Family and Friends of Missing Persons Aotearoa Charitable Trust (fFOMPA)
Introduction
This business plan has been written as a guide for the Family and Friends of Missing Persons Aotearoa Charitable Trust to attract businesses, stakeholders, and the general public to make donations to this Trust for the following three reasons:
Our first reason is to benefit the community
To provide relevant education and information exclusively within New Zealand, or strictly for citizens who may be missing, or have missing family members overseas
Our second reason is for the promotion of education
To support family and friends with the opportunity to gain as much emotional support as practicable, to alleviate their feelings of ‘not knowing’
Our third reason is for the purposes of establishing public utility
This public utility is; to provide such information materials, in addition to public and media appearances to further educate and inform the public who may be subjected to a missing persons crisis, and to provide support and assistance consistent with the charitable purposes of the Trust
Executive summary: (our purpose)
Our general charitable purpose is that when any person in any community in New Zealand or a New Zealand citizen living overseas goes missing, our Trust will provide support to all family members and friends who live with the on-going cycle of uncertainties, and un-knowing, by providing an all inclusive, educational and information service, to assist those left behind.
A Brief History:
New Zealand Police statistics will tell you that an average of 8,000 people are reported missing each year in New Zealand and for every one of those persons another twelve people are directly affected.
Thankfully 98% of people who do go missing are found within a short time; after hours, days, weeks, or even months, so for most family and friends there is an ending. On some occasions a body is discovered. However there is usually a happy re-union, and life picks up again and goes on.
There is also a smaller category of persons who go missing who are never found, even after years and decades of searching. In all cases, there is an underlaying emotion that is suffered by those affected by a missing person, and that is the anxiety of not knowing what happened, and where their missing loved one is. Human nature requires us to have ‘closure’ and until we have that, we are left with the trauma of uncertainty, which can be all consuming.
Currently there is no organization in New Zealand offering a co-ordinated and all inclusive support service to those who are left behind. As our family and friends have suffered the long term effects of ‘not-knowing’ associated with having a missing family member, we have formed this Charitable Trust, to give people the services we would have liked, and still need….
Our Trust document is available on request, to provide more detailed information
Objectives for the next 5 years:
- To be an icon Charitable Trust seen as an authority on missing persons
- To have initiated, co-ordinated, and launched an annual Missing Persons Awareness Week for New Zealand
- To provide education, support, and relevant information to every New Zealand family who has had a missing family member
To have created a supportive network throughout all communities within New Zealand by providing on-going forums, workshops, seminars, concerts and media events, which will connect communities, families, and friends, and returned missing persons
Key Products:
There are two major products associated with our Charitable Trust:
i) Website
We, like the Australian Federal Police who manage an all-inclusive website at www.missingpersons.govt.au will create a common point of contact which can be easily accessed by family, friends, agency stakeholders, and the general public. This common point will provide a ‘one-stop-shop’ of education and information where we, as the ‘gate-keepers’, will promote, distribute and update the information on a regular basis.
The website will provide such features as:
- Reporting a missing person
- Where to start with search options
- Working with the case officer
- Helping with the search
- Practicalities
- Essential personal checklist
- Your own health and welfare
- New Zealanders missing overseas
- Working with the media
- Support services offered
- Tracing organisations
- Support groups and counselling
- Legal matters
- Personal blogs
- Counselling framework
- Links
Poster templates for registered missing persons
For missing persons wanting to make contact
Research papers published, statistics, new research
Recommended reading
Glossary of terms
News feeds
ii) Educational D.V.D and brochure kit:
This D.V.D and brochure kit will work in conjunction with the website. The purpose is to provide a ‘hard copy’ of fact sheets and web information for physical distribution.
