Did you know we Australians are some of the most charitable people on earth?
In the 2015-2106 financial year, 14.9 million Aussie adults – that’s more than 80 per cent of us) geysered $12.5 billion into the coffers of various charities and Not For Profit organisations.
In 2020 it was about the same, so at least some people are reining in their philanthropy.
It is still a staggering amount of money, isn’t?
I indulged myself in some maths and there appears to be close to a quarter of a billion dollars donated to a nebulous thing called “bushfires” in the wake of the 2020 bushfires.
It’s obvious Australians love to donate money to charities. It’s a quick solution to an uncomfortable thing. Just chuck a few bucks at it, job done. I feel good about myself again.
I want to slap you upside the head.
Fucken corporate professional charities. Even this, we manage to fuck up.
You have to understand a few things about corporate professional charities.
The people that run them earn a great living out of running them.
They can legally keep anywhere between 10 and 30 per cent of the donated money as “admin fees”.
When you donate money to the Rural Fire Service, you’re giving money straight to the NSW government, not the fireys on the ground.
When you donate money to the Red Cross or heaven forfend, the bible-bashing Salvos, you must understand those organisations will do as they please with the money – and they do.
Sure, they hand some of it out. But they should be handing a lot more of it out and rather more quickly, because the people who need it, are not getting fast enough.
It is your money, FFS.
You have every right to demand accountability from the organisations you choose to donate your hard-earned to.
All of them. Even those dinky money-spinners like the DGR and Black Dog who funnel money into Movember.
Movember, huh? Go and look at its website and tell me where those people are putting the donations and how any individual sufferer of cancer or depression is being assisted personally by any of that shit.
Here’s what it says:
“HOW WE’LL MAKE CHANGE
Give men the facts
Change behaviour for the better
Create services that work for men
Unite the brightest minds
Listen to the community and advocate for men.”
Wow.
Let us dig deeper…
This is from its financial report year ending 2020…
“At 30 April 2020, the Movember Foundation held the following in cash and cash related assets:
Cash and cash equivalents – $117m
Term deposits and bonds – $92m
Total – $209m
The majority ($149 million / 71%) of these cash assets are held for investment in men’s health programs and the balance of $60 million / 29% is retained to fund ongoing operating costs.
The cash assets will be used as follows:
Payments for programs being carried out by men’s health partners – $28m
Restricted reserves for current Movember Foundation managed programs – $121m
Retained for working capital/operating costs – $60m
Total $209m”
You can amuse yourself some more by looking here for all the committees, boards and things that move this money around.
Do not imagine that the Red Cross, the Salvos, Black Dog, Pink Ribbon, or any of the other myriad charities are any different.
More? Sure. Movember is happy to declare what it will do and how.
“BY 2030, WE WILL: Reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25%. Reduce the number of men dying from prostate and testicular cancers by 50%. Reduce by 50% the number of men experiencing physical or mental side effects as a result of prostate or testicular cancer treatment. Reduce the rate of male suicide by 25%.
“WE’LL ACHIEVE THIS BY: Giving men the facts about their health-changing behaviour – using the power of mass-media to drive behaviour change for men. Creating new, better and accessible health services for men. Bringing together the brightest minds from around the world to collaborate on research and innovative men’s health projects, while sharing their findings and accelerating results. Listening to and learning from our community, and using what we know to advocate for all men.”
It all sounds a bit nebulous. Will anyone even haul this out in 2030 and go: “Oy! Did youse actually do any of this?”
Where are these drivers of mass media? What are they even?
Where are these “new, better and more accessible health services for men”? Point to them. Let’s see them.
I’m sure there have been a few fabulous get-togethers of the brightest minds. Wanna tell us about them?
And why do you need any money for “Listening to and learning from our community…”
I’m thinking FUCK OFF in large capital letters written on the front of a building somewhere.
So why did you expect a different outcome from the hundreds of millions good people donated to the charities for bushfire victims?
Is it because you’re not very bright?
Nah, it can’t be that. It’s because you trust them right. Yeah, that must be it.
“Where large sums of money are concerned, it is advisable to trust nobody.”
Agatha Christie
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