Is Anybody Home?

07.10.20 09:30 PM - Comment(s) - By BMI

Yes, CFTW is working hard to continue to assist the most desperate people in the world. We get regular requests to assist those in need from around the world, but most requests are from those suffering in India. Of course, we cannot help everyone. Our mandate is to help those in the third world through providing assistance in areas of healthcare and education. This we believe is essential.                    
What we have done recently continues to dwindle our resources and many believe that because we are held back from “feet on the ground activity”, we do not need contributions. Let me assure you that the contributions are essential. When you make contributions to CFTW, they go directly to those in need. Our administration-to-contribution ratio is exceptionally low. Since 2018, contributions have been many times lower than the actual resources spent and distributed to those in need.               
I have frequently seen ads on television focus on compelling stories about people in need in destitute areas of the world. Sometimes my heart aches to see the absolute depravity of those on which they focus. It is exceptionally difficult to watch campaigns that show disadvantaged children in slums and squalor without being moved to extreme compassion. One is left wondering how much charitable donations are received and what portion of the donations are allocated to those in most need. 

Large international charities have development officers who have large portfolios. They develop these portfolios over years of hard and at times frustrating work. These development officers are very professional at approaching benefactors for donations. Many of the large charities appeal to governments around the world for grants and resources that assist them at maintaining a large budget and donation base. I have not examined the income to allocation figures to see what portion of the income is actually donated to those in need, but we hear stories of many charities who have a considerable income and spend a good deal of their income on administrative expenses. 

Most countries examine the charities to make certain they meet acceptable standards before monitoring agencies will give them recognized charity status. For instance, CFTW is a registered Canadian charity and meet Revenue Canada regulatory standards to maintain a registered charity status.              

I want for illustration purposes to use a well recognized organization. It is listed as one of Britain’s top ten. This is an example of a budget a large charity might have. The figures come from a list printed by The Guardian in 2016. To be clear, I do not in any way wish to criticize this organization, nor to comment on how they allocate their resources. Save the Children Fund is listed as one of the top 1000 charities in Britain. They have a very compelling message: who would not want to save children? 

The following figures are given in British Pound Currency. The Save the Children Fund - Voluntary Income 280,109,000, Legacy income 14,737,000, Total Income 291,472,000, Total Expenditure 266,552,000. According to these figures, the revenue exceeds the expenditures by 24.9 million pounds. This is good evidence that people are moved to give where they perceive a heartfelt need exists and people will respond generously. 

We believe that the need and relief requests we receive are overwhelmingly every bit as compelling. 
Please help us. 

1. Children’s Aid Foundation figures published in The Guardian article; “Britain's top 1,000 charities ranked by donations. Who raises the most money?” 
Donate Now

BMI

Categories -
CFTW
Share -
Tags -