Royal Scottish Geographical Society

What Royal Scottish Geographical Society does

The Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is a Scottish-registered charitable organization founded in 1884 and headquartered at the Fair Maid's House in Perth, Scotland. Its mission is to inspire and inform people about geography, climate, and exploration through education, public engagement, research support, and stewardship of heritage collections spanning maps, atlases, artefacts, and explorer archives dating to its founding. The society is led by Chief Executive Mike Robinson, supported by approximately six paid staff and roughly 120 volunteers, with governance drawn from a membership base of more than 2,500 individuals.

The organization operates a diversified portfolio spanning content publishing, paid education, events, venue hire, retail, and fundraising. Core products and services include The Geographer quarterly magazine, a tiered Climate Solutions course programme (Accelerator and Professional certifications, with explicit charity and standard pricing), original books authored by Writer-in-Residence Jo Woolf (Voices of the Earth, The Great Horizon, James Croll and his Adventures in Climate and Time, and the Horrible Geography of Stunning Scotland children's title), free classroom resources (Chalk Talks, Fact Sheets, Learning Maps, Lesson Plans), Fair Maid's House tours and Discovery Days, Climate Emergency Summits, Inspiring People public talks, and room hire at its Perth headquarters. The technology layer is a standard web platform with e-commerce, Stripe/GoCardless/PayPal payment processing, and Google Analytics; no proprietary AI/ML systems or platform architecture beyond content publishing and event booking are evidenced.

Revenue is generated across five streams: annual memberships (from £25/year), donations and targeted appeals (Education Matters, Future Generations Fund), e-commerce product sales, venue hire (room hire £30-60/hour plus VAT plus catering), and Climate Solutions course fees (£84-720 depending on tier). Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the organization reaches Scottish schools and universities through free educational resources and research support, engages the general public through 100+ events annually, and monetizes attention through membership, courses, retail, and venue hire. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or institutional investors are evidenced; the society is funded organically through its member and supporter base.

Name

Royal Scottish Geographical Society

Legal name

Royal Scottish Geographical Society

Website

https://rsgs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Royal Scottish Geographical Society is a Scottish educational charity founded in 1884 that promotes geography, climate literacy, and exploration heritage through memberships, publications, courses, public events, and visitor experiences at its Perth headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership program offering access to events, magazine, and member benefits. Join from £25 per annum.
2. Donations and Appeals: General donations and targeted appeals (Education Matters, Future Generations Fund) to support charitable work. One-time and recurring donation options available.
3. Product Sales: E-commerce sales of publications (books, maps), merchandise, prints, and educational materials. Includes Climate Solutions course extensions and professional certifications.
4. Room Hire: Historic room rental at Fair Maid's House headquarters for corporate meetings, school trips, and events including weddings. Catering services also provided.
5. Climate Solutions Courses: Educational courses including Climate Solutions Accelerator (£84 charity rate) and Professional (£450-600 + VAT) certifications for individuals and organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

RSGS is an educational charity that inspires and informs the public about geography, exploration, and climate through membership subscriptions, published books and a quarterly magazine, Climate Solutions courses, school and public events, tours of its Fair Maid's House headquarters, charitable appeals, and an awards programme. It sells publications, merchandise, and course enrolment through its own e-commerce shop and delivers content in person across Scotland.

