How charities spend money..let's party
Discussion
I interviewed a guy for a job today. The interviewee told me that when he worked for X charity (a major very well known one) he had to organise the leaving do for a senior manager, including professional entertainment, posh venue etc. And who paid? You got it, the poor sods not getting the money donated to their charity by you and I. It was even organised in the chariy's paid work time.
Some people have no shame, and apparently it is the people who should recognise the value of a donated £££££.
Some people have no shame, and apparently it is the people who should recognise the value of a donated £££££.
I have no trouble with key charity workers getting paid for the jobs that they do and getting paid well because that's how they earn their money. this sort of thing really annoys me though. What's wrong with a wip round the office and a jar or two in the Dog and Ferret, or even a meal for them and their team? why waste money on posh dos? surely if they were going to do this sort of big send off it would be more appropriate to have it as a part of a proper fundraising dinner or annual ceremony?
One of the reasons I personally only really tend to give to air ambulance charities, poppy day and BEN as a rule.
One of the reasons I personally only really tend to give to air ambulance charities, poppy day and BEN as a rule.
If you really want to see how charities waste money ..... spend some time in Africa.
Many charity "ex-pats" live in houses costing $2000+ / month ( in countries where a big house costs $30,000 to buy ) , plus servants , plus business class airfares , get London or New York salaries,plus bonuses and drive round in $100,000 4x4's ( but don't generally spend much time in the "bush" ).
$20 would feed a local family for a month - and charities wonder why some folks are "wary" of giving donations to large international NGO's ?- no surprise given the % that gets consumed in "overhead".
edit : not ALL charities are like that ....there are a few run on a shoestring , who use a lot of volunteers in the field.
>> Edited by alfaman on Thursday 10th November 20:00
Many charity "ex-pats" live in houses costing $2000+ / month ( in countries where a big house costs $30,000 to buy ) , plus servants , plus business class airfares , get London or New York salaries,plus bonuses and drive round in $100,000 4x4's ( but don't generally spend much time in the "bush" ).
$20 would feed a local family for a month - and charities wonder why some folks are "wary" of giving donations to large international NGO's ?- no surprise given the % that gets consumed in "overhead".
edit : not ALL charities are like that ....there are a few run on a shoestring , who use a lot of volunteers in the field.
>> Edited by alfaman on Thursday 10th November 20:00
I know of a local collector of boxes (well known medical charity) that gets paid mileage allowance (35p) and also a lunch allowance as well!
They also seem to have a good group of new looking vans as well?
Also why do most of them have some posh swanky place in London with huge rent/lighting costs? I remember a few years back *********** charity all the bosses were driving around in sports cars.
They also seem to have a good group of new looking vans as well?
Also why do most of them have some posh swanky place in London with huge rent/lighting costs? I remember a few years back *********** charity all the bosses were driving around in sports cars.
puggit said:
Same theory as local and national government - it's not their money, they're not accountable to shareholders - so who's going to make trouble if they look after themselves first?
IIRC Any Charity with an annual turnover of more than £250,000 has to submit audited accounts to the Charity Commisioners each year.
alfaman said:
If you really want to see how charities waste money ..... spend some time in Africa.
I have relations who lived in Africa for a while and have described why I shouldn't donate to certain charities too and why it's often better to donate material goods (blankets, tinned food, etc.).
All my donations go to useful UK charities (RNLI, RSPB, Poppy Appeal, air ambulances, etc.) and will continue to do so I expect.
FunkyNige said:
If you really want to see how charities waste money ..... spend some time in Africa.
I have relations who lived in Africa for a while and have described why I shouldn't donate to certain charities too and why it's often better to donate material goods (blankets, tinned food, etc.).
All my donations go to useful UK charities (RNLI, RSPB, Poppy Appeal, air ambulances, etc.) and will continue to do so I expect.
sounds sensible ........- I'd personally be happy to donate *directly* to some AIDS orphanages in Africa which I came across on my travels - but even then you are not always sure WHO actually pockets the money when you send a cheque.
Around Belgravia a numbner of the big charities have offices. I had pesumed they were given free by generopus and worthy landlords but now have my doubts.
I once went to a swanky leaving do in the publoic sector paid for by you and I, including leaving gifts from the royal Jewellers.
I once went to a swanky leaving do in the publoic sector paid for by you and I, including leaving gifts from the royal Jewellers.
A certain charity, who in their similarity to an inverted swiss flag shall remain nameless, had a celebratory party at a place the future MrsJimothy worked at.
The bar bill was £30,000. Plus rooms. They all turned up in Fezza's and the like.
This party was a slap on the back to thank them all for helping to get lots of donations in.
The charity paid out of funds that were donated.
C
nts
The bar bill was £30,000. Plus rooms. They all turned up in Fezza's and the like.
This party was a slap on the back to thank them all for helping to get lots of donations in.
The charity paid out of funds that were donated.
C
ntsThe majority of international charities use up 97% in administration costs. You just want to see the legal department of the IRC in Geneva (know someone who worked for them). Costs SFR20 million pa just so that they can "carry the flag"....and why are they in Switzerland? because nobody has to file financial paperwork...... nuff said! Caritas is worse, they file paperwork in Germany and 99.7% is admin costs...but the beggars are still begging.....
Charities are often just ME-funds!!!! pocket fillers for scam artists...... with notable exceptions mind you!
IMHO we should give the way Saudi gives, no tractors just a bunch of spades and hoes; or actually build with local help an well and line it with concrete..... much nearer the mark and less chance of money grabbers in admin in europe or locally....
>> Edited by JMGS4 on Friday 11th November 09:23
Charities are often just ME-funds!!!! pocket fillers for scam artists...... with notable exceptions mind you!
