Helping Hands controversy: publisher says €640,000 donated to charities
Over €640,000 have been raised and donated to charities by the magazine Helping Hands, the person responsible for it, Reuben Vella said today.
He made his comment in a statement issued by Inspire, one of the beneficiaries of the funds, ahead of distribution of a new edition of the family magazine.
The Times reported earlier this month that out of every €3.50 which readers pay for the magazine, sold to raise funds for charity, only €1.05 goes to the charities, with the rest going for printing, company expenses and sales. The magzine is issued by Helping Hands Foundation, a trading name for 03 Ltd, which is not a charity.
Mr Vella said that every issue of the magazine included two pages dedicated to informing the public of its campaigns, and the money given.
Inspire said it was urging the public to buy the magazine with peace of mind that the money would be put to very good use, helping hundreds of individuals of all abilities.
Inspire said that Helping Hands sells for €3.50 and all the profits go to the charity.
"The profit on each book amounts to €1.50 for this edition, after design and print costs are deducted and the sales team are paid. No advertising revenues are made from this booklet.
"Helping Hands has also ensured that Inspire gets a full 11 pages of information on its programmes and services in order to spread the word about Inspire's work in the community. The information explains how one can be of further help by volunteering or giving regularly. The rest of the booklet contains useful information, puzzles and educational material."
Nathan Farrugia, CEO of Inspire, said the magazine had taken on board a number of suggestions through the years, including finding ways to increasing the income for the charities, softening the sales technique and using ID tags to ensure more transparency.
"We have always been given a detailed account of how many books have been printed and sold, so we can plan our campaigns accordingly. We depend on such earned income, as voluntary giving and donations have suffered tremendously with the economic downturn. Yet the Helping Hands Family magazine continues to bring in solid fundraising income. Charities like Inspire that employ hundreds of people, need to generate ‘earned income' and cannot depend entirely on donations. In fact, the membership at our fitness centre, the use of our Animal Park for parties, and our regular events are similar examples of how we ‘sell' services in return for income that sustains our charitable activities."
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N Darmanin
Jul 30th 2010, 23:51
keep up the good work Sur Vella ... lots of people and children have benefited from the work that you do ... negative comments are thrown from people that hardly know what the magazine is all about!
A. Calleja
Jul 28th 2010, 22:06
Jiddispjacini nghid imma ghajni ilha tokorni rigward dawn il-"Helping Hands"! Naf li se jkun hawn hafna li ma jaqblux mieghi imma iddecidejt li ma naghtihomx izjed flus lil voluntiera (jew impjegati??).... Xi xhur ilu, xi voluntiera ta' Helping Hands gew biex ibieghhuli magazin... minhabba li ma kelliex 3.50euros fuqi, offrejtilhom li naghti xi haga inqas tal-flus minghajr ma niehu ebda magazin.... Pero dawn il-voluntiera qaluli li "Jew nhallas 3.50euros u niehu il-magazin jew inkella ma jaccettawx flus"!!!!
Michael Portelli
Jul 28th 2010, 21:33
I work for one of the charitable institutions in Gozo who have benefitted from a very good donation through this publication. I do not know if there was a profit or not from the publication, all I know is that for our institution benefitted from a good sum of money. For us and for all those, who like us depend on people's donations, it was a gift from heaven. We need much more to run our institution, so every word you write against such people can only do damage to us. If you want to donate directly, you can do so, But most people will only donate when approached to do so, and this is one of the ways. If anyone wishes to join any one of these charitible institutions in Malta and Gozo, you will know what it takes to run and stop being negative.
Charles Micallef
Jul 28th 2010, 19:46
@ C, Zammit,
When one donates to a charity one expects that the whole donation goes to The Particular Charity unless he or she is clearly informed that only €1 10c, out of the €3 50c paid for the booklet goes to charities, and the rest goes to the publisher. It should then be left to the contributor to decide how he wants to spend his or her money...period.
The way things are, less tha 30% goes to charity, the rest is a profitable business concern, run under the banner of various charities institutions!
I bought a number of these books from the pleasant young lady outside the Out Patients Department of Mater Dei, and never once have I been told that over 60% of the proceeds are for a commercial entity!
