OVERSEAS CHARITY Goal spent €67 million on its aid projects, including earthquake relief in Haiti, last year.
Accounts just filed by the charity and signed by former chairman Ken Fogarty – who resigned recently in a row over corporate management – show Goal collected €73.4 million in 2010.
The cash came from a number of sources, including voluntary income, grants, donations, interest, and fund-raising activities. The Irish, US and British governments were among the bodies that gave grants to the charity during the year.
Mr Fogarty’s was just one of a number of high-profile resignations from the charity’s board this year. Fran Rooney, former Football Association of Ireland chief executive, left earlier this month.
A senior counsel, Mr Fogarty had become Goal’s chairman in August. When he resigned, he said the organisation had a number of legal and administrative issues that needed to be addressed.
Mr Fogarty’s predecessor, Jerry Sheehan, also stepped down, as did directors Andy Butler, Conor Sparks and David Almain. John Wilson resigned in January.
The board recently issued a statement saying it had “full confidence” in chief executive John O’Shea. Attempts to contact Mr O’Shea for comment yesterday were not successful.
Goal spent a total of €68.5 million during the year, €67.05 million of it directly on charitable activities. This was close to €10 million more than the €57.2 million it spent the previous year.
Notes to the accounts show more than €10 million of this went to Haiti, which suffered a devastating earthquake in January 2010. The previous year the charity had spent €1,900 in the Caribbean island.
Goal also increased spending in other crisis-hit states, including Ethiopia and Northern and Southern Sudan, which between them accounted for €26.6 million of its spending in 2010 compared to €17.8 million in 2009.
An outlay of €1.45 million was spent on fundraising and running Goal. The figures show these costs had risen by more than 50 per cent over the €946,000 spent the previous year. They also show Goal paid almost €250,000 in professional fees in 2010 compared to €40,000 in 2009.
The numbers employed by the charity rose to 53 in 2010 from 44 in 2009. The wages bill increased to €6.6 million from €5.5 million.
Goal’s accounts show the number of people on salaries of more than €85,000 doubled to four from two during the year.
The charity had €29.4 million in the bank at the end of the year. The €4.9 million surplus was included in funds carried forward, which increased to €37 million from €32.1 million.
