CIPR publishes annual and financial reports for 2011
The Chartered Institute of Public Relations has today published reports covering its financial and operational performance for the year to 31 December 2011. For the first time, the Annual Report and the Finance Report are published simultaneously, allowing for a direct comparison between CIPR’s accounts and its operational aims and objectives for the year.
2011 Finance Report
The key financial aims continued to be to deliver a surplus in order to build reserves and deliver long term economic sustainability for the organisation, to ensure strong financial management of cost and to balance this with appropriate investment in the Institute’s products and services. The Institute also sought to reflect the difficult external economic environment by delivering these services at an appropriate cost to our members and non-members.
Financial highlights
- The CIPR has delivered a second successive year of profitability with a retained surplus for the year of £245,745. This surplus takes the Institute’s total reserves to £452,350 in line with its financial objectives.
2011 Annual Report
2011 was the year in which the CIPR set out to provide an even stronger link between membership and professional development. The operational aims in 2011 were to make the CIPR more relevant and accessible to its members and to the wider public relations profession, to promote learning and development and to increase levels of member and non-member engagement through the Institute’s qualifications and training programmes.
Operational highlights
- the launch of a new membership grade structure in Q4 2011
- over 1000 members engaged in online Continuing Professional Development
- more than 700 graduates from all CIPR qualifications in the year, a 5% year on year increase
- 14.5% year on year increase in attendance at briefings and seminars
- total membership down slightly by 2.5% due in part to a lower retention rate in Q2, followed by growth in subsequent quarters.
Jane Wilson, CIPR CEO commented:
2011 has been a year for building stronger foundations for the CIPR. We have modernised our membership structure and sought to make the Institute more relevant and engaging to our members. We have put learning and development at the heart of our structure and delivered against our key financial objective of building long term economic sustainability for the organisation. Whilst I recognise that these are challenging times for any organisation that is dependent on discretionary spend, I believe that these changes to our structure, products and services will position us well for future growth. The next stage of our development is to build on the changes to attract more practitioners who want to demonstrate their commitment to professionalism, to the profession’s only Chartered body and to the Institute’s codes of conduct.
Members are invited to the CIPR Annual General Meeting which will take place at the Institute’s offices 9am on Thursday 31 May 2012.
The Guest speaker this year will be Jenny Grey, Executive Director for Government Communication.
Notes to editors
About the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR)Founded in 1948, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) is the Royal Chartered professional body for public relations practitioners in the UK and overseas. The CIPR is the largest membership organisation for PR practitioners outside of North America. By size of turnover and number of individually registered members, we are the leading representative body for the PR profession and industry in Europe.
The CIPR advances professionalism in public relations by making its members accountable to their employers and the public through a code of conduct and searchable public register, setting standards through training, qualifications, awards and the production of best practice and skills guidance, facilitating Continuing Professional Development (CPD), and awarding Chartered Public Relations Practitioner status (Chart.PR).