TELL US HOW OUR CASH IS SPENT! We give millions to charities every year, but half won t tell us their bosses salaries MANY By Neil Michael of Ireland s Chief Reporter MANY of Ireland s biggest and bestknown charities were unable to say what their bosses are paid. Yesterday, the Irish Daily Mail contacted 45 of them and asked
t. il them among other things to disclose their CEOs salaries. A majority of them had at least five hours in which to answer simple questions that also covered details on income generated from fundraising and State funding. Questions were emailed to each organisation before lunch time yesterday and followed up by telephone calls. Just 25 of them responded to all of the questions and a further six replied with only partial Turn to Page 4
Charity salaries wall of silence Continued from Page One answers. Another 14 organisations, all of which receive donations and/or State funding from taxpayers, did not respond with any detail of how they spent public money. They either asked for more time or simply refused. The only charitable organisation to refuse to even participate in the survey was the Rehab Group. The results show that despite the growing clamour for transparency in the charity sector, a sizable number of charities were unable to provide basic information about themselves. Last night, Wicklow TD Simon Harris, who is on the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, said the survey highlighted the need for a charity regulator. He told the Irish Daily Mail last night: The Public Accounts Committee has begun a process of trying to bring transparency and to shine a light on a sector that the public have previously been kept in the dark on. It s very important that this sort of carryon with organisations not being transparent with information really highlights the need for a charity regulator. I would hope and expect that the Government would proceed with the implementation of that part of the Charities Act as a matter of urgency. These organisations obviously provide in many cases vital services, and nobody is questioning that, Mr Harris added. But it is very important that the public are able to decouple what funding goes to these organisations for services and what goes on administration and salaries. And people should be able to be told what the levels of salaries are in these organisations. At a time when the demands for transparency have never been higher, the public might have expected such basic information to be at the fingertips of the people running charitable organisations. Many will be astonished that, despite the topups row dominating e n n r f director, Kieran Murphy, between 115,000 and 125,000. Former Fianna Fáil junior minister Barry Andrews earns 95,000 as chief executive of Goal. The aid agency received 61.5million from donors, along with 16million from Irish Aid. Organisations that didn t respond included the National Maternity Hospital Holles Street, Milford Care Cenr f, the news now for more than two weeks, there are still so many charities unable to provide such information within a few hours or even publish it on their websites. The highest paid CEO was Enable Ireland boss Fionnula O Donovan who earns 145,679. The organisation receives 852,000 in donations and 37million from the HSE She was followed closely by Irish Cancer Society boss John McCormack, who earns 145,000 and has the use of a company car. The charity, which generates most of its 20million income through fundraising, also contributes to Mr McCormack s health insurance. Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children chief executive Ashley Balbirnie was the third highestpaid charity boss, with a 144,000 salary last year. The children s charity received 4,249,016 in donations last year and a further 873,909 in public funding. The St Vincent de Paul society, which received 42million in donations last year and 6.7million in public funding, pays its national tre, Prosper Fingal, Salvation Ireland, Limerick Maternity Hospital and Cork University Hospital Maternity. Underfire disability centre the Central Remedial Clinic did not respond and neither did the Irish Heart Foundation, two of many charities who employ the services of highprofile celebrities such as Amy Huberman and Aoibhin Garrihy. Huberman and Aoibhin Garrihy., t y. Neither did the Samaritans, the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, the RNLI or the Rotunda. A spokesman for the Rehab Group, which received more than 40million from the HSE in 2012, said last night: We have declined to take part in this survey, as 60 per cent of our income comes from commercial sources. Less than one percent comes from traditional fundraising and an even smaller fraction from donations. The Rehab Group is not like most other charities as six of the ten companies in the group are commercial and not nonforprofit entities, the spokesman added. The group s HSE contract is based on servicelevel agreements and is money received in return for services the Rehab Group is contracted to provide. To try to compare Rehab Group with other charities in this survey is like comparing apples and oranges. You are not comparing like with like. Additional reporting: Philip Ryan, Leah McDonald, Sandra Mallon and Darragh Murphy neil.michael@dailymail.ie CRC chief Brian Conlon, who this week announced his resignation, repaid a portion of his salary for three months because he said he should have been paid at a lower scale which starts at the 83,252 mark. He was on a salary of 125,000 when appointed in July but asked the board to lower it. His spokesman said he repaid the difference between the two amounts, after tax, for the months of July, August and September. His spokesman said: Mr Conlon did not benefit from the extra salary amounts because he did in fact repay the difference after tax.
