Archived: Riverview Children’s Foundation Inc, charity review
Care: At least some of the information about this charity is no longer current. Use the ‘Search charity names’ box to see if there is a later review. If the latest review has a message like this, you are welcome to make your case for an updated review via email to ted@businessbythebook.com.au.
This is a charity review, a review for those with an interest in the Australian charity Riverview Children’s Foundation Inc (RCF).
It is structured according to the charity’s entry on the ACNC[i]Register, and its purpose is to supply some information extra to what is there, information that may be helpful in your decision about RCF.
It is up to you to decide whether any or all of the information presented here is what you need in order to make that decision, and whether you should seek any other information, either from the charity itself or from other sources.
Ministry response
- Prior to publishing this review, I sent my observations to the charity, on 8 April 2016, and invited them to comment. They did not respond.
Organisation of this review
- The first part of this review is organised according to the headings in the Register entry. This is how to use this section of the review:
- For each heading in the register entry, first read the information under that heading.
- Then check if that heading is included below. (Headings for which there is no comment are not included.)
- Then there is a section Membership of accountability organisations claimed.
Sources
- ACNC Register (including links)
- Google search on the charity’s name.
- RCF website.
- Facebook, and another Facebook, a page for Относно Riverview Children’s Foundation.
- Instagram, and LinkedIn.
- State government fundraising licence registers.
- No reviews on Glassdoor yet.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
Entity Subtype
- Not a type that suggests that RCF shares the Gospel.
- Although RCF is controlled by Riverview Church, and is a member of Missions Interlink, there is nothing in its object (in its constitution) to suggest that it is a Christian charity, let alone one that shares the Gospel.
- The organisation that they use to do their work, Global Development Group (see Charity ABN, below) is not a Christian charity.
CHARITY DETAILS
Legal Name
- RCF is a Western Australian incorporated association (No. A1010951A).
Charity ABN
- Tax deductibility: No, you cannot claim a tax deduction for a donation to RCF.
- This is contradicted by the website, particularly this form. How can they invite cheques to made out to them at the same time as offering a tax deduction? What exactly does a ‘partnership’ with this Global Development Group entail?
- How much of your donation is lost to them?
- The controlling church, Riverview, also implies that RCF accepts tax-deductible donations via Riverview Trust.
- This is contradicted by the website, particularly this form. How can they invite cheques to made out to them at the same time as offering a tax deduction? What exactly does a ‘partnership’ with this Global Development Group entail?
Charity Address for Service
- I have no reason to believe that this doesn’t work.
Charity Street Address
- Postal address, from the website: PO Box 524, Victoria Park, Western Australia 6979.
- I have no reason to believe that this doesn’t work.
Phone
- From the website: 08 9416 0000.
Website
- From the Google search: www.riverviewchildrensfoundation.org.au.
ANNUAL REPORTING
- AIS 2014
- This is RCF’s compulsory Annual Information Statement 2014 (AIS 2014).
- It was lodged six months after year end, seven days before the last day.
- It gives basic financial information:
- ‘Donations’ only make up 3% of the income. (See Operating State(s), below).
- The other 97% is under ‘Other Income/Receipts’.
- The ‘Employee expenses/payments’ $59K are for the one employee (disclosed elsewhere in the AIS).
- The $6K ‘Grants and donations made…’ represents only 3% of income.
- Even deducting ‘Other expenses/payments’ from income, the figure is still only 10%.
- Unfortunately, this is the only financial information that you’ve got:
- Because of its size RCF doesn’t have to lodge a Financial Report.
- Although RCF is a member of Missions Interlink[ii], and one of their requirements is that members ‘have available for its members and supporters a clear and appropriate financial statement which has been approved by its auditor [Standards Statement, 4.1], they
- did not choose to lodge one with the ACNC voluntarily, and
- did not respond to my request for a copy of this ‘statement’.
- I have therefore been unable to review the latest report.
ABOUT THE CHARITY
- Statement of Faith
- None on the website.
- Nor in the constitution.
Date Established
- No history found.
Who the Charity Benefits
- Vision
- None found.
- Mission
- Activities (What did RCF do?)
- From the Description of charity’s activities and outcomes in the AIS 2014:
- Our mission is to reduce suffering by providing options for children once forgotten. Our aim is to support the work of these (sic) organisations and to continue to find projects that rescue, protect and empower children’s lives.
- Not particular to 2014.
- Our mission is to reduce suffering by providing options for children once forgotten. Our aim is to support the work of these (sic) organisations and to continue to find projects that rescue, protect and empower children’s lives.
- From Riverview Church’s website:
- RCF is partnering with projects in five countries that are dedicated to rescue, protect and empower the most vulnerable children and youth in their societies.
- From the Description of charity’s activities and outcomes in the AIS 2014:
- Outcomes (What did RCF deliver?)
- RCF did not respond to the request in the AIS 2014 for a description of its outcomes.
- Nothing found on the website.
- Impact (How were people’s lives improved?)
- Nothing found.
Size of Charity
- RCF is $52K under the threshold for the next size up, Medium.
Financial Year End
- The next AIS (including Financial Report if they choose to include it) is due by 30 June 2016. Before that the financial information on the Register will be up to 18 months out-of-date.
- You may therefore need to ask for more up-to-date information.
WHERE THE CHARITY OPERATES
Operating State(s)[ii]
- RCF doesn’t have a fundraising licence in this state. Does it fundraise in WA?
- It doesn’t have a licence in any of the other six states that have a licensing regime.
- RCF invites donations on its website.
- Apart from exemptions, whether it needs such a licence in a particular state depends on whether that state thinks that RCF, by calling for donations publicly, is ‘fundraising’ in their territory.
Operates in (Countries)
- Four countries here and under Who We Support on the website, five on the church site, but seven on LinkedIn.
CHARITY’S DOCUMENT (SIC)
- There is no Annual Report/Review available on the ACNC Register.
- Nor on the website.
No. of Australian ‘responsible person’ positions[iii]
Aaron Gregory This function was not working at the time of publication
Ken Lee
John Sharpe
Dorcas White
Haydn, Nelson
- There is no mention of the directors on the website.
- These same seven people are directors of Riverview Church.
(End of review of the ACNC Register information)
Membership of accountability organisations claimed
- None claimed. RCF is, however, a member of Missions Interlink.
(End of review)
[i] Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, Australia’s national regulator of charities.
[ii] This is how the ACNC explains ‘operating locations’ in their application guide: ‘You need to give details about where in Australia your organisation conducts (or plans to conduct) its activities.’
[iii] Because of the possibility of two (or more) directors having the same name on the register of responsible persons, it is not possible to be definitive about the number of directorships held.