IMHO we should give the way Saudi gives, no tractors just a bunch of spades and hoes; or actually build with local help an well and line it with concrete..... much nearer the mark and less chance of money grabbers in admin in europe or locally....
>> Edited by JMGS4 on Friday 11th November 09:23
JMGS4 said:
The majority of international charities use up 97% in administration costs. You just want to see the legal department of the IRC in Geneva (know someone who worked for them). Costs SFR20 million pa just so that they can "carry the flag"....and why are they in Switzerland? because nobody has to file financial paperwork...... nuff said! Caritas is worse, they file paperwork in Germany and 99.7% is admin costs...but the beggars are still begging.....
Charities are often just ME-funds!!!! pocket fillers for scam artists...... with notable exceptions mind you!
IMHO we should give the way Saudi gives, no tractors just a bunch of spades and hoes; or actually build with local help an well and line it with concrete..... much nearer the mark and less chance of money grabbers in admin in europe or locally....
>> Edited by JMGS4 on Friday 11th November 09:23
I didn't realise it was as high as 99 %
- probably explains why all the charity bosses and luvvies can go on the BBC ans shout self-congratulatory messages of " we collected £xxxm " - and when you speak to some person in a village in Africa ..... they will say "Food Aid ? - no we never see any United"Countries" / "RedFlag"/ InternationalCharityCo. round here " - they don't get outside of the cities 
Was in Ceylon recently, there are still towns and villages who have received absolutely NOTHING to date... but all the large charities have HUGE adverts at the airports and big offices in town, nice new white Landcruisers to drive to the office in....... but not to transport goods/workers/assistance to outlying villages on the NE coast.....
and approximately half a billion has apparently gone missing in Ceylon alone through the governments mishandling (read misappropriation) of the monies.....
Ceylon wants to raise 100% import duty on approx. 50 gift ambulances from India... they're still on the dock today!!!!
Charities and bent bureacrats go hand in hand, filling each others greedy mitts.....
and approximately half a billion has apparently gone missing in Ceylon alone through the governments mishandling (read misappropriation) of the monies.....
Ceylon wants to raise 100% import duty on approx. 50 gift ambulances from India... they're still on the dock today!!!!
Charities and bent bureacrats go hand in hand, filling each others greedy mitts.....
chris.mapey said:I think you're picking up on the daily mail headline there
Remember the story about the RSPCA's new head office...
reputed to have cost £17,000,000.
Offering support to the many RSPCA officers in the field.
All 250 of them
Chris
Yes the new office cost a lot, but they sold the old office for a lot as well. The new one costs much less to run being a modern building not the 200 year old mansion that the old one was
Worth getting the whole story (or at leat a bit more of it) before jumping to conclusions
JMGS4 said:
Was in Ceylon recently, there are still towns and villages who have received absolutely NOTHING to date... but all the large charities have HUGE adverts at the airports and big offices in town, nice new white Landcruisers to drive to the office in....... but not to transport goods/workers/assistance to outlying villages on the NE coast.....
and approximately half a billion has apparently gone missing in Ceylon alone through the governments mishandling (read misappropriation) of the monies.....
Ceylon wants to raise 100% import duty on approx. 50 gift ambulances from India... they're still on the dock today!!!!
Charities and bent bureacrats go hand in hand, filling each others greedy mitts.....
Absolutely. My mother was out there until last week (folks are from Sri Lanka) - my family have set up a private trust to do work out there (to which my mates gave, rather than to the international effort, after my parents warned about what would happen with the international charities/Sri Lankan government). She was building schools and setting them up (she is a teacher and runs her own schools here), and building housing.
The big charities have done little so far. The government have done nothing.
Meanwhile the president threw herself a £500,000 birthday party. Local head of Oxfam was a guset of honour, turned up in his chauffered S-Class (in a country where these cost £250,000 due to taxes on luxury cars).
It's disgusting.
Meanwhile, cricketer Muralitharan and mates have sunk their own funds into building whole villages, clinics etc in badly hit areas. As have many other private citizens. So at least humanity hasn't lost all decency yet.
Then of course there are the "charities" that are technically "non-profit" making businesses.
In one lovely example, the ex-chairman of one of these was paid in excess of a hundred grand on his departure for "the continuing use of his name"...
I dont give to charities as a rule. Some people think that makes me a tight bugger but I just refuse to donate to political organisations masquerading as charities (I wont mention a certain group who's had several run-ins with PH in the past whose name sounds somewhat like the component that slows a car down), refuse to give money to terrorist organisations (look at some of the nutters PETA fund or are associated with..).
Having said that, the first poppy seller of the year I see gets the largest denomination note I can afford. I will regularly buy the big issue, I donate my time to Children in Need when Im able to for their inbound callcentres and make semi-regular donations to two charities I feel comfortable supporting and feel they do a worthwhile role.
IMHO the "charity" sector and those companies many people believe are charities are often under regulated, gross breaches of the charity commision code (and the law) are often uninvestigated or glossed over.
In one lovely example, the ex-chairman of one of these was paid in excess of a hundred grand on his departure for "the continuing use of his name"...
I dont give to charities as a rule. Some people think that makes me a tight bugger but I just refuse to donate to political organisations masquerading as charities (I wont mention a certain group who's had several run-ins with PH in the past whose name sounds somewhat like the component that slows a car down), refuse to give money to terrorist organisations (look at some of the nutters PETA fund or are associated with..).
Having said that, the first poppy seller of the year I see gets the largest denomination note I can afford. I will regularly buy the big issue, I donate my time to Children in Need when Im able to for their inbound callcentres and make semi-regular donations to two charities I feel comfortable supporting and feel they do a worthwhile role.
IMHO the "charity" sector and those companies many people believe are charities are often under regulated, gross breaches of the charity commision code (and the law) are often uninvestigated or glossed over.
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