In case you didn't get the email ....

that is going around right now .... and have cash in your pocket .... and you feel you want to help the less fortunate .... and are looking for a respectable charity to donate to .... here are a few numbers to look at.
Of major charities, a few of the salaries and perks to the bosses;

UNICEF - The CEO, receives $1,200,000 per year, plus a Rolls Royce for his exclusive use where ever he goes, and an expense account that is rumored to be well over $150,000. Only pennies from the actual donations goes to the UNICEF cause, less than $0.14 per dollar of income.
YOU give a dollar, the charity actually only gets fourteen cents for whomever those poor people are!
Unicef has been on top of this list for 11 years!

The American Red Cross - President and CEO Marsha J. Evans, took a salary for the year ending in 2009 of $651,957 plus expenses. She also enjoys 6 weeks fully paid holidays including all related expenses during the holiday trip for her husband and kids. including 100% fully paid health and dental plan for her and her family. .... for life. This means out of every dollar they bring in, about $0.39 goes to related charity causes.
That was 39 CENTS!

The United Way - The third worst offender for the 7th time was President Brian Gallagher's charity, who receives a $375,000 base salary, plus so many numerous expense benefits it's hard to keep track as to what it is all worth, including a fully paid lifetime membership for 2 golf courses in Canada and the U.S.A., 2 luxury vehicles, a yacht club membership, 3 major company gold credit cards for his personal expenses etc ad nauseum.
This equates to about $0.51 per dollar of income that actually gets to charity causes.

World Vision - President (Canada) receives $300,000 base salary, plus is supplied an 800 hundred thousand dollar home, completely furnished, paid all housing expenses, including taxes, water/sewer, telephone/fax, HD/high speed cable, weekly maid service and pool/yard maintenance, fully paid private schooling for his children, upscale automobile and an $55,000 personal expense account for clothing/food, with a $125,000 business expense account.
And consider this, because it is a "religious based" charity, it pays little to no taxes, can receive government assistance and does not have to declare were the money goes! Only about $0.52 of earned income per dollar is available for charity causes. The goodness of your dollars toward this charity is in jeopardy.

Disheartening isn't it?  No .... more like appalling!
You feel benevolent but your money disappears into a system of administration. And administrators.
But you want to help that scraggly guy shuffling out of the lane with his shopping cart, with all his possessions crammed in or brimming over. He, (or SHE*) is only trying to survive one more day, they don't see ahead further than that. It's not about holidays or cars or stock options. Just food and survival.
Keep in mind that if you give him five bucks, 100% of that cash goes to HIM. He will administer your donation far better than a cool CEO will.

And if your resistant answer is that he'll spend the money on drugs or booze, ask yourself what the above CEOs will be spending YOUR hard earned dollars on?
Share.

But there IS a kicker to this post. Not all is lost. Here's one more charity that wants your money ....


The Salvation Army - Commissioner Todd Bassett received a salary of only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 Billion dollar organization. Which means about $0.93 per dollar earned, is readily available and goes back out to local charity causes. Ninety-three cents of every dollar you give to the Sally-Anne. Ninety-three cents!
So don't get angry at those tinkling bells at Christmas time any more, and drop a few bucks into that red pot. You WILL be doing some good for the less fortunate.


So if you didn't get that email going around, now you know. This is my email to everyone. It's not spam, it'll be here, you cannot delete it. It is a shameful sad truth about where your compassionate money goes.
Yes they have cherry picked the organizations. Yes the figures may be disputable and they may be somewhat outdated or skewed, but the facts remain that charities are capable of eating up almost the whole total of your kind donation long before any help reaches the country, street or person whom your gesture was meant for.
So give where it counts, and don't wait till Christmas, do some good for your own soul now.

Have a closer look here at Charity Navigator -
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=studies.ceo
(one of the fun items on this site is the page on the salaries of the relatives of CEOs of charitable organizations)

In Vancouver - Union Gospel Mission - http://www.ugm.ca/

 * the percentage of women of homelessness is estimated at anywhere from 15 to 30 percent. And the studies available are way outdated.
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