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  • Opinion: How much of your donation goes to the Veterans?

    April 24, 2019 5 min read

    9 Comments

    The Briefing Room - Tactical Gear Blog Opinion: How much of your donation goes to the Veterans? Tactical Gear Australia

    I appreciate the great work, those who Volunteer and anyone who helps and supports our Veterans. But to be honest I have always been skeptical about Charities, and for good reason.  “How much money actually goes to Veterans?”

    We think EVERY Charity needs to have transparency and publish their financials showing EXACTLY how much money or support is given to our Veterans.

    We are not saying that these Charities have or are acting immorally or illegally but where is the line in their financial report, that says this is how much was donated directly or indirectly to Veterans? Are we missing something? Your comments and input are appreciated.

    SOLDIER ON
    Financial Report click here

    Financial Report Soldier On

     

    MATES4MATES
    Financial Report click here 

    Mates4Mates

     

    Plenty of other Charities including Wounded Heroes Australia don't display their Financials on their website, maybe they are not required to do so, but I reckon thats's a MUST do.

    So what are some good charities doing good things in the community? Tell us we want to support them. Comment Below.

    We aim to identify in the coming months charities that are above board, that have total oversight and transparency and who we are 100% confident that the bulk of your donation goes to those who need it most - not the CEOs, Treasurers, expensive travel or long lunches.  Once we do we will raise money for them knowing that it's going to those we care about the most - those who unselfishly served our country.

    We understand there are operational expenses with running a charity and the good work that a lot of Charities do.  We are talking about transparency and oversight we just want it to be clear exactly where the money goes  

    Info below is taken from Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission website click here 

    You can search for Charities here, you can check their revenue and expenses - We believe you should "investigate before you donate"

    Warning signs

    • You've never heard of the charity before, or it is well-known but you suspect the website, email or letter may be fake. A fake website may look almost identical to a legitimate charity site, changing only the details of where to send donations.
    • The person collecting donations on behalf of the charity does not have any identification. Remember, even if they do have identification, it could be forged or meaningless.
    • You are put under pressure or made to feel guilty or selfish if you don’t want to donate.
    • You are asked to provide a cash donation as they don't accept cheques. Or, they want the cheque to be made out to them rather than to the charity.
    • You are not given a receipt. Or, they give you a receipt that does not have the charity’s details on it.

    Protect yourself

    • Approach charity organisations directly to make a donation or offer support.
    • Check the organisation's name and look them up. Check the website address to make sure it’s the same as what you searched for.
    • Legitimate charities are registered – you check an organisation’s credentials on the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission (ACNC) website to see if they are a genuine charity.
    • Never send money or give personal information, credit card details or online account details to anyone you don’t know or trust.
    • If you are approached by a street collector, ask to see their identification. If you have any doubts about who they are, do not pay.
    • If you are approached in person, ask the collector for details about the charity such as its full name, address and how the proceeds will be used. If they become defensive and cannot answer your questions, close the door.
    • Avoid any arrangement with a stranger that asks for up-front payment via money order, wire transfer, international funds transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency, like Bitcoin. It is rare to recover money sent this way.

    Below is an Article "The Australian" Newspaper

    Call to monitor veterans affairs charities
    By RORY CALLINAN, MARCH 14, 2017

    Thousands of charities that have sprung up to service Australia’s military veterans could face the introduction of a self-regulatory system as the sector taps into billions of dollars in government funding.

    Veterans Affairs Minister Dan Tehan has flagged the new system to monitor the 3474 registered charities meeting the increasing needs of veterans after almost two decades of continual overseas deployment.

    Mr Tehan said a regulatory ­regime was needed after revelations in The Australian that a charity chief executive invited to be the guest speaker at the government’s round-table event in Canberra last year was a convicted armed robber.

    [REDACTED]


    A report surveying the sector last year found many of the veterans-­related charities could not be considered ex-service ­organis­ations and that support services being offered were “not clear”.

    Compiled by the Aspen Foundation, the report said the charities’ incomes amounted to $19.4 billion and they employed 19,5874 staff and 213,950 volunteers.

    The report, “Ex-Service ­Organisations Mapping”, recommended a self-regulatory system that required accreditation, codes of conduct and a monitored minimum level of service delivery.

    Mr Tehan last week called on the sector to develop some form of self-regulation.

    “If organisations want minimum standards of experience and qualifications to work with veterans, then that reform should be driven by them,’’ he said.

    He said former military chief Sir Angus Houston had responded to the Aspen report last year by establishing a committee to ­“explore opportunities to streng­then collaboration, self-regul­­ation and governance’’ in the sector.

    Mr Devereux said he supported regulation and that Veteran Affairs knew of his history.

    “I’m not proud of what I did but I did my time and I did my parole without any incident,’’ he said.

    Mr Devereux said his charity had helped more than 150 veterans out of homelessness.

