YWAM Sunshine Coast

This is a review^[1] for those thinking of getting involved with YWAM Sunshine Coast^[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 just three people^[5]
  • 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)^[6]
  • that has a membership (to whom the Committee is accountable) that appears to be restricted to staff of the organisation^[7].
• This is an organisation, a registered charity, that had revenue of $1.75 million 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^[8]
  • again submitting their annual reporting two months late (with the due date being a generous six months after the financial year-end)
  • still operating without having the required registration for its name^[9].
• 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^[10]).
• 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^[11], appears not to exist^[12]
  • 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. 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. Brian Hunsberger, Faull John Daniel and Patricia Hensser ↑
4. ↑
5. ↑
6. Clause 12 of the constitution [ACNC Register]. ↑
7. Clause 4 ↑
8. Two of the four required financial statements are missing.The two financial statements that are included are non-compliant.There is no ‘responsible persons’ declaration.Most of the required Notes (Notes to the Financial Statements) are missing.The audit report is well short of what is required by the profession.

   The Report

   has a strange title

   is prepared by the same firm that did the audit (Chartered Accountant firm Complete Business Strategies)

   has no signs of ownership by the responsible persons of YWAMSC

   includes two letters that should not be included. ↑

9. Also, the name that it uses on the ACNC Register is slightly incorrect. ↑
10. Not on their website, but common to YWAMs: ↑ ↑
11. For instance, in appeals against expulsion (the constitution): ↑
12. The only mention of Australia in a long list of ‘global contacts’ all around the world is ‘Pacific & Asia Field Convenor’. ↑