Charity....As you open your pockets for yet another natural disaster

[CoyoteMagic]

If it wasn't for the Salvation Army, my brothers and sisters, cousin and one aunt probably wouldn't be here. My Maternal Grandmother was burned very badly when buttons exploded in her lap as she worked at the dress factory. My Mom was a bell ringer and when one of there own needed help, they came from everywhere!! They made sure my Mom and her 8 brothers and sisters had food, clothes, made it to school while grandma was in the hospital and grandpa could continue to work his shifts in the iron foundry. Remember this was the depression and my mom said that the Walton's were rich folk compare to her family and others. They would have to run along the railroad track to pick up pieces of coal that the coalman missed when shoveling in to the engine. They would save that up and use it at night to heat beds.

OK, all that being said. I will NOT donate to the United Way. If I want to give to a certain organization, I'll give to THAT organization no their umbrella organization. I worked for a United Way Sponcered Agency in 2 parts of the country. All I can tell you is that they spend alll kinds of money on fund raising events "locs & bagels" before the board of directors for the Boys club was flown to Vegas for the weekend. I saw tooo much money spent on the imagage of looking good while the Clubs for both boys and girls were all substandard in the equipment they had.

Salvation army will get my dollars in their bucket every week and bags of toys for their angel tree every year.

 

[funnybirds]

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X2

 

[Rozzie]

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Ah, but just to compare: The Interim CEO makes $439,000 a year. The former (non interim) CEO made $686,000 a year. Probably the next full time / permanent CEO will make in that range, too.
Their annual operating budget is in the $800 million a year range, too. About 9.7% is administrative & 16.5% is fundraising costs leaving only 73.7% of funds to go toward program operations.

That said, I'd never say St. Jude's wasn't a good charity. I've known folks who used it and needed it very much.

However, it is worth noting that the CEO of St. Jude's (not the interim CEO - the permanent CEO) makes 50% more than most of the CEO's mentioned earlier (the updated figures for the charities listed in the OP's email...)

 

[Laurajean]

I suppose this will sound crazy, but: Who cares how much the heads of these charities make? I mean, as long as they are fulfilling the charitable services to those who need them, what do I care if they're super rich? I'm obviously not referring to the crooks in charities who outright steal funding and abuse privileges, etc., but if someone gets genuinely rich while maintaining a charity that helps millions? Great! Who cares? I guess I just don't understand the concept of resenting someone for being rich, assuming they do it legitimately.

 

[arabianequine]

It just does not seem ethically or morally right to be getting so much money while everyone is giving to a charity. The idea is to help the people that need the charity not to pay high price to make the ceo rich.

 

[redhen]

I hear what you mean, Laura..
But my concern would be.. If they are making $400,000 a year... WHO is paying for it??
The people who are donating?? If so.. thats a LOT of money that is not being given to the needy....
When i donate..i'd feel better knowing that my money went directly to the needy... not in the CEO's pocket...
Even though i totally do understand that they shouldnt have to work for free... who does?? I get that.... but still... that kinda worries me.

But anyways..., i'm not sure how it works?? WHO does pay the CEO's??

 

[HHandbasket]

What do you mean, Who cares? I care. I bloody very' care. I care because we are a struggling couple that has had a lot of unforeseen hardships in the last 2-1/2 years, but I still give to charity when I can, whatever I can. Lots of folks out there just like us, too. Kinda crappy, if you ask me, for folks like us to dole out money for CEOs to have corporate jets and live "high off the hog". I mean, really, you don't see an issue with that, REALLY?? You don't think it's OK for them to take most of the donations and live an uber-rich lifestyle while their programs suffer, even though the donations HAVE come in? Really, you don't have a problem with that?

Wow. Just goes to show you that there are many different viewpoints and walks of life around here. I personally just can't wrap my head around that one.

Just makes me different, I s'pose.

 

[Imp]

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That me too!
Makes me leery of donating. So I give to local charities.

Imp

 

[Rozzie]

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Rich is a subjective term.

Again, you cannot get someone to do this type of job for $100,000 a year, or for $200,000 a year. Not when you are talking about charities which deal with this kind of money. The jobs these people do are comparable to heading up huge corporate empires. They are not the managers of your local Food Saver or Price Chopper, who might deal with forty employees. If you want someone who can do this type of job and do it well, then you have to pay for that kind of education, knowledge, experience, and business/professional/personal contacts.

If you want someone to head up a billion dollar organization, you have to be prepared to spend a drop in the bucket to have a good CEO.

Let's put it another way:

The salary of the CEO of the Red Cross constitutes only 1/100th of 1% -- yes 1% of 1% (or 0.01%) of the organization's annual expenses.
The United States fund for Unicef CEO - 0.08%
St Jude's former CEO 0.08% (current interim CEO 0.05%)


How about we look at Goodwill? Goodwill's figures are broken down by the specific region. So, Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin and Metropolitan Chicago
CEO makes $418,685. This is 0.21% of the expenses (which buy the way are a total of about $195 million. This does NOT include Goodwill in other parts of the country.)

American Cancer Society, on the other hand, has a CEO who makes $685,000 & a Deputy CEO who makes over $1 million per year. This is 0.15% (total) of the organizations expenses, which are over a billion bucks a year.

Lest someone misinterpret me: I'm not saying that these people make too much. Do they make a lot? Yes. IN comparison to most Americans, they do. In comparison to other people who do the same type of work? No. If these organizations do NOT pay these people these types of salaries, then they will not have access to them. Period. Most will go work in private for-profit industry.

 

[arabianequine]

I understand that is more than likely true. I still don't agree with the way it is or think it is right. I used rich cause a previous poster did.