While I have no update on audited financial statements at this stage, I would like to talk about Mensa functioning in a Covid era. After being on the Executive Committee (ExComm) since November 2019, I actually didn’t have an opportunity for a face-to-face meeting until the end of March 2022 when the Excomm had a meeting in London. It was a bit challenging to fly from New Zealand for just three nights or so, but the meeting was a very fruitful one. Our schedule was packed with many discussion items and brainstorming.

It was very busy – you can read the minutes from the meeting which have a whopping 30 pages. I thought that online meetings would do, but actually, through face-to-face interaction we were able to progress so many matters, and what’s important, we were able to do that more quickly and thoroughly. That’s why I can’t wait for the IBD in Montenegro at the beginning of October, as I believe that having a real full-time meeting after three years would help us to move our organisation forward.

Mensa is all about interaction between Mensans. If you are hesitant about whether to attend a face-to-face Mensa meeting, that’s natural. However, I would say that it’s high time to get back to what Mensa is all about: member-to-member interaction. If you want to get a proper Mensa experience, I highly recommend that you come to Montenegro, EMAG, AMAG or go to your National Mensa events.

If you haven’t been to a Mensa gathering, you may be reluctant to attend a big gathering, which is fair enough. However, the bigger the gathering the better, trust me.

On a private note, on top of my day-to-day job, I have been focusing on psychological research (Researchers’ degrees of freedom) and taking care of my orchids. I can’t wait to see my parents later this year as I haven’t seen them since 2019.

Thank you for your attention. I will be back later this year to update you on finance and the budget for 2023.

Hopefully, I will see some of you in Reno or Montenegro. If you see me around, don’t hesitate to approach me and say hi. Take care!

Jacek Cywinski, Mensa internation Treasurer. Reprinted from the Mensa World Journal, 8/2022, issue 115.

2020 Financial statements

Income statement for the year ended 31 Dec 2020 shows a healthy surplus of 255,621 GBP, with revenue sitting at 493,947 GBP and costs at 238,326 GBP. The component income increased by 0.67% in comparison to the previous year. The administrative expenses decreased by 40.93% in comparison to the previous year, mostly due to the cancellation of the IBD meeting in Montenegro. The highest cost was running the Mensa International Office (47%), followed by the name protection (15%) and the website expenses (10%). Additionally, we spent 15,197 GBP (6%) on exploring licensing deals. As of 31 December 2020, Mensa International had 838,265 GBP in bank accounts.

2021 – year in progress

Due to the cancellation of the IBD meeting in Houston, we saved around 120,000 GBP. Additionally, as the planned expenses for Adaptive Testing did not occur, we saved 65,000 GBP this year. Some other savings were 10,000 GBP on Marketing/PR budget 75th Anniversary, 7,000 GBP on Development travel due to COVID-19, and 5,000 GBP on GLAM. Our revenue for the year is forecast to be 8.5% lower than in 2020.

2022 budget

The budget assumes that the component income will be similar to 2019-2020, which considers the impact of COVID-19. In my opinion, the cautious approach is the best under the circumstances. The 2022 budget assumes a loss due to a variety of factors. Firstly, we assumed safely the turnover (potentially underestimated) and assumed higher costs (especially travel to the IBD in Montenegro). Therefore, the costs are potentially overestimated due to the uncertainty caused by COVID-19 – the cost of international travel might be potentially higher rather than lower. Secondly, we have a number of expensive initiatives such as IT overhaul and adaptive testing. Moreover, we are planning to make an international scholarship contribution to the Mensa Foundation. We are planning to cover the loss from the previous year savings. Therefore, we should go through 2022 pretty smoothly.

Thank you so much for sticking around and helping to grow our organisation in these extraordinary times. Every bit of volunteering means quite a lot, and our financials’ data show that you have been actively growing the organisation regardless of the difficult circumstances. Thank you so much for doing that! I am hoping that it will be possible to see you at one of the international events in 2022.

Thank you for reading my update. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.
Mā te wā.

Reprinted from the Mensa World Journal, February 2022, issue 109.