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Dublin: 11 °C Wednesday 22 May, 2013

Public donations to Concern fall after 2010 emergencies

NGO’s annual report for 2011 also shows that two members of staff received remunerations of over €95,000 for the year.

A child sits among the recent arrivals at a refugee camp in Somalia ear;oer tjos ,pmtj/
A child sits among the recent arrivals at a refugee camp in Somalia ear;oer tjos ,pmtj/
Image: AP Photo/Jason Straziuso/PA

THE IRISH PUBLIC donated €36.9 million to the NGO Concern Worldwide last year, despite the recession.

In total, the organisation received donations of €50.3m from the UK and Irish public in 2011, according to its annual report – down 17 per cent on the previous year.

Concern said that the dip in donations was anticipated in the wake of “the major emergencies which boosted 2010 income”, such as the Haitian earthquake. However, it said the drop was “somewhat ameliorated by the public response to the crisis in East Africa”.

Income for the year hit €160.2 million in total (down 4 per cent on 2010), including €104m in government grants and from institutional donors.

Last year, Concern spent €68.7 million on emergency response programmes in 19 different countries including the East Africa food crisis and major flooding in Cambodia and India. The organisation’s total expenditure was €160.3 million, of which €10.8 million was spent on fundraising (down 5.5 per cent) and €828,000 on governance (up 3.5 per cent on 2010).

Staff numbers increased from 3,176 to 3,445, while staff costs fell from €12.471m to €12.317m last year, of which €10.486m was spent on wages. The report also shows that one staff members earned remunerations over €95,000 a year while another earned over €125,000.

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Comments (4 Comments)

  • Africa needs to sort it self out as well. No greedy dictators or corrupt politicians ! Aid is useless in such cases

    Reply
    • Agreed. So much aid is siphoned off on arrival or en-route but judging by the figures released, far more “disappears” before it even leaves this country. 57.2% of donations is used up in fund raising and administration! Fat cat salaries and no doubt “justified expenses” before anything even gets to the nearest port of those in need…charity should begin at home in the first instance and don’t get started on those “Chuggers”.

      Reply
    • @silentbob2012 How did you get ’57.2% of donations is used up in fund raising and administration!’?

      “The organisation’s total expenditure was €160.3 million, of which €10.8 million was spent on fundraising (down 5.5 per cent) and €828,000 on governance (up 3.5 per cent on 2010).”

      Reply
  • It isn’t just citizens of African nations that suffer because of political corruption.

    “But the fact is that Ahern was a symptom, not the root of corruption in Ireland. The father of the Irish state Eamon de Valera stole the money he raised in America from Irish expats and used it to start the Irish Press Newspaper Group, which became the basis of his family fortune.

    The One True Holy and Apostolic Ireland de Valera created was where God and Mammon lived side by side, pockets got filled and souls got saved or discarded by whatever means necessary as long as the power elite in business, church and politics got theirs.

    It was to hell, or America or Britain, with the rest of the suffering idiots formerly called the citizenry.

    Some politicians held up as beacon lights of probity proved not to be.

    There are few more revered in retrospect than former Taoiseach Dr. Garret FitzGerald, yet consider the following from the RTE website in 1999:

    “Former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald has confirmed that AIB and Ansbacher wrote off debts of almost £200,000 that he owed them six years ago. He was in financial difficulties at the time because of the collapse of the aircraft leasing company, GPA, in which he was a shareholder. Dr. FitzGerald was quoted in today’s Examiner newspaper as pointing out that the write off occurred after he had left politics. He insisted that no favors were asked or given.”

    A very bright light needs, also, to be directed into the inner workings of Irelands charities industry.

    Reply

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