How we spend your money

I’ve just returned from Ethiopia where I spent a number of days with Mary Robinson, the newly appointed UN Special Envoy for El Niño and Climate. Together, we witnessed the devastating impact that El Niño and climate change is having on people’s daily lives. Ethiopia is leading on the response and we too have massively scaled up, distributing   seeds to thousands of farmers, trucking water to villages that have dried up, providing supplementary food to 250,000 children under five who are now at risk of malnutrition. You would be proud if you saw Concern’s work saving lives and giving hope for the future. What we do – in Ethiopia and elsewhere - is only possible because of your support.

You may have seen recent news stories and might be questioning how some Irish charities use your donations, and whether the time and energy you commit to causes is worthwhile. Much has been said about the need for charities to adopt the highest standards, a ‘triple-lock’ covering good governance practice, the publication of full and transparent accounts and high fundraising standards. We fully support this call and have always been open and transparent about everything we do.

Here’s a reminder of how we spend our donor’s money:

• 90.8 cents in every one euro goes directly to the people we’re helping.
• The impact of that work is subject to rigorous, independent review by auditors and funders.
• We are fully compliant with Governance and Fundraising codes and our annual report has won awards in each of the last six years for best-in-class accountability.

You can read our annual report, see the impact that we are making with your support and find the evidence of our commitments to the highest codes and standards here.

If you have any questions about our values, governance, fundraising or accountability – please just ask me.