Sunday, December 09, 2012

How Much Will CORUS Charge The Orphans' Fund This Year?

AdministrationChargesDefrayedAreStill
ChargesVille


Norm Farrell, making like I.F. Stone, has closely examined CRA documents to demonstrate that CORUS radio charged the Orphans' Fund more than $1 million dollars between 2006-11. 

Yes.

You read that right.

One Million Dollars....

Taken from a charity for disadvantaged kids by a for-profit corporation that has long trumpted its total altruism in this endeavour.

Interestingly, for some reason (Norm!) CORUS sent out a press release in the run-up to this year's 2012 campaign to kinda/sorta make it clear that they don't actually, really send every single dollar raised to 'the kids':

CKNW980 (a division of Corus Entertainment) provides funding to assist with administrative, promotional and marketing services, thereby allowing your donation to go further.

Did you catch that?

They said 'further', not 'furthest' which would be how far donors' money would go if CORUS was NOT charging the Orphans' Fund 'administrative, promotional and marketing' costs in the first place.

So.

Again.

How much, exactly will CORUS charge (i.e. reap) from hosting the Orphans' Fund on-air fundraiser this year?


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Please take a moment to go and read Norm Farrell's latest on this one....He has this and other extremely legitimate bones to pick as well because, in many ways, the whole deal is the opposite of Bedford Falls...If you get my Holiday Season spirit drift...

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2 comments:

Norm Farrell said...

Thanks RossK for confirmation (I think) that this issue is not being raised by a lone grumpy old man.

The following is a comment of mine at Northern Insights when I raised this issue more than a year ago:

"I was made cynical about charities decades ago when, as a young auditor, I was assigned to a rehab foundation that had long raised money for polio research. After the disease was largely defeated by vaccine, the charity carried on raising and accumulating money. Fighting disease and helping victims was no longer their business. Raising money was their work.

Similarly, I did audit work at the BC Lions Society for Crippled Children when surplus funds were used to fund mortgages on real estate speculations conducted by a senior officer.

We should beware though about lumping the good with the bad. There are many good charities, you simply need to investigate carefully before you write a check.

RossK said...

Norm--

The data are the data...You unearthed them, and they are, as far as I can tell (not being an expert in accounting), unassailable.

And I very much agree with your comment about the dangers of lumping...

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