Monthly income turns to charity greed
Posted by: mermaid
22nd Oct 2009 11:50pm
This was met with much distaste amongst the large pool of volunteers, who questioned why? The manager shared the same view and set off to identify the need vs greed syndrome and this is what we learned.......
more than $210 billion of institutionalised ''charity'' is now part of Australia's society and is embedded in the economy rather than being an optional extra. Old-fashioned charity is just $9 billion, 4 per cent of the total or less than 3 per cent if we acknowledge governments' financial support to charities.
There are approximately 10,400 charities in Australia with almost 12,000 outlets or branches.
120,000 staff are employees vs tens of thousands of volunteers; this figure does not include volunteers who work for schools, clubs and associations. Total wages are about $3.9 billion.
Salvation Army (eastern and southern divisions only) revenue approx $650 million, smaller average less than $800,000 per year (a extraordinary figure).
Compare these figures to an average business employing staff, with a revenue of $3.8 million - or approx five times the average charity.
Reality is charities are a business and these figures are Australian, given the number of charity organisations in Australia also exist worldwide the math just does not add up.
When presenting these figures to senior management, the manager was told rising inflation restricted the charity from performing.
The result, the manager and 3/4's of the pooled volunteers left and within 2 years the charity have employed 4 managers. The days of charity truly have gone!
What are your thoughts?
MacSas
- 10th Feb 2011 08:07am
I honestly believe there is no such thing as true charity anymore. From your situation to the ones we see on TV about the starving kids in faraway places, it's all for the money now. I was interested in how places like World Vision managed to dedicate all that time to these poor kids that seriously need help, and then I found out that only 20c (minimum sometimes more depending on the charity) gets to the child. The rest is eaten up in admin costs etc.
I came from a background of volunteer work and some of my greatest days have been spent helping others and truly being paid in smiles and hugs alone. However, today I find myself asking, "Where is the money going?" before I dip my hand into my pocket. That's sad, but I have to do that because I can't afford to be lining the pockets of someone who doesn't need it. I want a guarentee that the money will go where you say it's going. ALL of IT!
The Haiti earthquake fund is another good example. An American friend of mine told me that she was furious to discover that a charity in her hometown had set up a fund for the quake vitims and deemed themselves to be all volunteers, only to be found out as taking admin costs off the top of what was being donated.
This may all sound petty to some, but having worked real charity work, I think that there has become a bit of greed in the art of giving.
One persons grief becomes a corporates gain...
Help Caféstudy members by responding to their questions, or ask your own in Café Chat, and you will get the chance of earning extra rewards. Caféstudy will match these and donate equally to our two chosen Australian charities.
