Scotch College

OSCA Council repositions its direction

The Old Scotch Collegians' Association was established in 1914.

The following is a snapshot of the objectives created for the Association:

• To promote the welfare and advancement of the School.
• To provide a means whereby Old Boys of the school may be kept in touch with each other.
• To raise or aid or contribute to the raising of funds for the use of the School, whether for endowment, building, educational, recreational or any other purpose considered being advantageous to the School.
• To establish and to encourage aid for scholarships, bursaries for boys or Old Boys of the school.
• To foster friendly relations among the other Public Schools of Victoria.
• To promote sport, recreation, entertainment, amusement and education amongst Old Boys and to organize, manage, control and give financial assistance to associations, clubs and teams.
• To provide and maintain premises, rooms, libraries, reading rooms, refreshment rooms and other conveniences for the members of the Association.

The Old Scotch Collegians Association is managed by a Council that formally meets on a monthly basis at the school. The current Council comprises of 16 Old Boys and the Principal of the school, Dr Donaldson.

Tim Shearer has recently been appointed the Executive Director of the Association and he oversees the day to day operations of the Association. Two additional staff members have just been appointed to facilitate the launch of OSCAnet.

The Association invested in market research during 2001 and 2002, to understand the needs and requirements of members. Key findings were:

• Old Boys understand that OSCA is the link between Old Boys and the School
• Affiliated Societies provide a connect for younger Old Boys
• OSCA is primarily an event provider/organizer
• Lack of clarity in understanding the role of the Scotch College Foundation (SCF) and the role of OSCA
• Old Boys like to distance themselves from the school immediately after they have left school but still like to know what is going on
• There are three types of Old Boys - those who are active and involved, those who are passive but receptive and those that are passive and uninterested.
• OSCA is lacking relevancy with school leavers from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

On Sunday 21 July, the Council held a full day planning workshop. The objective of this workshop was to re-examine the role and purpose of the Association and ensure that the Association is relevant to its current constituency of Old Boys.

Representatives from the school administration, the SCF and the School Council were interviewed prior to workshop and then presented their views at the workshop. These perspectives gave the OSCA Council a clear view of the perspectives and expectations of other members of the school community.

With the market research discussed previously, the Council was armed with sufficient information to develop a strategy for the future operations of the Association. The core issues were discussed and debated and the following areas were identified for attention:

• We need to maintain our 'core' audience (leavers from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s) and build the participation rate of the 'sometimes' audience (leavers from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s). This will occur by segmenting the audience and delivering specific events and activities for different age groups. OSCAnet and YOBS will be used to engage leavers from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s)
• We need to establish clarity in the roles of the two sections of the school's Development Office -The Old Scotch Collegians' Association and the Foundation. It was resolved that OSCA will involve itself in fundraising activities to ensure that it can meet current financial commitments, such as OSCA's $1 million commitment to the James Forbes Academy.
• It can maintain a degree of self-sufficiency and can provide more support to the school. OSCA fundraising will be for smaller, tangible projects whereas the Foundation will oversee major capital works projects.
• The Annual Fund (run by OSCA and which has decreased 28% since 1998) has been earmarked for rejuvenation and it is hoped to increase the participation rate across all year levels. It is also planned to include recent school leavers in the program as currently we only contact Old Boys who left the school ten years previously.
• OSCA is attempting to attract sponsorship for the first time in its history. Key business supporter partnerships will be established and nurtured with mutual benefits for both parties.
• OSCA's membership fraternity is being examined with a view to widening its scope to incorporate past parents and past staff.
• Financial and administrative support is to be provided to the Affiliated Societies in order that remain vibrant and viable. This support will be provided in the form of sponsorship to those that are 'prepared to help themselves'. Affiliated Societies will be contacted during the fourth term to discuss future strategies with the assistance of OSCA.

These are just some of the areas that the OSCA Council is addressing. It is an exciting time for the Association and, in fact, for all Old Boys. At the end of the day, the Association requires the support of as many of its Old Boys as possible to ensure its relevancy and its place at the table of the Scotch Family.