A bequest of almost €1m from an anonymous donor was not enough to prevent aid agency Trócaire sliding into the red last year.The chief factor behind the rise was the one-off bequest of almost €1m.
A Trócaire spokesman for the agency said yesterday: “The value of bequests varies from year to year but last year we were extremely fortunate and grateful to receive a single bequest of almost €1m. To receive such a large sum is a tremendous affirmation of the faith placed in Trócaire by our supporters.”
However, the annual report shows Trócaire last year recorded a loss of €4.4m, having recorded a surplus of €5.5m in 2011.
In spite of the loss, Trócaire still has €45.6m in the bank. “The difference is accounted for by the fact that Trócaire did not launch any emergency appeal last year,” said the spokesman.
“In 2011, the emergency appeal for East Africa saw the public donate €10m to support our humanitarian programme. Trócaire’s response to the drought and famine in East Africa is to build long-term resilience, and so a portion of this money was spent in 2012 as we continued to support vulnerable people in the region.
“Last year, our Lenten income and grants received through institutional donors both rose, indicating the continued support for our work from both the public and institutional funders.
“Our income and expenditure for 2012/13 was in line with our budget for the financial year.”
The trustees of Trócaire includes leading figures of the Church in Ireland — Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop Dermot Clifford, and Archbishop Michael Neary.
The figures show that Trócaire raised €60m in revenues compared to €66m in 2011, and spent €64.7m compared to €61.3m in 2011.
It raised €8.6m from its Lenten campaign while last year it spent €4.8m on fundraising and publicity — the total amount spent on charitable works last year topped €59.4m — an increase of €3.9m on the €56m spent in 2012.
Trócaire’s largest source of income is Government aid, which last year contributed €18.4m — the amount contributed by the Government and institutions last year rose from €23m to €27.3m.
The accounts show Trócaire’s former executive director, Justin Kilcullen, was in receipt of a salary scale between €135,000 to €150,000 last year.
The charity recently appointed Eamon Meehan as CEO, and a spokesman said: “During the recruitment process for the new executive director, the Board of Trustees reviewed the salary scale and the incoming executive director will be paid between €120,000-€130,000.”
However, the pay for the charity’s executives last year increased; there were two employees in receipt of €105,000 in 2012.
The accounts also show two employees were in receipt of between €90,000 and €105,000 last year, with no employees in that category in 2011.
The spokesman said: “Despite the difficult economic circumstances facing many people, public support for Trócaire’s work remained stable and institutional funding increased.
“The public’s continued generosity and support for our work is a testament to their deep sense of commitment to the world’s poor. This generosity continues to allow Trócaire change the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Last year, that support enabled us to benefit 2.7m people across the world”.