Charitable rip off

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nate

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#115297 20-Mar-2013 17:16

Can't believe this article in today's herald: Cancer trust gives less than 5pc of donations

Surely there should be some legislation around what percent actually directly goes to the cause they are supposed to be advocating for?

I regularly give to a couple of our local charities - if their admin costs were as high, I'd stop giving and be right royally fudged off.

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#784605 20-Mar-2013 17:19

Always pays to ask people hounding you in the street for Redpeace and Save the Adults how much they're being paid to sign you up on a regular monthy donation. You'll typically find them suddenly leave you alone.

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mattwnz

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#784607 20-Mar-2013 17:21

I was shocked too, and it gives charities a bad name. Some regular companies probably give more to charity than that. Any collectors shouldn't be getting paid.

ubergeeknz

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#784610 20-Mar-2013 17:24

I think they may be in breach of the law, in fact. But it's not surprising. Many businesses are as poorly run, so why not charities?

berrys

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#784611 20-Mar-2013 17:26

A friend of my wife used to work for a major charity organisation. Donations were mainly spent on admin and advertising - you can probably guess who.

mattwnz

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#784672 20-Mar-2013 19:15

I read that overseas some collectors got paid commission based on how many people they signed up. Personlly I am not a fan of the need for many charities, as our taxes should cover these things if they are more essential services. Things like the SPCA though are ones I do believe in and donate too.

sbiddle

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#784694 20-Mar-2013 20:08

mattwnz: I read that overseas some collectors got paid commission based on how many people they signed up.

It happens here too.. Commission is a very common for a lot of "charaties" where options for montly donations exist. Typically the commission is also a lot better the longer people sign up for.

Batman

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#784716 20-Mar-2013 20:58

Less than 5%?

i thought 1% was the norm ... That's why i dont give to charity. I'd rather buy food for the hungry, pay for grocieries for the homeless, sponsor a child for x a month, erc

Did you know when the 2004 tsunami hit indonesia all the donated stuff got stored permanently in the regional governor's garage?

pankajbanga

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#784719 20-Mar-2013 21:13

Rip off, wont donate anymore.

mattwnz

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#784721 20-Mar-2013 21:22

joker97: Less than 5%?

i thought 1% was the norm ... That's why i dont give to charity. I'd rather buy food for the hungry, pay for grocieries for the homeless, sponsor a child for x a month, erc

Did you know when the 2004 tsunami hit indonesia all the donated stuff got stored permanently in the regional governor's garage?

When it was big news in the media a few years ago, I recall that 50% went to the actual charity, and 50% to admin, such as paying staff, employing collectors etc. Just doesn't seem right to me.

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#784724 20-Mar-2013 21:47

Hmm 50-50 is abit high that will be the exception.

99-1 to 90-10 is standard. 90-10 for professional fundraisers.

oxnsox

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#784733 20-Mar-2013 22:09

What percentage of Lotto monies go to charity?

May be berret off buying a ticket and you have the'chance' to be able to donate more.......

noc

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#784734 20-Mar-2013 22:13

This is exactly why I never donate my hard earned cash to charities anymore. I don't know exactly where that money is going. Think your money is going to some kid in Africa? Haha, how gullible we are.... how gullible indeed. But it's sad. People like us who actually want to donate our money to help other people are getting shafted... disgusting

networkn

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#784735 20-Mar-2013 22:15

My brother in law worked for a fair number of the large aid organizations overseas for years, albiet in some pretty not nice places, but he was living like a king with servants and all sorts of perks included, and then got a Tax free stipend most people would consider good for a working wage on top, plus they flew him home twice a year. I don't expect volunteers to live in squalor, but it seemed too much to me. You either get paid reasonably or get reasonable perks, not both. Made me quite angry and I don't donate to those organizations any longer.

Skolink

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#784888 21-Mar-2013 11:42

Not all charities are like this. Some have vey low overheads. Do some reading, if you want to donate and are not just looking for an excuse not to help others.
Did you guys see the article on Mercy Ships on TV a couple of nights ago? The volunteers have to pay their own way, and for their time on the ship. A lot would otherwise be highly paid as medical professionals.

I certainly share in the cynicism of charities that spend alot on advertising themselves.

Locally I give to the Christchurch City Mission because they get in there and give pratical help to those who need it. After the earthquake we donated to the Salvation Army because they spend alot of their own money on top of what is donated by non-church members. I did not donate to the Christchurch Earthquake Fund (the one managed by the government) because it is squandered on things like WiFi for schools when some kids attening eastern schools don't even have shoes, and there are people sleeping in the sand dunes.

10 years ago my flat mate worked as a Greenpeace street signup person, and got paid $20 or so per signup (regardless of amount IIRC).

On the other hand compaines like my own do very nicely providing expensive consultancy services for the likes of AusAID and USAID. Not sure what benefit it is to those about whom the reports are written.
Every last comercially loggable tree in the Solomon Islands has been cut down, and I know my company was in there earning fees providing assesments of the forests for AusAID. Personlly I think the money would have been better spent on bribes to the locals to stop the logging.

minigopher17

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#784923 21-Mar-2013 12:52

My wife volunteers for a charity called Bellyful - and everyone volunteers their time. No admin costs, no one getting paid - 100% of funds go into their work.

Seeing this article gives other charities a bad name and makes it harder for them to fundraise.

It's like at the moment, Toyota on Facebook are giving away 25 cars to the charities with the most votes - how frustrating it is to see charities with well paid executives in the lead to getting a free car for 3 years, when other charities who don't pay any staff are struggling to stay in the top 25. Yeah it's a bit of a popularity vote - but then should charities be divided and categorised into ones who pay their staff, and ones where they don't pay anyone?

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