At Least Bono Named His Foundation Correctly

RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
edited September 2010 in Strut Central
Bono's ONE foundation under fire for giving little over 1% of funds to charity
???
Bono's anti-poverty foundation ONE is under pressure to explain its lavish salaries after it was revealed that only a small percentage of money it raises reaches the needy.
The non-profit organisation set up by the U2 frontman received almost ??9.6m in donations in 2008 but handed out only ??118,000 to good causes (1.2 per cent).
The figures published by the New York Post also show that ??5.1m went towards paying salaries.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1314543/Bonos-ONE-foundation-giving-tiny-percentage-funds-charity.html#ixzz10NQNdC5L

  Comments


  • bluesnagbluesnag 1,285 Posts
    Looks like he might be qualified to run for President of Haiti...

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
    Even if you take into account the fact that ONE is an advocacy group rather than a charity, I don't believe there's anything wrong in questioning the value of celeb "advocacy". Elisabeth Pisani's book The Wisdom Of Whores is good on this, as well as on other things, such as the history of the feeding trough that is the worldwide "AIDS industry". On her blog of the same name, Pisani provides a particularly illuminating example of how Bono can throw his weight around and allow his desire for publicity to take precedence over effective spending.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    But his performance at halftime of the first Saints game back in the rebuilt Superdome changed my life.

  • i probably dislike Bono more than any other "celebrity." Michael Vick included.

  • Calling it a "foundation" isn't accurate. A foundation generally administers grants. ONE, as others pointed out (and even the article does), is an advocacy group. They don't provide / deliver services or allocate grants (as far as I know). So faulting them for not giving enough money away is pretty ridiculous, because that is just not what they do. They lobby congress, foreign governments, multi-laterals, and launch media campaigns to advance policy.

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    I really need to stay out of this thread.

  • Options
    meistromoco said:
    Calling it a "foundation" isn't accurate. A foundation generally administers grants. ONE, as others pointed out (and even the article does), is an advocacy group. They don't provide / deliver services or allocate grants (as far as I know). So faulting them for not giving enough money away is pretty ridiculous, because that is just not what they do. They lobby congress, foreign governments, multi-laterals, and launch media campaigns to advance policy.

    Sounds like you read more than the headline and the first few sentences.

    That's almost unfair! :beerbang:

    (I agree with Doc's point about the value of celebrity advocacy, though. Much of it seems masturbatory.)

  • leonleon 883 Posts
    The name ONE may refer to the percentage that is handed out to good causes.

  • PelvicDust said:


    (I agree with Doc's point about the value of celebrity advocacy, though. Much of it seems masturbatory.)

    I think in general that is true, but Bono, as annoying as he can be, I think has really advanced the cause of global poverty reduction. He has used his celebrity well. Unlike, say Sean Penn, who likes to just go places on his own without really knowing what the hell he is doing (and then gets interviewed on CNN about what Haiti, or wherever is in crisis at the moment, really needs). I don't know too much about how ONE operates, but they seem to actually accomplish a lot policy-wise.

  • The_NonThe_Non 5,691 Posts
    I recommend before giving to charities to ask for a statement regarding the percentages of where they allocate their donations and funds.

  • leon said:
    The name ONE may refer to the percentage that is handed out to good causes.


  • Nevermind that his companies are based in the Netherlands I believe (to be fair along with a lot of high earning musicians - Rolling Stones etc) as there Tax laws are far kinder to royalty payments. On one hand I suppose it's smart business practice, but.. something still doesn't ring true.

    His names an anagram of O-Nob / Nob-O anyways.

  • I thought this was going to be about Sonny.

    Pammie's on a BUMMER!
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