Salvation Army drops 17 places on charity reputation survey

By Angharad Owens-Strauss
Sydney Morning Herald
December 22, 2014

http://www.smh.com.au/national/salvation-army-drops-17-places-on-charity-reputation-survey-20141221-12bp36.html

Salvation Army Commissioner James Condon says the charity's reputation was no longer a priority.

One of Australia's best-known welfare organisations, the Salvation Army, has dropped 17 places from last year in the 2014 AMR Charity Reputation Index, a yearly survey which measures the overall reputation of the country's 40 largest charities .

The Salvation Army dropped from No.10 in 2013 to No.27 this year.

The results follows allegations of child sex abuse by Salvation Army staff that were the subject of a royal commission inquiry. More than 100 children came forward with reports of physical, sexual and indecent abuse.

In a February hearing of the royal commission, James Condon, leader of the Salvation Army's Eastern Territory, said the charity's reputation was no longer a priority.

"The priority is the survivor, not protection of the Salvation Army,"  he said.

The National Heart Foundation of Australia dropped nine places in this year's index.

The Foundation's "Tick of Approval" program has come under mounting pressure recently after a Brisbane woman started a campaign using the hashtag #heartfoundationpetition, urging people to "boycott the tick".

The campaign followed claims that some food with a tick mark are highly processed, highly refined sugar-loaded products, such as mayonnaise, burgers and pizzas.

In October, more than 55,000 people had signed the petition to have the Heart Foundation scrap the tick program.

The Herald reported late last year that the National Heart Foundation spent nearly 40¢ in the dollar on fund-raising in 2012. 

This is compared with other not-for-profit organisations such as World Vision, which spent 11¢ in the dollar on fund-raising, and the humanitarian arm of the Red Cross 4¢.

A spokesperson from the Heart Foundation said she was not familiar with AMR's yearly Charity Reputation Index, and as such refused to comment. However, the foundation recently announced a review of its food tick approval scheme.

The Royal Flying Doctor Service has topped the list for the fourth year running as Australia's most reputable charity, followed by Guide Dogs, which are ahead of last year by two spots.

AMR surveyed 4066 Australians aged 18-64.