UK JWs go up 72 places in latest 2017 Charity 250 Index (2nd highest climbers)

by darkspilver 18 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  darkspilver

  I'm not really sure what this Charity 250 Index is trying to do. Partly because I'd expect a few big household name charities to be on it at the top. But they don't seem to be??

  I've copied the table below - see positions 19 (up from 70) and 130 (up from 202)
  

  Anyway - this is probably best read in tandem with what was posted last month here: https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5982052455284736/watch-tower-bible-tract-society-britain-jehovahs-w-charity-increased-voluntary-income-69-cent-real-terms

  Civil Society, 1 May 2017
  

  Charity Finance Charity 250 Index Constituent Review 2017: A new influx

  This year's review of the constituents of the Charity Finance Charity 250 Index sees 23 new entrants, with six moving down from the Charity 100 Index and 17 moving up from outside the Indexes.

  The highest riser within this year’s Charity 250 Index is the Challenge Network, which jumps 73 places from position 148 to position 75. Its annual income has almost doubled from £26.3m to £51.6m in the three years under review, resulting in an average of £38m.

  Close behind the Challenge Network is the second highest riser, International Bible Students Association, which jumps 72 places from position 202 to position 130. Its annual income has more than doubled from £18.9m to £38.9m in the three years under review, resulting in an average of £28.7m.

  The Association earns most of its income from voluntary donations and legacies from Jehovah’s Witnesses in over 1,600 congregations across the UK. It also received grants from Jehovah’s Witnesses in other countries including a £12m grant received in 2014/15 from a related charity in Germany.

  The Association’s trustees describe “the voluntary support we enjoy from congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses” as consistent and reliable, making it unnecessary for the charity to engage in fundraising activities. Figures for the year ending 31 August 2016, which will be used to calculate next year’s ranking, do indeed show a healthy, albeit slower, pace of growth.

  READ MORE: https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/haysmacintyre-charity-finance-250-index-a-new-influx.html

  READ REPORT / INDEX TABLE (PDF): https://www.civilsociety.co.uk/uploads/assets/uploaded/b149fd0a-db41-4dde-a560b6174062e60d.pdf
  

  
  
• 

  shepherdless

  The rankings are almost certainly based upon WTBTS of Britain accounts for the year ended Aug 2015, and the IBSA accounts for the same date.

  i was going to do a separate post on these accounts (and the Kingdom Hall Trust), but it is a big task, and I didn't have the time. The accounts are complicated, and opaque.

  Nevertheless, the mystery here is easily solved.

  "Voluntary income" for WTBTS increased from £35,525,338 to £61,030,638. Hence the increase from 70th to 19th.

  "Voluntary income" for IBSA increased from £22,500,616 to £32,289,275. Hence the increase from 202nd to 130th.

  In both cases, my interpretation of the accounts is that the increase is the result of the "new arrangements" under which all the congregations willingly donated their accumulated funds above a certain amount. The accounts don't breakdown what proportion of the voluntary income comes from this snatch and run "new arrangement", but given "Voluntary income" in the "Restricted fund" category actually decreased over the same period (from £1,606,031 to £390,051), I would guess that actual donations from the drones have been on the decrease, perhaps a significant decrease.

  If I am right, the "increase" is nothing more than the Borg using up its internal savings, at a considerable rate, but this is not immediately apparent, because the accounts for WTBTS and IBSA are separate from the accounts of each individual congregation.

  I did see the Aust accounts at one stage, and it did look like the increase could be similarly explained.
  
• 

  jwleaks

  Hmmm, I wonder how much money the JW Russian branch has donated to Watchtower Britain.

  Keep in mind that donations from Watchtower branches all over Europe and Africa make their way to Watchtower Britain.

  Also, while not a donation but a non-secured loan, Watchtower Australia has run its operations into the red by passing millions onto Watchtower Britain. Add to that millions and millions more Watchtower Australia has donated to overseas charities (all controlled by the GB) during the ARC hearings until the cash was all gone.
• 

  shepherdless

  Also, while not a donation but a non-secured loan, Watchtower Australia has run its operations into the red by passing millions onto Watchtower Britain.

  Yes. Here is the entry in IBSA's (UK) accounts that proves the point jwleaks is making:

  
  

  
  

  So it is an interest free loan of over A$5 million, unsecured and non-refundable for at least 5 years. I am sure we would all like one of those.

  
  

  Keep in mind that donations from Watchtower branches all over Europe and Africa make their way to Watchtower Britain.

  I am not so sure of that. It seems to me that a lot of cash goes out to Jehovaz Zeugen, Germany, which then gets sent onto Watchtower Bible Tract Society of New York, Inc, although trying to interpret what is going on, is not easy.

  I am actually surprised there aren't more people here interested in trying to work out what is going on with Watchtower finances. The next set of UK accounts should be available in around 3 months, and it will probably reveal a better picture of the financial position, at least in UK, as the effects of the once off money grab should have washed through by then.
• 

  darkspilver

  If you add 19th place Watchtower's £52.3 million with 103th place IBSA's £28.7 million for a total of £81 million (US$103 million)
  

  That places the JW's in the Number 1 position on the above Chart by a mile!
  

