PUBLIC DONATIONS to the aid agency Goal fell by 40 per cent last year at a time of rising staff costs.
Income from donations and fundraising activities was down from €13.7 million to €8.1 million, a trend “attributable more to the high value of donations received in 2010 for Goal’s Haiti earthquake appeal, rather than to a marked fall-off in donations in 2011”, according to the charity’s latest financial statement.
A Goal spokesman said yesterday that it “does not expect a significant variation in money raised from public donations in 2012, compared to 2011”.
This year, the agency has been convulsed by an internal dispute that resulted in its founder and long-time chief executive John O’Shea stepping down in August.
Goal’s financial statement for 2011 refers to Mr O’Shea’s resignation under the heading of “events since year end”. The costs associated with his departure, which was agreed following a High Court action, have yet to be disclosed.
Governance costs, including external auditing and legal fees, fell from €496,769 in 2010 to €313,770 last year. However, staff costs rose from €6.6 million to €7.3 million, in part due to an increase in management, administration and fundraising staff from 53 to 60.
The report showed two employees earned between €100,001 and €115,000, and a further two between €85,001 and €100,000 last year.
The same distribution was reported in 2010, although in 2009 there was just one employee in each of these two income brackets.
The annual statement showed the agency’s income overall decreased last year by 17 per cent, from €73.4 million to €61 million.
The agency’s largest donors last year were the Government’s Irish Aid, which contributed €16.4 million and the US Agency for International Development (USAid) which contributed €14.2 million.
Last year, Goal operated in 13 developing countries.