    Several other charities this week said they already supported self-regulation.

    Homes for Heroes manager Adrian Talbot said there was “no due diligence”.

    “People can apply for charitable status but they don’t have to answer for their actions,’’ he said.

    “There’s a potential to do more harm than good.

    “Certain people set out with the best possible intentions when they start these organisations but, as you can see, there’s more than 3000 in this space.”

    Further Reading - Other Articles of Interest

    Most recently (11 April 2019)  and ABC investigation has lead to Queensland police investigating allegations that a charity set up to help Afghanistan war veterans was defrauded of $1.3 million.Read the article below.

    On the Eve of our most historic day remembering, appreciating and honouring those that have or are serving in our Armed Forces, we hope that they are getting the help they need, stay in the fight seek help and thank you for your service. If you see a digger sitting by themselves, have a chat, shout them a drink. Lest we forget.

    If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide get help immediately. Choose life not suicide.  Call Lifeline 13 11 14 or 000 if life is in danger.

    What do you think? Tell us about your experiences with Charities
    We appreciate your input -  your comments and opinions are appreciated. Comment Below.  If you are a Veteran let us know of any Charities that have helped you or others.

    9 Responses

    Jason A
    Jason A

    June 22, 2022

    Before you donate … investigate!
    Go to this link for comprehensive info regarding Charity Revenue and Expenses.
    https://gg.org.au/charity/24811760786/soldier-on-limited/
    Soldier on has 6 million + in expenses employing 50+ staff

    Rod
    Rod

    June 22, 2022

    Thanks for putting up your website.

    There’ve always been “charities” that are not very effective at ensuring most of the donations received by them are mostly and properly expended on those in need of help. I’ve been looking for an effective charity that helps veterans who’ve served in Afghanistan and found quite a few on the internet. But which are the genuinely most effective?

    Does anyone know of any highly effective, genuinely worthy charitable organisation, which has done, and is continuing to do a wonderful job of supporting and helping care for veterans, particularly those who’ve served in Afghanistan – whether injured in any way or just down on their luck?

    Brian Griffiths
    Brian Griffiths

    April 03, 2021

    Are there any real Charitable Veteran Organisations run by Charitable people who do it as a service and not as a source of income for themselves, I know a lot of people who work in these charities do it as a voluntary unpaid job, but the people who set up these charities, or CEO’s any of these that do it as a ‘Charity’

    Brian Griffiths
    Brian Griffiths

    April 03, 2021

    There has to be stricter regulatory scrutiny on all charities, and they all must have to produce Annual Profit/Loss Statements so you have an idea of how much of your donation actually goes to the Charity itself, and how much those that set up the charity are actually earning from their ‘charitable work’
    It doesn’t read well when you have Donations and Income of $5million+, and expenses, with wages a large part of that, also $5million plus, with a surplus of only $120,000
    No wonder there are so many charities, it could be a cash cow for those setting it up

    Thomas M
    Thomas M

    April 29, 2019

    “Looked into these charities and dissected each costing” classic, like its up to us to know what each cost is? Needs to change so we can see clearly how much of what we donate goes directly to those who we are donating for. Then she says “work for a charity mate”, like this naive person believes thinks that you haven’t? I personally haven’t “worked” for a charity, I’ve dedicated a lot of time, effort and money though and it’s got me thinking, whose benefited? Briony gets paid teh big bucks whilst our Veterans suffer? Check out the wages bill 3.3 million?!

    Carl J
    Carl J

    April 26, 2019

    Briony Young is the “National Marketing Director – Soldier On Australia” (https://www.linkedin.com/in/briony-young-5ab4b99) I think what the article is alluding to is – If I was to donate $10 how much of that goes to those the people who I am donating it for. ie: is it $3 out of every $10 etc. Thats what I want to know anyway.

    Jimmy S
    Jimmy S

    April 25, 2019

    Good to see the Anzac Spirit from the CEO’s!!!!. When they drive around in $50k SUV’s, were all the 511 and tactical divvied gear ( not cheap), you know it’s a scam. This charity bullshit is rampant in the UK, and will become big business here. My own research into this embarrassment showed that the only one worth supporting was Legacy.

    Briony young
    Briony young

    April 24, 2019

    Just wondering if you have looked into these charities and dissected each costing. For example how many psychologists work for each charity which would attribute to salaries, how much travel was attributed to sending men and women on social outings as a way of meeting new people as part of their rehabilitation and transition and with the fundraising costs how much was made to pay for the free services offered to assist men, women and their families. Business don’t run for free but most of the services they offer are. Come and work for a charity mate before you start pointing fingers and finding faults in worthy organisations.

    Mick M
    Mick M

    April 24, 2019

    Needs to be full scale investigation in to all charities then make sure guidelines, rules and regulations are in place. The USA has had huge corruption with charities posing as Veteran support, now they are coming under scrutiny and it’s all unravelling.

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