Charity

BrookieD · 03-05-2018 8:24pm

diomed wrote: »

Yes, the accounts are audited, and the auditors expressed their opinion in their certificate.
They are not expressing an opinion on the Governance figure.
There is a note in the accounts analysing the Governance figure, but not in sufficient detail.
What is included in governance is not explained.
What is the Governance figure?
The annual report shows Governance consists of:
Staff costs; Legal and professional fees; Office and other costs
No mention of which staff; which legal, which professional, which office.

Is all of the governance expense included in that heading, or are some expensed elsewhere?

The annual report says "we introduced a new integrated programme category in 2016, which will improve categorisation going forward."
That suggests categorisation going backward was not great.

The Annual Report has beautifully posed and expertly taken photographs.
My guess is the cameras and lenses used are top quality, much more expensive than my €5k Nikon.
Are to assume these images are of people who have received help from Concern.
Is this true? Or are they actors?
In crisis situations why spend money on professional photography?

Concern make a big play on their website of the Governance 0.5%
and they have great photographs.
They are strong on PR.

Lets take a point - just one here - EVERY photo used bar NONE are of beneficiaries NOT ACTORS, also taken on OK cameras by staff when on overseas work. However, I fully extend to you to take every question you have to Concern in Camden Street and ask them... tomorrow or Tuesday or anyday at all.

If ANY single question you have above is not fully answered then post it back here. I bet you any money that you would walk out of there with a completely different view.

diomed · 03-05-2018 8:29pm

I doubt Concern will let the public have unrestricted access to their financial information, including salaries.
If the board of Concern want me, a retired person and former Chartered Accountant, to examine their records and publish what I like without restriction and without legal action against me then I am willing.

One of the people listed in the Concern Annual Report offered me a job (not in Concern) years ago.:) I declined as I had three other offers.

Anyone else like to join me to have a look at the accounts?

BrookieD · 03-05-2018 8:41pm

diomed wrote: »

I doubt Concern will let the public have unrestricted access to their financial information, including salaries.
If the board of Concern want me, a retired person and former Chartered Accountant, to examine their records and publish what I like without restriction and without legal action against me then I am willing.

One of the people listed in the Concern Annual Report offered me a job (not in Concern) years ago.:) I declined as I had three other offers.

Anyone else like to join me to have a look at the accounts?

Why don't you ask them? Also, you missed a great opportunity not working for them. ONLY and I do mean ONLY if you have set foot inside of Concern will truly truly grasp the size and scope of the operation and the complete budget controls placed on such operation to deliver what they do to where its needed most. They operate in countries that no one even knows off and and hell of a lot of work is unspoken about but the great public of Ireland give funds to make it all possible.

In short, unless you have inside knowledge please don't speculate on unknowns, Go ask, take a tour of the offices, speak to the staff, speak to the comms teams, IT, Fundraising, Country officiers, accounts,

Concern place massive controls on every cent donated, where it goes, who gets what and when, non food items, development programs, Agriculture programs, education.

All I am saying is go ask, stop guessing and think you know what they do and how they do it, fact is you dont

diomed · 03-05-2018 9:02pm

BrookieD wrote: »

However, I fully extend to you to take every question you have to Concern in Camden Street and ask them... tomorrow or Tuesday or anyday at all.

If ANY single question you have above is not fully answered then post it back here. I bet you any money that you would walk out of there with a completely different view.

I would not go there to ask a list of questions, and get uninformative answers.

Has the Charities Regulator any Inspectors Reports on Concern?

In the Charities Act 2009
64. Investigation of affairs of charitable organisation.
65. Production of documents and evidence on investigation.
66. Inspector's reports.

64.— The Authority may appoint a person (in this Act referred to as an “inspector”) or more than one such person to investigate the affairs of a charitable organisation and to prepare a report thereon in such manner as the Authority shall direct.

With almost €200 million going in and out of Concern each year I was wondering if the Charities Regulator has had a look at the business.
The Charities Act 2009 has been in place for nine years, or about €1.8 billion in and out of Concern in that time.
Have they had a look?
Are there any Charity Regulator Inspectors Reports covering any of those nine years?

BrookieD · 03-05-2018 9:09pm

diomed wrote: »

I would not go there to ask a list of questions, and get uninformative answers.

Has the Charities Regulator any Inspectors Reports on Concern?

In the Charities Act 2009
64. Investigation of affairs of charitable organisation.
65. Production of documents and evidence on investigation.
66. Inspector's reports.

64.— The Authority may appoint a person (in this Act referred to as an “inspector”) or more than one such person to investigate the affairs of a charitable organisation and to prepare a report thereon in such manner as the Authority shall direct.

With almost €200 million going in and out of Concern each year I was wondering if the Charities Regulator has had a look at the business.
The Charities Act 2009 has been in place for nine years, or about €1.8 billion in and out of Concern in that time.
Have they had a look?
Are there any Charity Regulator Inspectors Reports covering any of those nine years?

Yes in short - and also independent KPMG auditors twice a year who pick apart donations from point of entry through to allocation to a country designated when donated among other things. Also other audits on a yearly basis from other official bodies that they work with to independently verify that any and all monies are being used in accordance within agreements.

[Deleted User] · 03-05-2018 9:16pm

I love the likes of Escape to the Country, the lad usually works in the City and yer one is in "the charity sector".

CastielJ · 19-06-2018 8:59am

I believe in charity

Graces7 · 19-06-2018 9:18am

diomed wrote: »

You say.
Unless I had access to all the accounting records I would not believe anything.

You say 90.7% of expenditure on Relief & Developement
You say 0.5% on Governance.
This is how you do that.
You call everyone a "development manager/executive" and charge their salaries as Developement.
Keep doing that with all head office / central expenses until you have 0.5% left as Governance.

