OBHS Old Boys’ Foundation

What OBHS Old Boys’ Foundation does

The Otago Boys' High School Foundation is a registered New Zealand charity (CC24024) headquartered at 2 Arthur Street, Dunedin, that exists to fundraise for and support Otago Boys' High School, a state boys' secondary school founded in 1875. In 2018 the organisation evolved from the alumni-only Old Boys Society into a broader foundation serving Old Boys, current and prospective parents, future families and other supporters. It operates with a board of seven trustees (including Chairman John Blaikie and Rector Richard Hall) and approximately 35 staff/volunteers.

The foundation's offering is structured around four pillars: capital building funds (IT Centre, Technology Block, Boarding House/School House), student scholarships (Foundation Entrance Scholarships of $500 and the G.A. McLauchlan Co-Curricular Excellence Scholarship of $1,000), the Student Support Fund (a means-tested hardship programme launched in 2018 that has raised approximately $130,000), and the Old Boys network and reunions programme. Its current flagship initiative is the Future Oaks Campaign, a $2,000,000 staged redevelopment of the School House boarding hostel that had raised approximately $1,210,000 as of early 2026. Recently completed capital works include the Gymnasium Upgrade ($160,000, March 2025), Swimming Pool Upgrades (2025), the Marsh Stand ($450,000) and the Tennis Court Redevelopment ($800,000, February 2016).

Commercially, the foundation runs a community- and event-led fundraising model with no proprietary technology platform. Income is generated through one-off and recurring donations, annual memberships ($100 auto-renewing) and life memberships ($2,000), targeted capital campaign pledges (e.g., $2,000+ for Future Oaks), and co-funding from NZ charitable trusts and corporate sponsors (Lion Foundation, Otago Community Trust, Alexander McMillan Trust, Mitre 10 Mega, Sentinel Homes, Valspar, Programmed Project Management). Payment processing runs on Stripe, web analytics on Google Analytics, and the foundation complies with the NZ Privacy Act 2020.

Name

OBHS Old Boys’ Foundation

Legal name

The Otago Boys' High School Foundation

Website

https://obhsoldboys.co.nz

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Otago Boys' High School Foundation is a registered New Zealand charity (CC24024) based in Dunedin that fundraises for Otago Boys' High School via donations, memberships, and capital campaigns, supporting scholarships, student hardship grants, building upgrades, and the Old Boys alumni network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (6117), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB), Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

Keywords

• Educational fundraising
• Alumni association services
• Student scholarships
• School capital campaigns
• Community foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Dunedin

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the school's development, building projects, and student support programs. Accepts credit card, bank deposit, and stock donations.
2. Membership Fees: Annual membership at $100 (auto-renewing) and one-off life membership at $2,000. Provides ongoing engagement and communication with foundation supporters.
3. Campaign Fundraising: Targeted fundraising campaigns for specific projects such as the Future Oaks campaign ($2,000+ pledges for School House redevelopment) and the Student Support Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Otago Boys' High School Foundation is a registered New Zealand charity (CC24024) that raises funds through donations, memberships, and corporate sponsorships to support Otago Boys' High School. It administers student scholarships, a Student Support Fund for hardship cases, capital building projects (such as the Future Oaks School House Redevelopment), and an Old Boys network and reunion programme. The Foundation evolved from the Old Boys Society in 2018 to welcome parents, caregivers, future families, and friends of the school.