Product overview

Royal Scottish Geographical Society operates as an educational charity offering a diverse portfolio of products and services centered on geographical education, exploration, and environmental awareness. The core offerings include: The Geographer quarterly magazine, Climate Solutions educational courses in multiple tiers, books published by RSGS including Voices of the Earth and The Great Horizon by Writer-in-Residence Jo Woolf, children's educational books like Horrible Geography of Stunning Scotland, and RSGS membership providing access to 100+ events. Additional services include Fair Maid's House tours and Discovery Days events, room hire at their Perth headquarters, educational resources (Chalk Talks, Fact Sheets, Learning Maps, Lesson Plans), Climate Emergency Summits workshops, public Inspiring People talks, and charitable appeals for specific causes. The society also maintains heritage collections and an awards program recognizing outstanding geographical contributors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Geographer Magazine A quarterly magazine published by RSGS featuring geographical content, articles, and educational material for members.
• Climate Solutions Courses Educational courses helping individuals understand and address climate change, with tiered pricing for Accelerator (£84 charity/£168 standard) and Professional (£540 charity/£720 standard incl VAT) certifications.
• RSGS Membership Annual membership programme from £25 per year providing access to 100+ events, the quarterly Geographer magazine, and member benefits.
• Voices of the Earth Book by Writer-in-Residence Jo Woolf featuring stories of enterprise, innovation, and adventure from RSGS archives, highlighting explorers and conservationists from the late 1800s to present day. Priced at £25 including UK postage.
• The Great Horizon Signed hardback book by Jo Woolf containing 50 stories of adventure drawn from RSGS archives, featuring Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen, and Armstrong. Priced at £20 including UK postage.
• James Croll and his Adventures in Climate and Time Book for young secondary school students telling the story of 19th-century Scottish climate scientist James Croll, written by Jo Woolf and illustrated by Dylan Gibson. Priced at £12 including UK postage.
• Horrible Geography of Stunning Scotland Children's book in the Horrible Geography series, commissioned by RSGS and exclusively available through them, covering Scottish scenery, weather, wildlife, and explorers. £7 individually or £14 for a 3-book pack.
• Fair Maid's House Tours Guided tours of the historic Fair Maid's House in Perth, the headquarters of RSGS, offered during July and August.
• Room Hire at Fair Maid's House Historic room hire at RSGS headquarters in Perth for corporate meetings, school trips, and intimate weddings. £30/hour normal hours, £50–60/hour evenings/weekends plus VAT; refreshments £3.00/person.
• Discovery Days Curated themed discovery events at the Fair Maid's House, including Shackleton exploration, James Hutton 300 tercentenary, and desert exploration themes. £20 per person.
• Educational Resources for Schools Classroom resources including Chalk Talks (free virtual geography lessons), Fact Sheets (case studies on flooding, landslides, coasts), Learning Maps (playground map creation), and Lesson Plans (outdoor learning projects).
• Climate Emergency Summits Workshop events bringing together motivated people from across sectors to develop solutions to the climate emergency in a safe, open workshop environment.
• Inspiring People Talks Public speaking events featuring explorers, adventurers, scientists, and journalists, including speakers such as Kirsty Wark and Jen Stout.
• Fair Maid's House Visitor Centre Visitor centre in Perth offering tours, exhibitions, and access to RSGS heritage collections.
• Appeals and Fundraising Charitable appeals including Education Matters (funding Chalk Talks Plus), Future Generations Fund (support for youth programmes), and general RSGS donations, with supporter fundraising pages.
• Heritage Collections RSGS collections of maps, atlases, artefacts, and historical documents including items from explorers such as Shackleton, Scott, and polar expeditions.
• RSGS Awards and Medallists Recognition programme including Livingstone Medal, Gold Medal, Silver Medal, and Bronze Medal awarded to outstanding geographical contributors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100 public talks, open days and other events delivered each year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Endurance22 ExpeditionminorOthers · 1 May 2023Endurance22 expedition team visited RSGS during a sold-out Perth Concert Hall event. The team, which discovered Shackleton's Endurance shipwreck, viewed exclusive RSGS collections including artifacts and images they hadn't previously seen.
• UK Antarctic Heritage TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRSGS hosted 'A Frozen Night' VR experience from UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, offering virtual reality journey to 1965 Antarctica at the Fair Maid's House Visitor Centre.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Geographic Society: Global non-profit advancing exploration, geography, and science education. Overlaps with RSGS on geographic education, exploration grants, and public programming but at significantly greater scale and global reach.

Regional players

• Scottish Wildlife Trust: Leading Scottish conservation charity with comparable membership-based, Scotland-focused operating model, volunteer infrastructure, and donor appeals targeting environmentally engaged supporters.
• Royal Society of Edinburgh: Scotland's national academy. Comparable as a long-established Scottish learned society with fellowship, awards, public lectures, and policy influence — though broader in scope than RSGS.
• National Trust for Scotland: Heritage charity stewarding historic properties and collections across Scotland. Comparable in operating a Scotland-wide heritage asset (including properties), membership model, and reliance on volunteers.
• Royal Society for the Protection of Birds: Major UK conservation charity with similar membership-driven, volunteer-supported model and large-scale public engagement — a useful benchmark for UK charity scale and fundraising mechanics.
• Royal Geographical Society of South Australia: Another national-level geographic society with parallel heritage, exploration, and education remit. Directly comparable as a peer geographic society outside the UK.

Direct peers

• Royal Geographical Society: The UK's other major geographic society. Directly comparable to RSGS as a learned society promoting geography, supporting expeditions, and delivering education — though larger in scale and London-based.
• Royal Canadian Geographical Society: Canadian counterpart with comparable mission around geography, exploration, and education. Operates a similar membership model, awards program, and educational outreach — making it a natural national-society peer.
• British Exploring Society: UK charity focused on youth development through exploration and expeditions. Shares RSGS's exploration heritage, geographic education remit, and youth/young-person engagement focus.
• Geographical Society of New South Wales: Australian geographic society promoting geographical knowledge and research. Closely comparable in mission, structure, and programming to RSGS, though operating in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/royalscotgeosoc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGkfQ8uuFRCV5kGFfJS-jAQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/RoyalScottishGeographicalSociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-scottish-geographical-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/royalscotgeosoc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Royal Scottish Geographical Society