The Other Cheek has examined the publically available information on the ACNC (Australian Charities and Non-profits Commission) website for Christian agencies involved in overseas aid. We would be keen to receive any corrections and/or clarifications. Are there other groups to examine?
Compassion Australia (ACNC Financial report for 2023)
Total Income: $100,104,133
Spent on Compassion’s “global program and support” $77,507,727
Fundraising and admin 20.70% of Budget of costs; The Other Cheek calculated that as $20,501,988 from the figures disclosed.
Surplus: $1,060,710
Worldvision Australia (ACNC Financial report for 2023)
Total Income: $442,697,000
(Includes $147,325,000 in DFAT and other grants).
Spent on global and domestic programs (including community education and support): $216,183,000
plus Food and vouchers from international agencies (described as non-monetary expenditures) $154,250,000
Total global and domestic programs (including community education and support): $370,433,000
Surplus $3,422,000
Admin and fundraising: $68,842,000, which is 15.67 per cent of the expenditure.
If we separate the grants that form a large part of World Vision’s work, use the fundraising costs attributed to the public fundraising, and a pro-rata proportion of the admin costs, a World Vision charity would look like this:
Income: $141,122,000 from fundraising, gifts investments.
Admin and fundraising $9,742,000 (pro rata admin). Commercial $1,164,000, Fundraising $34,443,000.
Total fundraising and admin: $45,349,000, which is 32.13 per cent of income
Anglican Board of Mission
Total income (ACNC FInacial report 2023) $5,356,883, including $1,698,934 DFAT grants
Programs, support, and education $3,117,421
Surplus $28,563
Fundraising: $599399; Admin $1,289,255; Other (depreciation) $322,245.
Total $2,210,899, which is 41.49 per cent of expenditure.
Baptist World Aid (from BWA 2023 Annual Report)
Total income $19,319,374
(Includes DFAT and other grants: $5,526,374)
Donations, gifts, bequests: $13,296,734
Investments $659,960
Fundraising $2,487,049 and Admin $3,666,195
Total $6,153,244, which is 31 per cent of expenditure.
Anglican Aid (The Archbishop of Sydney’s Anglican Aid)
Total income (ACNC Financial Report) – donations and bequests: $3,837,493
Programs and support $2,680,737
Admin, Fundraising, Other $637,605
which is 16.61 per cent of income. (For Anglican Aid, this measure makes more sense because of funds retained make the expenditure figure less useful)
UPDATE: Anglican Aid’s CEO tells The Other Cheek that the agency runs three funds and that using consolidated figures gives the most accurate picture.
From the 2024 annual report:
Total expenditure of the three funds: $12,099,500
Admin (operating expenses): $1,580,860, 13.06% of expenditure
Fundraising: $170,957, 1.41% of expenditure
TEAR Fund
2023 ACNC Report
Total Income: $15,666,891
Expenditure: $16,177,365
Admin $1,098,781, 6.79% of expenditure
Fundraising: $1,443,184, 8.93% of expenditure
Correction: Baptist World Aid not Baptist World Mission.
Yes ,very different from running the charity on “tie smell of an oily rag” as we are sometimes led to believe.
My recent experience has been setting up an Australian based Christian charity in the field of education. Our conclusion was that we could not afford to set up our own sending organization employing staff. We have therefore decided to use our UK branch for the bulk of our admin associated with sending teachers into the field. All our people in Australia are volunteers apart from a part time finance person.
Longer term we aim to have sufficient income to cover the cost of admin fully. However that is some years away.
I think the agency titled ‘Baptist World Mission’ refers to the organisation Baptist World Aid.
Thank you Sean, much appreciated.
TEAR says only 16% of its funds do not go overseas – relatively good !
I remember a number of decades ago when 10% admin. Costs used to be a benchmark for christian aid charities , before lots of paid fundraising staff were employed.