Product overview

The OBHS Foundation is a charitable organisation supporting Otago Boys' High School, offering a portfolio of fundraising-driven products and services. Its core offerings include membership programmes (annual $100 and life $2,000 memberships) and a scholarship programme comprising Foundation Entrance Scholarships (up to nine $500 awards for Year 9 students across academic, cultural, and sporting categories) and the G.A. McLauchlan Co-Curricular Excellence Scholarship (three $1,000 awards for Years 10-12). The Foundation also administers the Student Support Fund providing means-tested financial assistance for accommodation, fees, uniforms, and extracurricular activities. Capital development is a major pillar, with past projects including the Gymnasium Upgrade ($160,000, March 2025), Swimming Pool Upgrades, Tennis Court Redevelopment ($800,000, February 2016), and The Marsh Stand ($450,000). The flagship current project is the School House Redevelopment through the Future Oaks Campaign ($2,000,000 target). Additional projects include Aspiring Lodge outdoor education facility upgrades. The Foundation also provides an online donation platform (powered by Stripe) and coordinates Old Boys Network events and reunions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• OBHS Foundation Membership Annual membership ($100 auto-renewing) or one-off life membership ($2,000) for supporters of Otago Boys' High School. Available to past, present, and future supporters. Provides access to Foundation activities, events, and communications.
• Foundation Entrance Scholarships Three categories of $500 entrance scholarships (academic, cultural, sporting) for up to nine prospective Year 9 students annually. Also includes a $500 Balmacewen Intermediate School-specific scholarship for three students.
• G.A. McLauchlan Co-Curricular Excellence Scholarship Three awards of $1,000 each for Years 10, 11, and 12 students who distinguish themselves academically (top 20%) and through co-curricular participation in sports, arts, leadership, or community service.
• Student Support Fund Provides practical financial assistance to aspiring and existing OBHS students for accommodation, fees, uniforms, technical resources, sports trips, Mt Aspiring Lodge week, cultural activities, and other subsidies. Applications are treated in confidence.
• School House Redevelopment (Future Oaks Campaign) A $2,000,000 staged redevelopment of the School House boarding facility at 25 Melrose Street, including bathroom refurbishments, dormitory upgrades, a new foyer/reception/common room, study area, infirmary, and Des Smith Dining Hall. Funded through the Future Oaks fundraising campaign with donors' names displayed on oak leaves.
• Aspiring Lodge Development Outdoor education lodge set in the Matukituki Valley near the Southern Alps. Current development includes a suspension bridge across McPherson Creek for safer access and kitchen facility upgrades.
• Online Donation Platform Instant secure online donations via credit card or bank deposit for general donations, Student Support Fund, Future Oaks Oak Leaf Campaign, and Aspiring Lodge, processed through Stripe.
• Old Boys Network and Events Provides reunions, networking events, and an Old Boys community platform including a database for tracking down former students, reunion scarves, and guided school tours for reconnecting alumni.

Quantifiable outcome

• School House Redevelopment: 61% funded ($1.21M of $2M target)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Mitre 10 MegaminorOthersSponsor for Tennis Court Redevelopment project. Contributed funds toward the multi-purpose surface redevelopment completed in 2016.
• Lion FoundationminorOthersCharitable funder supporting Tennis Court Redevelopment and Swimming Pool Upgrades projects.
• Otago Community TrustminorOthersCharitable funder supporting Swimming Pool Upgrades and Tennis Court Redevelopment.
• Eion and Jan Edgar Charitable TrustminorOthersSupported Tennis Court Redevelopment project.
• Alexander McMillan TrustminorOthersSupported Swimming Pool Upgrades project.
• ValsparminorOthersProduct sponsor providing paint for Tennis Court Redevelopment project.
• Programmed Project ManagementminorOthersProfessional services sponsor for Tennis Court Redevelopment project.
• Sentinel HomesminorOthersBusiness sponsor of OBHS football club, with family connection to the foundation through membership.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Lion Foundation: National charitable grantmaker that has co-funded OBHS capital projects. Included as a 'peer' in the funder/ecosystem sense — the foundation's ability to win Lion Foundation grants is a critical input to its capital-campaign economics.
• Otago Community Trust: A major co-funder of OBHS Foundation projects (Tennis Court, Swimming Pool) and a representative regional community foundation. Not a direct competitor — it is a funder — but useful for benchmarking community-foundation grant patterns in the Otago region.

Direct peers

• Christ's College Canterbury Foundation: South Island New Zealand independent boys' school with a parallel foundation structure that runs membership tiers, scholarships, capital campaigns, and an Old Boys network. Directly comparable operating model to the OBHS Foundation.
• St Andrew's College Foundation (Christchurch): South Island private school foundation running the same playbook of building funds, scholarships, and an Old Boys/parents network. Useful peer for benchmarking campaign conversion rates and membership pricing.
• King's College Old Boys' (Auckland): Private boys' school foundation with life-membership and annual-giving tiers, capital campaign capability, and a structured alumni network. Closest analog for testing membership-pricing and donor-segmentation strategy.
• Christchurch Boys' High School Foundation: Another New Zealand boys' high school foundation performing the same functions — capital fundraising, scholarships, and Old Boys engagement — for a comparable state-integrated institution. Same regulatory environment under the NZ Charities Act.
• Auckland Grammar School Old Boys' Association: Largest boys' school Old Boys' network in New Zealand with an associated foundation that runs capital campaigns, scholarships, and reunion events. Comparable structure, though at materially larger scale and with broader geographic reach.
• Waitaki Boys' High School Foundation: Regional South Island boys' high school foundation with a similar structure — scholarships, building funds, alumni network — in a comparable size band. Closest scale-comparable peer for the OBHS Foundation.
• Wellington College Old Boys' Association: Capital-city boys' school alumni foundation that combines reunions, scholarship endowment, and capital fundraising. Comparable governance model and donor-mix logic to the OBHS Foundation.

Regional players

• John McGlashan College Foundation (Dunedin): Fellow Dunedin private boys' school foundation operating in the same city and donor pool. Comparable scale and beneficiary type, making it the most direct head-to-head competitor for local philanthropic dollars in Otago.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/obhs-old-boys-foundation

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about OBHS Old Boys’ Foundation