Anyone who has given money to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), has probably done so in the presumption that it all goes towards brave men/women who help hapless sailors or swimmers in distress around our island waters. That was certainly my own impression.
But no; it seems that much of the donated money is sent abroad whilst currently 135 British RNLI lifesavers are being given the sack back at home, through lack of funds.
The charity's chief executive, Mark Dowie (£189,000 pa salary) hands out £3.3 million to some strange foreign causes. He pays for 'burkinis' for Muslim girls in Tanzania (above), free creche places for small children in Bangladesh, and training for foreign countries on how not to upset illegal immigrants.
And all this whilst demands for RNLI services at home are at an all-time high.
I couldn't count the amount of times I've plunged into a river or the sea in my ordinary everyday clothes. I would have thought that girls in Tanzania are just as capable of such things; they'd dry-off much quicker too in Tanzania. Do these girls really require special outfits, paid for out of our RNLI donations?
It is only a drop in the ocean, 'scuse the pun, that is sent abroad, a miniscule amount. I think the shock is that we thought they just funded lifeboats. The story is a little bit all out of proportion and has had a good result, more people are giving RNLI money since reading it.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised that donations have increased. I would have expected the opposite!
DeleteIt is 3.3 million and increasing by 10 percent while unable to find the UK service losing 6.3 million and cutting 135 jobs here. It is not a story just about spending abroad. The solution is that it must be very clear when people donate that they want the money to be used abroad.I personally would want my money used for UK lifeboat service for regular donation and I may want to give a separate donation to a specific overseas project if I was asked. It not racist it about people's choice of charity.
DeleteA) they have been clear about this being part of their work ever since they started to in 2012. https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2019/september/15/information-about-the-rnlis-international-work
DeleteB) ALL of their work is being reviewed, including international work, to cut back and live within their means so the 10% increase I know is not a fact.
This is blown out of all proportions. It is only 2%of their overall outgoings. They are not buying Burkinisjust to give the girls. They are also teaching them to swim, and training people in that country to do so. The creches are not simply free creches. There are around 40 child drownings a day in Bangladesh, mainly because these youngsters have to care for themselves, and the creches have cut these figures by around 80%. They are also taxonomy swim instructors, and showing them how to make safe areas of water for the children to learn. The RNLI are determined to help to cut deaths by drowning globally.
DeleteAs for the job cuts, they are not cutting frontline posts, but trimming posts which are not needed and not viable.
Huge salary for Mark and what about spending some money investigating the gold medal stolen from Penlee hero Trevelyan Richards . Stolen from RNLIHeadquarters. Won,t ever support RNLI in this climate
DeleteAs an exercise I wonder how much money goes from UK overseas in aid. I dont mind but, for example, is this RNLI money included in the percentage that 'we' pay by EU suggestion?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I dont think that CEOs of some charities should be paid so much.
I think this is totally separate from the 'Overseas development Fund' money we give. Dowie obviously has a responsible job, but I would have thought that £50-£60K would have been easily enough.
DeleteTotally agree. Vast amount of money for a charity. I wonder how many jobs would be saved if Dowie took a pay cut.
Delete189k beggers belief nice to see all those hours fundraising is going to a good cause NOT!
DeleteThe RNLI insists that it spends less than 2% of its annual expenditure on overseas aid, and estimates that it has decreased the incidence of children drowning in those countries by 82%. It seems that the huge increase in donations following the story by The Times was a human reaction to the usual right-wing 'charity begins at home' meanness of the sort written on the sides of busses. You have been had, it seems.
ReplyDeleteMy surprise was that any of the donations at all went abroad. Why didn't they say so? I don't think people would have minded. The revelation came as a shock to most.
DeleteThey could address this by allowing people clear choice when donating as to where the money goes. Local lifeboat, national, overseas or all. Does not make you racist. It is also about the cuts here. Their has been a lot if stories about the management of late and sackings of loyal lifeboat men over trivial matters. I get the impression they have lost their way from their roots. Why are they only helping Muslim girls to swim not boys too? My family on lifeboats and I want the money to go to local lifeboat. Not everyone goes online and reads their financial report so it is not clear to most people. So this is turned into voting brexit and being racist detracts from looking at this properly. I worked for charity and it very disillusioning with regard to management and ruthlessness and it make me question a lot more before giving. I thought RNLI was UK charity as did most so they may not have hidden it but they have not made it clear.
DeleteWhy is charity begins at home right wing? That is just a saying that some people like to follow and has some truth as in people helping charities but never help the old people in their road as it not so glamorous. Why make everything political and racist.
DeleteThey have been doing international work since 2012 and publicly talked about it ever since, including on annual reports, through social media and on their website. This has not been a hidden thing. It's also been said that they seek specific funding for these activities through partnerships and trusts and donations, so for example the creches in Bangladesh project was all funded by income specifically chosen to be put towards that project, in a nation where 40 children are dying from drowning a day? The work is through partnerships and they have also said on their website that their core focus will always remain to be their lifesaving in UK and Ireland.
DeleteTheir founder Sir William Hillary talked about sharing lifesaving knowledge globally when it founded 200 years ago so it's not straying from roots rather sticking to them.
They've also made clear this week that the redundancies are part of a review of ALL of their work to cut costs and live within their means, which includes international work.
I implied that the manipulation - or omission - of key facts could be (and probably has been) used by both the left and right wing. Muslim girls need quite a lot more help than the boys. Agree?
DeleteThey have also lead the public to believe that the job losses are to save money when in fact this is not the case. Cutting lots of engagement and education programmes to fund other areas. Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
DeleteHad to change my comment after reading the other comments. If what Rachel and Tom say is correct, then my sense of outrage has abated.
