Foreword
Impact
Key Figures

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Finances:
The 2021 financial year saw a year-on-year decline in infrastructure and operating expenses. Endeavours to modernize in-house IT, initiated at the beginning of the pandemic, were completed. At the same time, with some events having to take place online, there was a year-on-year increase in expenses for events and investor relations. Personnel expense was up slightly year on year because of staff turnover and insourcing. Overall we kept to our CHF 5.5 million budget.

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Communications:
Fortunately, with the gradual subsiding of the pandemic, taking part in conferences and panel discussions has again become part of our staff’s day-to-day routine. But podcasts have also enjoyed growing popularity. Last year they notched up a total of 22,463 plays, 79% of which were so-called impactful plays where people listened to at least 75% of the podcast. After a successful launch in 2020, Democratia, a mobile game giving a younger audience a fun, digital means of experiencing Switzerland’s system, continued to flourish. In the 2021 reporting year it recorded an additional 32,109 downloads and 84,604 game starts, as well as becoming a two-time recipient of the Indigo design award, with wins in the Game Design for Social Change 2021 and Mobile Games 2021 categories.

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Support Foundation:
The Support Foundation is charged with securing sustained funding for Avenir Suisse by way of active fundraising. In the year under review 13 new donors were acquired, and 39 existing donors declared their willingness to renew their commitment when it came up. The donors (members of the support group) support the think tank through substantial one-time or recurrent contributions, generally paid over three to five years. In response to the greater need for personal exchange as the pandemic has subsided, in 2021 a summer meet-up was also held in addition to the “traditional” big events, the annual dinner and the fall conference.