It is designed as a guide to compliment the clearly defined work carried out by police and search and rescue, as a framework to assist in the not so clear emotional journey endured by family and friends. To be used as a teaching resource in order to educate communities, Family and friends
List Major Requirements (we have to comply with or apply for):
Our Charitable Trust governance processes
Charitable Trust tax exemption status lodged and approved by IRD
Privacy Act
Official Information Act
Business Location:
Centrally located in Wellington, New Zealand
Key People and/or Organisations: who will help us
New Zealand Police
National Police missing persons co-ordination centre
National Search and Rescue; land, sea and air
Volunteer Fire Brigade
Hospitals and clinics
Health centres
Medical teams
Ambulance services
Alzheimer’s Association
Coroners Office
Insurance companies
Alpine and tramping clubs
New Zealand armed forces
Victim support
Legal sector
A.C.C
Mental health agencies
Salvation Army
Counselling service providers
Private investigators
Department of internal affairs
Department of foreign affairs and trade
Consular operations
Schools and all education providers
Libraries
Volunteers
Community service groups
Pub Charities
Lotto Commission
Funding organisations
Churches
All media
The Market:
- All people in all communities within New Zealand
- All family and friends of missing New Zealand citizens, who have gone missing in other countries, and missing persons
Major Target Market:
- Family and friends of missing persons
- General public
- Search and rescue agencies
- Counselling, and associated Support agencies
- Researchers
Major Impacts:
Lack of public interest in our Charitable Trust purpose
Lack of Donations to run this Charitable Trust
Achievements So Far:
The formation of this Charitable Trust is approved.
fFompa is now a fully tax-exempt Charitable Trust. After 20 years, our family felt the need to do something meaningful for all missing persons, their family and friends, and New Zealand’s general public.
- Secured the pro-bono services of lawyer Kerry Queenin, from Johnstone Lawrence, to help guide us through the set-up process and beyond.
- Contacted and were supported by the Australian Federal Police Missing Persons Unit in both Canberra, and Parramatta, Sydney
- Researched into missing persons existing support networks, stakeholders, and media options
- Trust bank account set up ready to receive donations
- Website developed, templates created, logo designed
- Participation in the T.V.N.Z series The Missing with an episode in preproduction dedicated to Dr Peter Coop and fFompa’s introduction
Major Competitors:
All other Charitable Trusts, and associated organisations in New Zealand, competing for donations
Existing sites using ‘missing persons.org’, or similar already set up, but without Charitable Trust status, or police ‘support’
E-Commerce Impact: what impact will e-commerce have?
E-commerce will have a positive impact on this plan, as the whole focus of the Charitable Trust is that it runs a website, and other social networking sites and is the focal point for communities and individuals to communicate.
There is an opportunity to increase awareness of missing people from New Zealand who go missing in Australia, as the Trust grows, and for Researchers to increase and share their knowledge.
The website contains RSS newsfeed, and a blog opportunity.
Any other topics: not already covered, likely to have an impact
Timing of events and fundraising activities will have to be carefully co-ordinated and monitored to ensure impact of message for the National Missing Persons Awareness Week 2-8 August each year.
The Trust grows too fast too quickly, and must be managed by an increasing number of staff.
A suitable patron to be secured
Customer Feedback: how we collect customer information
All feedback relating to the information supplied in the ‘Kit’, and posted on the Website will need a point of contact to administer and up-date the information when necessary.
Feedback forms will be available on-line, on request
Critical Success Factors: what are they?
- Donations from the public, so Trust objectives can be met
- Co-operate with all major counselling and community based support service groups and agencies wanting to link to the Trust
- New Zealand Police – missing persons unit supports, in principal, our existence and charitable purpose
Best Customers: 80/20 rule
- Organisations and persons and who offer speaking opportunities
- Organisations and persons and who donate money to the Trust
- The media that promote the purposes of the Trust
Strategic Impact: what else can impact strategically on you
A larger, privately funded, similar Trust is quicker off the mark launching anything associated with the objectives of their Trust, and its exposure and promotion is more widespread and successful than our Trust
Market Analysis (SWOT)
As at time of publishing this Business plan overview, and in no particular order
Strengths:
- No other Charitable Trust is offering same objectives and services
- Already have Charitable Trust status
- Support from established, well run missing persons unit in A.C.T
- Only post ‘official’ missing person information
- Make donations on–line website
- Strong public speaking capabilities, many opportunities
- Small existing Trustee board
Weaknesses:
- Still have to make the website and ‘kit’
- Lack of domain name control
- One person doing all the work
- No physical premises
Opportunities:
- Trans-Tasman promotion and awareness growth
- Huge possibility of donations from general public in N.Z
- Research possibilities
- New Zealand community awareness growth
Threats:
- Decline in public interest of missing persons
- Organisations and businesses use website to locate persons not wanting to be found
- Charitable Trust criteria changes. How is it changing?
- Public awareness is growing, as media reports more missing persons
- Service providers try to absorb us into their organisation
- What are competitors currently doing? Are we included?
- Working in isolation and providing blogs, tracing services and private investigation services