ReplyDeleteNo outrage here; just surprise.
DeleteThe crux of this silly story boils down to a handful of nutters who object to any British money being used to fund burkhas. It's as simple as that. There will be a lot more of them in the run-up to Halloween.
DeleteThere was no problem with the story until the Twitter users got hold of it. Before that there was some surprise from all of us I that that the RNLI don't just fund lifeboats around the British Isles but that was that. It was like a bit of education about RNLI. Then a handful of Twitter users started calling anybody that so much as breathed the story a racist. That is the outrageous bit, Twitter and what it can do.
DeleteTwitter is a powerful tool to influence people's attitudes, as we all now know. In this case it isn't being used to to silence racists is it? Just the reverse I would have thought. If the story began as an uncontentious report (if lacking in detail) about the RNLI's overseas aid program, why was it jumped on by people like Cro? I haven't read the Times version. Did it mention burkhas but not budget percentages, or were the facts skipped-over by people with other agendas?
DeleteI didn't say Twitter was used here to silence racists. I said that if I was to say "oh do the RNLI send money to Africa?" by was of surprise and nothing more, Twitter have labelled this racist.
DeleteWell obviously The Times didn't mention that its overseas aid budget was under 2% otherwise everyone would not have focussed on the burkhas rather than drowning children. After I read this post I admit that I was outraged and surprised, especially if it is true that the RNLI is making the same cut-backs as everyone else in this country, but then I did what you did and read the facts which must have been left out of the article. I am not surprised at the C.O.E's salary though. All big charities pay themselves more than the Prime Minister.
DeleteYes, the CEO is paid a lot less than many other charity CEOs.
DeleteThe RNLI is one of the few charities which I give coins to when they shake boxes. As a non-swimmer I may need them in the future. A friend of mine was a lifeboatman in St Just. He didn't get paid a penny. Greenpeace pay themselves large salaries to sail around the oceans, and Japan still harpoons whales.
DeleteAlso, I think I am right in thinking that the RLNI have taken over many of the coastal duties which used to be carried out by the Coastguard. My St. Just friend would spend days walking the clifftops advising tourists on safety.
DeleteI am not a Twitter user, so the 'racist' accusations are new to me. People jump on bandwagons with the very slightest push.
DeleteTom Stephenson the story came about when the RNLI gave a press conference that it was running at a 6.3 million loss in UK and would be cutting 135 jobs here while facing increased number of call out's. The MP then brought up the question as to why they are cutting here while spending 3.3 million abroad and increasing their overseas spending by 10% year on year. The press reported the story from this. Their are valid points that the RNLI should respond too. Their are also valid criticisms of charities here and abroad and giving just because it is a charity is not the answer nor is calling people racist. People choose to give their money to certain charities for different reasons and it is important charities are questioned with regard to how it is being spent.
DeleteYour statistics do not correspond to the data released. I am not calling anyone racists apart from racists. You (STITCHANDKNITS) need to think a little harder before you jump to these conclusions.
DeleteThey are exactly as they stated. They are running at a loss of 6.3 million in this country, cutting 135 jobs Spending abroad is 3.3 million and increasing year on year. That is their facts exactly. You have not read it properly. I read about the swimming project abroad and it seem a good project but the issue is that this should be explicitly obvious to people donating that this is what they are giving too and it is not. If they had fund raised for it's project separately people would have had it explained to them and would not have this bad publicity now. People do not read annual report or accounts they do see a lifeboat when they are giving so that is what they think they are supporting. Along with other bad publicity about PC sackings of long serving volunteers. It is sad to people who love the lifeboats and their families been on lifeboats for many years like mine.
DeleteA burkini is a full length swimsuit for Muslim girls and women rather like a wet suit commonly seen in triathlons. It doesn't cover the face, unlike a burka or niqab. If these girls can't go swimming dressed any other way without being persecuted by medieval sharia law (e.g. subject to violence by brothers or male relatives) then it's a good thing RNIB is doing. I appreciate the need for RNIB secrecy or discretition in this case, and I hope our life boat stations and crews are not now on the list of Islamic troublemakers as a result of the revelations.
ReplyDeleteVery good points.
DeleteI really only mentioned what the money was being spent on as an addendum to my surprise that any money at all was spent abroad. I should think that (like me) most people would have been surprised that 100% of their donations was not spent on lifeboats etc back in the UK.
DeleteI'm sorry but my contribution was for funding in the uk, there are plenty of other charity and government organisations sending money abroad it might be 2%, but its 2%more than what I give my hard earned money to. Air ambulance will now get a higher contribution from me unless some of that funding goes to a cause unrelated to UK air ambulance
ReplyDeleteIt has always been your choice, Now it is your informed choice.
DeleteRing any bells with anyone?
DeleteYou can talk to their supporter care about restricting funding just to the UK if you want.
ReplyDeleteAnyway they've been talking about international work since 2012 soo...... https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2019/september/15/information-about-the-rnlis-international-work
Read up on the Red Cross, or the National Humane Society, or any group with a director in that pay grade. Better to put the money to work closer to home.
ReplyDeleteI stopped the Red Cross after reading about where
Deletethe monies go many many years ago.
I only donate to a few small animal groups that I know need the money.
parsnip
The only charity I give serious money to is Orbis; the group that send eye-surgeons around the world saving sight. They all give their services free, and the contributions go towards the planes that are fitted especially for their operations.
Deletehttps://rnli.org/support-us/become-a-volunteer/volunteer-zone/volunteer-news/how-has-the-recent-media-impacted-the-rnli-so-far
ReplyDelete