By: Michael O’Farrell
Investigations Editor
A FUNDRAISING crisis at World Vision Ireland has seen more than a quarter of the charity’s staff leave as the NGO implements drastic cutbacks – including redundancies – to ensure survival.
Last night CEO Helen Keogh – who is herself retiring in May but is taking a pay cut before then – confirmed the entire in-house fundraising team has been let go.
‘You know we really value people and it’s awful to have to say to somebody, “I’m really sorry but because of these cutbacks we will no longer be able to support this position in the organisation”,’ she said. ‘That is not something – a decision – that’s taken lightly.
‘I’m really sorry to have to lose people who were valued and who were enthusiastic about our organisation but the organisation is bigger than any of us.’ As CEO Ms Keogh saw her salary rise from circa €90,000 in 2014 to circa €110,000 in 2016 – an increase of €20,000. But last night she said she’d taken a voluntary cut.
‘I’m taking a partial cut in my salary. That’s what leadership is. I haven’t said this to any of my staff members but that’s what I said to my board,’ she added.
Ms Keogh confirmed she had agreed a cut in the region of €20,000 and had previously taken a similar reduction during the recession.
The fundraising team, composed mostly of part-time street collectors, numbered between 12 and 20. In addition to the loss of its fundraising function, the NGO – which counts Victoria Smurfit as a patron and Game Of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham as an ambassador – has seen the departure of seven other staff since last November.
Four of these departures were through redundancies while others left to pursue new career and educational opportunities.
These departures include deputy CEO and programme director Magnus Conteh, who went to another job abroad, and financial controller Anne O’Reilly, who retired early for personal reasons.
Linda McGarry, head of acquisition, retention and campaigns, has also left along with the fundraising team she managed.
News of the cutbacks come a week after the IMoS revealed that aid workers paid by World Vision globally offered aid from the World Food Programme (WFP) for sex. Ms Keogh – a one-time TD and Senator who defected from the Progressive Democrats to Fine Gael – insisted there was no question of closure.
‘Many organisations go through restructuring and this restructuring is due to prudent operations of the organisation. There is absolutely no question of it closing,’ she said. ‘We’ve undergone a restructuring here as many organisations have to and yes, unfortunately, some of that resulted in cutbacks on staff numbers, including some redundancies, which is obviously something that is not easy.’ Ms Keogh said the cutbacks had been sparked by a financial review at Christmas which found certain costs – such as maintaining a fundraising team – were too high.
‘It’s very simple,’ she added. ‘On the voluntary side unfortunately we were not getting voluntary income in.
‘Investment in things like the inhouse team, unfortunately, did not give the return. When we reviewed the figures we discovered the cancellation rates were much higher than we had hoped and it was not feasible to continue.’ As part of its fundraising drive last year, World Vision sent a team in a branded retro Volkswagon camper van to summer festivals and markets around the country.
Publicity shots showed models such as ambassador Roz Purcell posing with the vehicle.
But last night Ms Keogh insisted it would have been irresponsible to keep supporting such loss-making ventures.
‘It would have been wrong,’ she said. ‘It would not have been good stewardship to continue so therefore we did the right thing, the tough thing to ensure that the future of the organisation and the work that we’re doing is absolutely solid and that’s where it stands.
‘This is a pragmatic approach, a business-like approach so that the organisation continues to do its work and do it very well.’ According to its accounts, World Vision Ireland’s policy is to keep a reserve of €500,000 – enough to cover 90 days’ administrative costs. But recent spending put that reserve in jeopardy had cutbacks not been implemented.
‘We have to make sure we are able to fund the programmes that we’re doing which are our primary concern and we are safeguarding those above all,’ Ms Keogh added.
‘I said to my staff so many times, we are not here to keep ourselves in jobs. We are here to help the most vulnerable people in developing countries.’
