We are excited to announce the appointment of Ms Crystal Valere Abdoll as SCOUTS SA’s new Chair: National Finance Committee. Crystal’s term as a member of SCOUTS South Africa’s governing Board recently came to an end. She will now continue to serve Scouting as a member of the National Manco team.
Crystal is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years’ experience in the private, public, and non-governmental organisational sectors. Through her positions on various Committees and Boards she oversees the transparent and accountable management of stakeholder investments. She further strives to enable the development of young professionals while simultaneously fostering and encouraging ethical practices and high performance.
We spoke to Crystal about her goals, and what makes Scouting so unique. “I am honoured to continue contributing to SCOUTS South Africa in a more hands-on capacity as Chair of the National Finance Committee and a member of the National Manco team. To be honest, I was asked to serve as the Chair of the National Finance Committee, and I battle to say ‘no’, especially when I know there is a need that I can assist with”, explains Crystal. “The programmes and lessons that SCOUTS South Africa offers, especially to young people, are invaluable. However, our Movement needs the right governance and financial structures in place to facilitate and drive the programmes, to impact the lives of young people and those they meet. Serving on the Finance Committee and Manco is my contribution to building young people of integrity, passion, and purpose.
As I take on this new role, the immediate objective is for the committee to define and agree on its purpose and drive accountability across all Scout Regions. We plan to arrange a one-day workshop where the various regional representatives can meet and agree on our terms of reference, agree on a plan for the year ahead based on our assessment of the “as is” and the financial risk profile of the organisation. One of the key deliverables will be establishing a project team to explore and implement a cloud-based accounting system that is accessible to all Scout Regions, reducing duplication and inefficiencies. In this way the National Office will be able to consolidate Regional financial accounts, enhancing oversight at a National level. The National Finance Committee will also determine medium term objectives which must include a review of the financial model of the SA Scout Movement”, she explains.
When asked how we as members and Regions can assist in achieving these objectives, she says: “I’ve had the pleasure of “meeting” most of the Regional Finance Representatives and can confirm that we agree on many of the immediate deliverables of the National Finance Committee. Members, staff and Regions will have to be open to change, continue showing commitment and passion for our vision and holding each other accountable.”
I’m in awe of the commitment and passion shown by the hundreds of volunteers who make Scouting possible
We often hear that Scouting is different from other youth programmes. After serving on our Board since 2020, we asked Crystal what the Unique Selling Point is of SCOUT SA? “The unique selling point seems to be the methodology or recipe used to develop young people. I was never personally involved in Scouting as a youth; however, my younger brother was a Cub in the eighties and later became a Scout at the Northpine branch in Cape Town. At the time I envied his weekly meetings and later the camps he attended because he always came home with new insights and new adventures. More recently, I have seen that the methodology/recipe employed by Scouts to equip young people can be replicated across race, gender and socio-economic circumstances and yields benefits across generations. I have personally witnessed the positive impact that Scouting has had on a number of young men who have gone on to make huge contributions to society. These are young men who could so easily have succumbed to other social ills that characterise our neighbourhoods.
If people question the relevance of Scouting for young people today, I would probably refer them to the positive role models in society who attribute their success and impact on society to the exposure received as Scouts. I am always amazed at the number of programmes run and the number of lives being touched with our limited financial resources. I am in awe of the commitment and passion shown by the hundreds of volunteers who make Scouting possible”, she concludes.
Crystal currently also holds multiple leadership roles, including but not limited to, Audit Committee member of the Parliament of the Republic of South Africa, Audit Committee Member of the City of Cape Town, Audit Committee Chairperson of the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, Trustee of the National Lottery Participants Trust, Director and Audit and Risk Committee Chair of Casidra SOC Ltd, and Audit Committee Member at the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG).
We thank Crystal for her ongoing support and look forward to growing our financial structures and finances which will enable us to empower more children to be ‘ready for life’.