HOW DARE THEY KEEP QUIET SEE PAGE 14 THE CHARITIES WHO DID NOT ANSWER (...but are not afraid to use models and actresses to promote their causes) THE Irish Daily Mail surveyed 45 of Ireland s best known charities. These are the 14 which did not respond, or could not respond, despite being given at least five hours: Central Remedial Clinic Cork University Hospital Maternity (HSE South) Holles Street Irish Heart Foundation Kare Newbridge Limerick Maternity Hospital (HSE West) Motor Neurone Disease Association Milford Care Centre Prosper Fingal Centre Rehab RNLI Rotunda Hospital Salvation Ireland Samaritans THESE DIDN T GIVE US SALARY DETAILS THESE are the six charities that responded to questions put to them by the Irish Daily Mail but did not provide information on the salary paid our to their chief executive: Alone Cheeverstown House DSPCA LauraLynn Peter McVerry Trust St Joseph s Foundation
BUT FOR TRANSPARENCY, THE FOLLOWING LEAD THE WAY EACH of the charities contacted by the Irish Daily Mail was asked four questions. They were: The level of donations in Autism Ireland CEO: Kevin Whelan CEO remuneration: 78,973 Donations: 1,738,844 Public funds/source: 90,000 from the Department of Environment in 2012 Salaries: In 2012, 773,333 for 22 staff Alzheimer Society of Ireland CEO: Gerry Martin CEO salary: 110,000 for 2013 Amount raised in donations: 4.9million Monies spent on salaries: 14.9million Staff: 900 (including CE schemes) Aware CEO: Dominic Leyden CEO remuneration: Noone earns more than 90,000. Total income: 1,743,979 Donations: 1.55 million; 90 per cent Public funds/source: 179,188 in HSE and State grants Barnardo s CEO: Fergus Finlay CEO remuneration: 111,711 Donations: 8.3million Public funds: 15.09million, from HSE and other departments. Salaries: 16.1m on 351 staff Bóthar CEO: Peter Ireton CEO remuneration: 88,000 Donations: 6.9million Public funds/source: Nothing Salaries: 507,658 Cope Foundation. CEO: Colette Kelleher CEO salary: 121,600. Donations from public: 1.2m. Monies from Public funds: 45million. Salaries: 35million. 2012; the monies received in HSE, lottery or other public grants; the amount of money that was paid to their chief executive or similar, and CARI (Children At Risk Ireland) CEO: Mary Flaherty CEO remuneration: Less than 60,000 (parttime) Total income 2012: 738,168 Donations 2012: Fundraising 190,000; 100,000 in other donations Public funds/source: grants of 438,000 Total salaries 2012: 567,205 Down Syndrome Ireland CEO: Pat Clarke CEO remuneration: 81,000 Money raised in Donations: 2.6million Public funds/source: 165,000 Salaries: 1million on 42 salaries Enable Ireland CEO: Fionnula O Donovan CEO salary: 145,679 Donations: 852,000 Public funds: 37million HSE and 987,000 in other grants. Salaries: 37.3million Friends of the Coombe CEO: does not have a CEO. Donations: 717, 521 (2012) Public funds/source: None. Salaries: 45,714 Goal CEO: Barry Andrews CEO remuneration: 95,000 Donations: 61.5million Public funds/source: 16million from Irish Aid Salaries: 6.9million (181 staff) Irish Cancer Society CEO: John McCormack CEO remuneration: 145,000, plus health insurance, pension and car Donations: 20.8million Public funds/source: 190,000 Salaries: 5,954,844 Irish Hospice Foundation CEO: Sharon Foley CEO salary: 101,350 (2012) Donations 2012: 4,935,392 Public funds: 5,000 Income spent on salaries: 1,798,994 ISPCC CEO: Ashley Balbirnie CEO remuneration: 144,000 Donations: 4,249,016 Public funds/source: 873,909 Salaries: 3,665,214 Irish Wheelchair Association. CEO: Kathleen McLoughlin CEO salary: 136,496 Donations: 2.1million Public funds: 50.7million Salaries: 43.7million Jack and Jill Foundation CEO: Jonathan Irwin CEO remuneration: 90,000 Total income: Over 2.7million this year Donations: Around 2.2million Public funds/source: HSE 520,000; Money from lottery. Salaries: 500,000 The Marie Keating Foundation CEO: None. Senior managers report to the chairman Chairman s remuneration: Voluntary role. Donations: 1.4million Public funds/source: Zero. Salaries: Around 600,000. Migrants Right Centre of Ireland Director: Siobhan O Donoghue Salary: 61,050 Donations: 7,982 Salaries: 372,398 National Youth Council of Ireland CEO: Mary Cunningham CEO salary: 94,550 gross Donations: Zero. Public Money: 1,646,945 Salaries: 992,712 Staff: 22 the total amount that was spent on salari es. The were all contacted by lunchtime yesterday. There were 25 that gave details. National Council for the Blind CEO: Des Kenny CEO salary: 74,326. Donations: 6.5million (charity shops). Public funds: 7million Salaries: 10.5million Oxfam CEO: Jim Clarken CEO remuneration: 90,000 to 100,000 Donations: 6,533,000 Public funds/source: 2,906,000 Irish Aid Salaries: 457,310 Simon Community. Head of National Office: Patrick Quinn Salary: 85,000. Donations: 718,516 Public funds: 7.2million from HSE; 85,000 from Deptartment of the Environment Salaries: 442,920. St Vincent de Paul National Director: Kieran Murphy Salary: 115,000 to 125,000 Donations: 42million plus 268,000 from SVP volunteers Public funds: 6.7million Salaries: 8.2million St Christopher s Longford CEO: Pat O Toole CEO remuneration: 87,218 Donations: 169,000 Public funds: 8.3million Salaries: 7,198,650 Sunbeam House Services MD: John Hannigan MD salary: 110,000 (now 103,200) Donations: 34,000 Public funds/source: 20.6million Salaries: 17.1million
Profile: Aoibhin Garrihy and Vivienne Connolly help the Irish Heart Foundation while Amy Huberman, top right, fronts a CRC appeal