Abridged Frequently Asked Questions – FAQs

If each student who is able makes a stand to invest in the future of MTL, over the next year we will be able to open the space to revitalize our communities, build the infrastructure needed to deliver our work online, create new course work, pilot new marketing strategies and establish an online enrollment pathway for new students. A twelve month strategic plan is in development to be finalised and implemented depending on the success of A Year Together.

A Year Together has been designed to source the Global Operations Hub team to work collaboratively with communities to stabilize the business framework of the organisation. If successful, an online framework for the delivery of the MTL programs/courses can then continue to be offered .

The goal is for 200+ of the global community members to give an average of $50 (US) on a monthly basis by the end of June.  

There is a team of twelve part-time staff members working around the world to ensure the day-to-day operations of both the international and the US charity are maintained. Additionally, there are a number of core administrative costs – one being the required US annual audit. This baseline legal cost ensures the foundation’s compliance as a US 501(c)3 charity which holds the licenses for all countries and Licensed Facilitators to use the More To Life Intellectual Property. 

Sponsorships are paid locally to contribute towards the staff members who live in that country in order to minimise fees and conversion rates. Additional funds will be redistributed to other organizational costs and overheads.

See Ops Team Photo below Item 6

The costs of overheads of operations internationally was reduced in 2020 by over 50%. The More To Life International Organisation has the means for the Global Operations Hub to function until the beginning of July 2021.

Monthly Global Gratitude Offering calls will be scheduled at which the community will be updated on our progress. Further, email newsletters will be distributed quarterly to update sponsors on progress.

Over the last five years, More To Life has had an increased dependency on frequent large donations gifted by several generous donors. In those five years, More To Life was close to insolvency on four separate occasions. Substantial structural overheads were established with expenses exceeding donations by almost 25%. In 2019, Global Ops Hub expenses were $49,000 per month which increased to $66,000 per month in 2020. 

At the beginning of the Global Pandemic, an online Masterclass was proposed as a pilot, with the intention of gathering data to discern the viability of going on. The Masterclass was a deeply transformative experience for many of the registrations, with personal transformations happening over zoom calls “equivalent to the best in the More To Life Weekend.” However, the Masterclass did not make a profit and consumed a very substantial expenditure of our financial and human resources. The net return was negative and, depending on how it is calculated, the loss was between $49,782 and $112,268. 

With a change in leadership, the organization has an increased focus on financial probity and transparency. Financial sustainability is a key strategic goal of the organisation requiring a clear business model.

If you wish to see the financial reports, please contact tech.admin@moretolife.org to request access to these documents.
 

Over the past year, an integrated (as distinct from centralised or decentralised) organizational structure which better serves both current and future students has been established. The International Council of Stewards (ICS) is collaborating with local country boards as well as the International Finances & Fundraising group. This group of treasurers and local/international accounting staff meet monthly to review financial probity requirements for each region. The Global Operations Hub team members are partnering with local operations teams and communities to share resources such as IT infrastructure, best practices, course materials, marketing strategies, and communications templates across countries. Communities are being actively empowered to deliver the programme in their unique context with Global Ops Hub support.

A number of sponsors from communities around the world have made commitments to help meet our minimum operational target amount. The future sustainability and true limits of MTL operations will hinge on the extent to which our community underpin this campaign. It is our vision that the 501(c)3 US/International charity remains solvent, which includes paying fixed, industry-standard fees for a yearly audit and nonprofit registration fees. 

If we are unable to source the amount of new or augmented sponsorships and/or donations needed to sustain the organisation, we will be forced to shut down the 501(c)3 nonprofit (charity), which acts as  the governance body for both the US and the International community.  Further, the US as the original community would no longer be able to receive donations which have sourced the operations for 40 years. 

Additionally, there would be a significant impact on the remaining local MTL organisations to finance, set-up and maintain local infrastructure (student database, archive, ongoing updates and mailers, website creation and maintenance, social media, marketing, CPD costs). The operation of these assets and services will be left to volunteers, which has frequently led to volunteer burnout. Each region/country board would need to negotiate an individual license to use More To Life Intellectual Property and address the logistical challenges to deliver the work internationally and/or in the US.