Charities and paid staff

fockewulf

I saw a bit of blurb in the local papers there recently from a yank who was helped out by a Galway charity and they (the charity) seemed to have a lot of staff who could go to the shop etc. My impression of charities would be that they would be all volunteers. I would never ever donate to a charity that had a paid staff. Any opinions?

Mrs OBumble

fockewulf wrote: »

I saw a bit of blurb in the local papers there recently from a yank who was helped out by a Galway charity and they (the charity) seemed to have a lot of staff who could go to the shop etc. My impression of charities would be that they would be all volunteers. I would never ever donate to a charity that had a paid staff. Any opinions?

Every chariy that does anything worth doing has at least some paid staff.

The best ones run on a mix of volunteers and paid staff.

biko

fockewulf wrote: »

I would never ever donate to a charity that had a paid staff. Any opinions?

That would be every single charity then.
What charities do you give to?

wazky

biko wrote: »

That would be every single charity then.
What charities do you give to?

Paddy Power?

RachaelVO

They have to have some paid staff, you cna't expect a volunteer to give up 20-40 hours a week doing something they could get paid for else where.

Some do take the p1ss, there're no denying that and some of the bigger charities in Ireland (that I won't mention) have directors who get huge salaries...

Most smaller ones (as said above) have a mixture and do provide a great service to the people who need them.

Teagwee

And which ones do you volunteer with?

Menas

Welcome to the real world. You have to spend money to get those donations in....

Sir Humphrey Appleby

fockewulf wrote: »

I saw a bit of blurb in the local papers there recently from a yank who was helped out by a Galway charity and they (the charity) seemed to have a lot of staff who could go to the shop etc. My impression of charities would be that they would be all volunteers. I would never ever donate to a charity that had a paid staff. Any opinions?

How would any charity fuction without some paid staff?

Uriel.

RachaelVO wrote: »

They have to have some paid staff, you cna't expect a volunteer to give up 20-40 hours a week doing something they could get paid for else where.

Some do take the p1ss, there're no denying that and some of the bigger charities in Ireland (that I won't mention) have directors who get huge salaries...

Most smaller ones (as said above) have a mixture and do provide a great service to the people who need them.

I can't understand this automatic negativity regarding CEO level salaries. If charities are to operate at a national or international level they need to have people dedicated to strategic oversight.

Having someone or indeed a board of people who earn a high salary are usually better for a charity or other organisation than a bunch of well meaning part timers. Skill, ability and vision at the top will usually mean a far more effective and a greater revenue generating operation than an organisation with headless chickens providing it direction

RachaelVO

Uriel. wrote: »

I can't understand this automatic negativity regarding CEO level salaries. If charities are to operate at a national or international level they need to have people dedicated to strategic oversight.

Having someone or indeed a board of people who earn a high salary are usually better for a charity or other organisation than a bunch of well meaning part timers. Skill, ability and vision at the top will usually mean a far more effective and a greater revenue generating operation than an organisation with headless chickens providing it direction

I agree, BUT there are charities where 54% of what they take in go on director salaries, not to mention that a lot of charity directors sit on the board of more than one charity. Not them all, but in quiet a few.

Zen65

Uriel. wrote: »

I can't understand this automatic negativity regarding CEO level salaries. If charities are to operate at a national or international level they need to have people dedicated to strategic oversight.

Ask yourself why are there so many charities in Ireland? Why is it that in this small country we can have many charities covering the same space? Would it not be far more efficient to have just one charity in that space? There would be less CEO salaries to pay, less overheads, and more money heading to the actual cause.

One reason we have so many charities is that there is an inherent desire by so many people to be "the head" of something, even if more good could be done by volunteering to work with an existing organisation. It's not just about the salary, it's about the egos, the inability to get on with others, the unwillingness to be part of a team.

I agree that a good CEO can be a very beneficial thing for a charity, and I do not begrudge the good ones a cent of their earnings. I do however doubt that we need quite so many.

Z

RachaelVO

Zen65 wrote: »

Ask yourself why are there so many charities in Ireland? Why is it that in this small country we can have many charities covering the same space? Would it not be far more efficient to have just one charity in that space? There would be less CEO salaries to pay, less overheads, and more money heading to the actual cause.

One reason we have so many charities is that there is an inherent desire by so many people to be "the head" of something, even if more good could be done by volunteering to work with an existing organisation. It's not just about the salary, it's about the egos, the inability to get on with others, the unwillingness to be part of a team.

I agree that a good CEO can be a very beneficial thing for a charity, and I do not begrudge the good ones a cent of their earnings. I do however doubt that we need quite so many.

Z

You said it better than I did... dang nabbit!

shankespony

Irish charity Heads get more than their UK counterparts and the UK is 14 times the size
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/politics/shedding-light-on-the-pay-of-charity-chiefs-168676.html

Jester252

Charity need people to work of them and people need to be paid. For a volunteer out on the street collecting money for a few hours require a paid worker to get permission, goods, timetable work out etc.

Annasopra

fockewulf wrote: »

My impression of charities would be that they would be all volunteers...... Any opinions?

I don't think you are living in the real world