Clarity on charity chiefs

I REFER to your article (Sept 26) in which you highlight the results of an Irish Examiner survey of the pay packages of the heads of leading charities. Your findings show that most charity bosses are on salaries ranging from €100,000 to €150,000.

As a founding member and board director with Adi Roche’s Chernobyl Children International I know that the charity completed the questionnaire indicating that CEO and founder Adi Roche is a full-time volunteer and has never claimed a salary since the inception of the charity. Unfortunately, this information does not appear in your survey. There are several other NGOs in Ireland where founders and CEOs undertake full-time positions entirely voluntarily.

Your article implies that the salaries paid to heads of charities are excessive. In comparison to the private sector, many charity bosses’ salaries are considerably less than those in the private sector. Many CEOs and charity heads are deeply committed to their roles — and whether paid or unpaid should be valued on how they further the mission of their organisations and deliver valuable and progressive programmes.