CZammit
Jul 28th 2010, 18:07
Sure, everyone knows where to donate, but the question is - How many people do it on their own initiative? Do you honestly think that these 640k would have been raised out of nothing?
In the ideal world, everyone donates to the MCCF and then they distribute evenly to the needy. That was always the aim of the fund.
Even our greatest charity event 'l-istrina' has its costs ... many waiver their professional fees, but printing isn't one of them. They might do it at cost, but not free.
I am all for charity, and even this drop helps. If he has salespersons and printing, then let the cost be deducted - but can it be done transparently? Can all costs of the magazine be written and explained? Can the funds be given to MCCF? Can everything be audited and monitored?
J Micallef
Jul 28th 2010, 17:57
Hemm bzonn urgentissmu ta' ligi li tirregola l-karitajiet. Sew ghall-gid taghhom kif ukoll ghall gid ta' min jaghti d-donazzjonijiet.
Claire Busuttil
Jul 28th 2010, 17:33
Mr Vella, tista ma tibatx haddiema tieghek Mater Dei, ibieghu il kotba. Mhux kulhadd ikollu aptit fitagni meta ikun go sptar.
Jason Spiteri
Jul 28th 2010, 17:15
The point isn't really what percentage goes to cover costs - but the fact that every cent that doesn't reach directly a needy person is a cent stolen from them, because that's money that the donors would have given to charity in any case. This magazine isn't a commercial venture that generates 'profit' which is then partially given to charity - the people buying it do so with the intention of donating to charity, rather than just to enjoy the magazine they bought (as they would with commercial magazines).
The fact is that Maltese people are generous in donating to worthy causes; they just don't want to fatten other people's pockets in the process.
VINCENT BORG
Jul 28th 2010, 17:14
Din is-sitwazzjoni tipprezenta daqsxejn ta' dilemma. Nahseb li fl-ahhar mill-ahhar l-individwu jiddecidi x'jaghmel bi flusu u kif l-ahjar li jaghti flus ghal karita`. Interessanti nkunu nafu kif jahsibha l-Kummissarju ta' l-Ghaqdiet Volontarji. Din mhix sitwazzjoni gdida. Ghandu jkun permess li jsir negozju (qlieh) sabiex jingabru flus ghal karita? Nittama li jkun hawn dibattitu kalm u bl'ebda mod ma ssir hsara lill ghaqdiet tal- katita`.
Keith Sultana
Jul 28th 2010, 16:58
Its the second time in a row that Inspire is the shady side of the news. Whats going on ?
By the way, thank you for this article. This clearly shows how attentive we need to be with such charity / business initiatives.
Why did Inspires Nathan Farrugia state publicly his support to helping hands but not giving details about his wage to the press? I find this a little funny.
Keith Sultana
Louis Schembri
Jul 28th 2010, 16:26
Any person writing here who has a better idea than this Helping Hands initiative on how to generate the amount of €640,000 for charities over a number of years, please come forward. It's so easy to run down one person's initiative without having an inkling on how to do just as well or preferably better.
Gladys Camilleri
Jul 28th 2010, 18:05
Prosit. Sewwa qed tghid. Il-Maltin jigu l-ewwel biex jikkritikaw u jgergru imma meta nigu ghal xi inizzjattiva bhal din irid ikun xi hadd bhas-Sur Reuben Vella biex jghamilha. Xorta hemm lok fejn il-mod kif jinbieghu il-kotba jista' jsir hafna ahjar minghajr hafna pressjoni zejda u fittagni. Imma bhala inizzjattiva originali ta' gbi ta' fondi xorta ta' min wiehed ifahharha.
J Oatmon
Jul 29th 2010, 07:28
The important point is: - "The Times reported earlier this month that out of every €3.50 which readers pay for the magazine, sold to raise funds for charity, only €1.05 goes to the charities,"
So if the charities received "Over €640,000" (from the €1.05), then the organisers received €2.45 from each 'donation' or €1,493,000, out of which they paid a tiny amount for printing and the rest covers their 'expenses/wages'.
