • continuing to have a committee that is two short of the required number^[7].
• This is an organisation that gives no information on what it achieved (outcomes, results, or impact) from all that it does, and is doing (using labour funded by donors^[8]).
• This is an organisation that is part of a movement where
  • periodically there are credible reports of abuse of students
  • there is a lack of accountability: the external YWAM body that this and many Australian YWAMs constitutions say needs to be involved in some of the important decisions^[9], appears not to exist^[10]
  • the members resist independent scrutiny of their information.

A draft of this review was sent to the charity.

The organisation is a member of Missions Interlink^[11]. As such it has agreed to comply with a set of standards, the introduction to which includes this statement:

The organisation….did not respond.

1. For the previous review, see here. ↑
2. This is the name under which they trade – see, for example, the website – yet, contrary to the law, they have not registered it. ↑
3. https://www.ywambyronbay.com/adventure-dts-ywam-australia-byron-bay/: ↑
4. https://www.ywambyronbay.com/about-intro: ↑
5. Katja VirolainenKevin and Tiffany SticklSteven and Susan Clark ↑
6. Compare who is on the Committee with who is required by the government to be on the Committee [clause 43, constitution, ACNC Register]. ↑
7. Clause 14 of the constitution requires a Committee of seven. ↑
8. Not on their website, but common to YWAMs: ↑
9. For instance, in accountability to the government because of a fund’s tax deductible status: ↑
10. The only mention of Australia in a long list of ‘global contacts’ all around the world is ‘Pacific & Asia Field Convenor’. ↑
11. Missions Interlink is the Australian Evangelical Alliance Inc‘s ‘network for global mission. Here’s the membership (https://missionsinterlink.org.au/membership/mi-members-and-associates): ↑