Finances

Overview of Financial Year 2006 - 2007

Bush Heritage Australia aims to be fully accountable and transparent in all financial matters.  We aim to invest all received income into activities that support conservation outcomes, while producing a small operating surplus (i.e. avoiding a deficit, being a not-for-profit, the “bottom line” is not particularly relevant; also note use of  “operating surplus or deficit”, not “profit or loss”).

Our Annual Financial Report 2006 - 2007 (see attachment below) provides an overview of our activities and financial position as at 30 June 2007 and fulfills the statutory requirements for financial reporting.  Bush Heritage aims to provide a detailed disclosure of its financial position, and thus there is also a full Financial Report 2007 - 2007 available upon request.

The 2006/07 financial year was one of substantial growth in line with our strategic plan.  Our donation income was similar to that of the previous year, which was by far the most successful in the organisation's history.  A significant difference in the results from the two years is that the donation income received in the current year came primarily from our donors, reflecting the successful development of our major gifts fundraising campaign and continued growth in the number of regular donors.

• Total income in 2006-07 was $13,145,000. 
• Nearly $11 million was raised in donations and bequests, up 27.2 per cent on the previous year.
• Over $1.2 million was contributed in grants from governments, trusts and foundations.
• The number of supporters increased by 12.5% on the previous year.  Over 17,600 people have now financially supported Bush Heritage.
• The number of 'Friends of the Bush', who gave by automatic deduction, grew by 6.3 per cent net on the previous year.  The income they provided increased by 16 per cent.
• The number of supporters who have confirmed gifts in their wills increased by 29 per cent on the previous year.

As a not-for-profit entity, Bush Heritage aims to achieve a small operating surplus each year while ensuring that all received funds are invested in conservation outcomes.  This involves balancing the allocation of funds between current-year conservation actions, new land purchases, and long-term investments to support future operations.

The significant volume of donations received during 2006/07 allowed us to continue acquiring land of high conservation value.  During the year we added five new properties to our portfolio: two in Western Australia, two in New South Wales, and one in Victoria.  In addition to these acquisitions, our main conservation activities were focused on developing ecological management plans for all recent land acquisitions, developing data systems to help identify land for potential acquisition in our anchor regions, and implementing a monitoring program to assess the ecological outcomes being achieved as a result of our land management activities.

Overall, 76 per cent of expenditure was directed towards land acquisition and conservation management, 18% on fundraising and development, and 6% on administration.