Basically it sounds great but is a ripoff in my opinion - better run by the charity directly with 3rd party published audited accounts to show what went where.
Stephen Zammit
Jul 29th 2010, 09:29
One should consider building on the strenghts of the current setup and improve on the problem parts. The main problem is that too high a percentage is being spent on costs and the secondary problem is that now there is a negative feel to this operation. An idea:
Since people know they're donating rather than buying a magazine, and the content is crap anyway, the magazine can be reduced to a piece of paper, that shows the exact distrubution of funds in the previous round with further information published on a website. That should help reduce printing costs and focus much more of the funds to the intended recipients. It should also reduce distibution costs.
Part of the paper should be used to capture doners details so that an appropriate reciept by a recognised and widely accepted institution could send an appropriate reciept by post. That should help improve the perception. If perception and weight improves salesmen should be able to "sell" more for less commision that should further help to generate more "sales".
The public is already accustomed to donate over the phone and the cost - profit ratios should get as close as possible or even better.
J Farrugia
Jul 28th 2010, 16:14
Inspire is a registered charity with the Voluntary Organisations Commissioner, registration number VO/199, and files a set of audited accounts annually with the Commissioner. People wishing to donate directly to Inspire can also do so at www.inspire.org.mt/donate or by sending cheques to the organisation's address (also available online).
P.Borg
Jul 28th 2010, 16:13
Kull darba li jkun hemm xi forma ta' Maratona ghall karita, l- isponsors qatt ma jkunu bizzejjed. Kwazi bilfors li parti mid- donazzjonijiet tan- nies tmur biex tkopri l- ispejjez. Bir- ragunament ta' certi nies allura ma taghti xejn ghax qishom mhux qed jghinu 100%. Dan naf li forsi hu kas ftit differenti imma l- Inspire jaghmel xoghol siewi hafna u ghandhom bzonn ammonti enormi ta' flus.
R.Borg
Jul 28th 2010, 16:02
640, 000 donated to charities, O.K., but:
a) to whom? Can the public know the various organizations who have benefitted?
bhas-soltu: "MIN HU MEJJET GHALL-QATRA U MIN HU MEJJET FIS-SAKRA" ?
b) for what? For running costs of projects already in action? For new projects?
c) who exactly decided on the charitable institution chosen?
J.Tonna
Jul 28th 2010, 14:59
I have always contributed, whenever they came to my house, but now I will think it over.
However, if the organisers want to appear more cridible, they should publish audited accounts, as it is the public who donates after all.
It is true, one should not undermine these types of initiatives, but we should know where our money is going.
Charles Micallef
Jul 28th 2010, 14:56
@ Joseph N Attard
Fully agree.....I do not believe in giving to Charities when someone is making a good income out of my contribution and all in the name of Charitable Institutions,
Direct Donations is the way we should donate our hard earn money!
Joseph N Attard
Jul 28th 2010, 14:34
"Profit for this edition will be Euro1.50". That means that 42.85% went for charity. Using the same ratios, that means that if Euro640,000 went to charity, Euro853,234 went to pay the design and printing costs and the sales team. Not bad at all. I can think of better ways whereby 100% of my donation goes to charity.
C.Sammut
Jul 28th 2010, 14:38
Agreed.
Ian Pace
Jul 28th 2010, 14:48
Amen!
Mary Galea
Jul 28th 2010, 14:25
I hope this is not yet 'another' case of Charity beginning at home.Cynical...me? go away
C. Conti
Jul 28th 2010, 14:20
Carry on the Good Work.... Why do we have to complain every time something Good is going on > it's now becoming a National bad habit and undermining these types of initiatives.
Chris Bezzina
Jul 28th 2010, 15:02
No, its not good work!! Believe me!
albert leone ganado
Jul 28th 2010, 14:11
My only comment is to ask whether this organisation is registered with the commissioner for charities.
If not I will certainly not support it with my donations. Indeed I hope that others will follow my example and before supporting any charity independently of the apparent credentials and standing of whoever runs it they should check whether it is a registered charity.
Transparency and consistency in handling of donations can only be achieved if all charities adhere to established codes of conduct and practise.