  But what is the above Index Chart actually measuring?
  

  Other charities have far greater donations as previously revealed here:
  

  https://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5982052455284736/_post/5110071014981632
  

  
  
• 

  darkspilver

  Each UK JW donates £14.59 (US $18.85) EVERY week to the WT

  This is TWICE the UK national average for charitible donations

  (and the above excludes any additional donation/s to the local congregation)
  
  
  Data extracted from:

  £105 million / 138,261 publishers / 52 weeks = £14.59-per-week

  http://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=216647&subid=0
  

  International Bible Students Association - Donations and legacies: £42.98M

  http://beta.charitycommission.gov.uk/charity-details/?regid=1077961&subid=0
  

  Watch Tower Bible And Tract Society Of Britain - Voluntary: £61.03M

  https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/worldwide/GB/
  

  138,261 publishers

  https://www.cafonline.org/docs/default-source/personal-giving/caf_ukgiving2015_1891a_web_230516.pdf
  Typical amount given: The typical (median) monthly amount given by a donor in 2015 was £14 (for either donating or sponsoring in the last four weeks) and the mean donation was £37.
  
• 

  dozy

  the voluntary support we enjoy from congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses” as consistent and reliable, making it unnecessary for the charity to engage in fundraising activities
  

  That is a somewhat misleading claim , as "fundraising" is effectively indirect payment for literature and other items ( such as literature carts etc ) from the Society. It's a bit like a high street charity shop claiming that it doesn't fundraise because the goods in the shop aren't sold , but instead people are told to donate something to the charity if they buy something.

  Anyway , increasingly nowadays , the Society funds itself via property activities , including building , renovating and & flipping , as the amount of literature printed is reduced. In the UK many congregations are being told to merge or share Kingdom Halls so that the buildings can be sold off.
• 

  darkspilver

  It's a bit like a high street charity shop claiming that it doesn't fundraise because the goods in the shop aren't sold , but instead people are told to donate something to the charity if they buy something.

  Charity Shops act as an 'agent' and sell items on behalf of private individuals who can then choose to donate the money from the sale (or not) - the actual buyer in the shop doesn't 'donate' anything
  

  Charity shops can offer to act as an agent for private individuals and sell goods on their behalf, so that at the point of sale the funds actually belong to the individual. The charity or its trading company can then ask the owner of the goods to donate the sale proceeds to the charity. If the owner agrees to donate the sales proceeds to the charity, Gift Aid can be claimed by the charity on the net sales proceeds subject to all other Gift Aid conditions being satisfied.

  In order for the owner’s donation of the proceeds of the sale of goods to qualify for Gift Aid, the following conditions must apply:

  the private individual retains legal and beneficial ownership of the goods until they’re sold - it must be clear to potential customers that the shop is selling the goods on behalf of the owner and not the charity, and the owner of the goods and the charity must both understand that the charity (or its trading company) is acting as the individual’s agent

  the owner of the goods has the right to keep all of the net proceeds of the sale, but can choose to donate all or part of the proceeds if they wish

  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charities-detailed-guidance-notes/chapter-3-gift-aid#chapter-342-claiming-gift-aid-when-goods-are-sold-by-and-the-proceeds-gifted-to-charities

  
  
• 

  darkspilver

  fundraising activities
  

  I believed, in the context of charity financial reporting, discussion of 'fundraising activities' would be related to the costs (ie expenditure) of those activities
  

  For example Cancer Research UK raises an annual total income of £635 million - BUT out of that they pay out £188 million as the cost for 'raising funds' (presumably newspaper and TV adverts and 'charity chuggers' or similiar etc etc).
  
• 

  shepherdless

  Each UK JW donates £14.59 (US $18.85) EVERY week to the WT

  Darkspilver, the websites you link to are summaries of WTBTS and IBSA financials. I downloaded pdfs of the actual financials last year. (I tried to attach the pdf's; I don't seem able to.)

  In the original accounts, there is no separation out of what was donated from surpluses held by congregations, vs what was donated by individuals. There is a massive increase in cash coming in from 2013 to 2015, and I just don't believe there has been a massive increase in individual donations over that time.

  I should point out that you can't just add WTBTS and IBSA donations together as you did in your calc, as a significant proportion of that money is in the form of "grants", possibly to each other.

  If you just look at cash donations, then WTBTS received £41 million (up from £30 million in 2014 and £8 million in 2013), and IBSA received £14.5 million, (up from £10.6 million in 2014; I don't have 2013 figure).
  

  (41 + 14.5) million / 138,261 / 52 = £7.72 per week.

  However, the figure may be lower, for reasons stated earlier.

  I downloaded the all the UK 2015 accounts from a link Barbara Anderson put up in around August last year. I don't know if it is still available.