Well said and true

Graces7 · 19-06-2018 9:21am

diomed wrote: »

I doubt Concern will let the public have unrestricted access to their financial information, including salaries.
If the board of Concern want me, a retired person and former Chartered Accountant, to examine their records and publish what I like without restriction and without legal action against me then I am willing.

One of the people listed in the Concern Annual Report offered me a job (not in Concern) years ago.:) I declined as I had three other offers.

Anyone else like to join me to have a look at the accounts?

Has been done. One of our lady politicians ( I forget the name) outed one major charity on RTE; they actually give 15% their money to the cause and the rest goes on admin etc. She said that the needy getting only 15 % was better than nothing.. :eek:

Graces7 · 19-06-2018 12:36pm

One aspect I love is the Charity Shops... Everyone benefits... Love them! And we are getting more food banks. . been offered and will follow it up.

BrookieD · 19-06-2018 2:46pm

Graces7 wrote: »

Well said and true

- completely untrue - 100% false :rolleyes:

Graces7 · 19-06-2018 3:08pm

BrookieD wrote: »

- completely untrue - 100% false :rolleyes:

sigh... :eek: we know what we know.. over and out!!!!!!!!

CastielJ · 19-06-2018 3:14pm

I believe in charity. I constantly donate to orphanage "Hope Now". Also I donate food, clothes and books to organizations that I am not so familiar with. + I give money to homeless people. I don't know if they are going to buy food or alcohol. I think that the important part is to talk to them when you give them money and let them know that people still think they are worth talking to.

BrookieD · 19-06-2018 3:27pm

Graces7 wrote: »

sigh... :eek: we know what we know.. over and out!!!!!!!!

you dont know, in fact, you have zero idea so unless you work in Concern and have access to Concern information please stop spreading false information, it makes you look foolish

Irish Guitarist · 19-06-2018 3:33pm

It's not just the CEOs. The 'volunteers' usually get a decent wage too. It pisses me off that some chugger is getting paid to stand there asking me why I can't give them 'just' €5 a month.

Dr Brown · 19-06-2018 3:39pm

I never give money to "charities" because most if not all of them are scam artists.

corner of hells · 19-06-2018 3:52pm

Dr Brown wrote: »

I never give money to "charities" because most if not all of them are scam artists.

Your damn right.

I'm working in a charity for years .I'm getting my villa in Barbados refurbished at the moment .

smurfjed · 19-06-2018 7:16pm

I admire these charities for their emergency support, but i often wonder what they achieve long term. I flew down the Nile last week, its quite amazing to see how much of the Egyptian agriculture is linked to that river, hundreds and hundreds of miles of green fields, then we flew over Sudan, same river, same land, just separated by a line in the sand, from there onwards we saw no major agriculture associated with the river. Why not? In the 30-40 years that we have been providing charity to Africa, why don't we see local agriculture?

Where is all the money going?

BrookieD · 19-06-2018 9:09pm

its amazing that when you offer an invite to come and see how a charity works the persons that shout them down the loudest refuse to take up the offer.... says it all really. Would rather shout in ignorance than discuss with knowledge

mikemac2 · 19-06-2018 9:32pm

Oxfam were out chugging in Dublin a few days after the prostitution scandal got published. I would have thought they'd take a break for a few weeks

They looked very young (or maybe I'm old

), I hope they didn't take abuse for their organisations sins but they likely did

Dr Brown · 19-06-2018 9:32pm

BrookieD wrote: »

its amazing that when you offer an invite to come and see how a charity works the persons that shout them down the loudest refuse to take up the offer.... says it all really. Would rather shout in ignorance than discuss with knowledge

Nobody is disputing that "charities" do some good work but at the same time the people ruining them are pulling in massive salaries.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11435754/32-charity-bosses-paid-over-200000-last-year.html

Graces7 · 19-06-2018 9:36pm

Dr Brown wrote: »

Nobody is disputing that "charities" do some good work but at the same time the people ruining them are pulling in massive salaries.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11435754/32-charity-bosses-paid-over-200000-last-year.html

Neat typo..

BrookieD · 19-06-2018 9:38pm

problem is the poor work/ethics and wage structure of a few tarnish the good name of many who have hundreds of people working for salaries that are up to 30% behind private sector employees and for a large part outperform their private sector counterparts... I know as I have worked between the two for last 20 years.

Dr Brown wrote: »

Nobody is disputing that "charities" do some good work but at the same time the people ruining them are pulling in massive salaries.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/11435754/32-charity-bosses-paid-over-200000-last-year.html

smurfjed · 19-06-2018 10:08pm

Nobody is disputing that "charities" do some good work but at the same time the people ruining them are pulling in massive salaries.

Looking at the Concern website, the jobs advertised are offering pretty dismal salaries for the role/location/hardship.

rob316 · 19-06-2018 10:31pm

They are national businesses though, yes they are non profit but still need to be run like a business so you need to be able to attract the best. The best don't work for free, the best will be paid the best by someone else.

If a CEO been paid 150k can generate millions in funding that's money well spent.

Good CEO don't work for 50k.

Flippyfloppy · 19-06-2018 10:48pm

rob316 wrote: »

They are national businesses though, yes they are non profit but still need to be run like a business so you need to be able to attract the best. The best don't work for free, the best will be paid the best by someone else.

If a CEO been paid 150k can generate millions in funding that's money well spent.

Good CEO don't work for 50k.

This. Why so many people think the people working for charities should be pariahs working for free is beyond me. Are the poor/sick/vulnerable not worth more than that?

Charity

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