Archived: Wise Choices for Life Inc: mini-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Care: At least some of the information about this charity is no longer current.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.
Mini charity review of Wise Choices for Life Inc (WCL), an organisation that seeks donations online and is an Associate member of Mission Interlink. (Including the answers to the questions that the Australian charity regulator, the ACNC, suggests that you ask.)
For last year’s review, see here.
Is it responsive to feedback?
- WCL do not invite feedback or complaints.
- I sent them a draft of this review. Like last year, they…did not respond.
Is WCL registered?
- As a charity, yes.
- As a Victorian incorporated association (A0056675X).
- WCL doesn’t hold any business names yet they routinely use their name without ‘Inc’ or ‘Incorporated’.
- It may well be that some of this use also contravenes the requirements of their enabling legislation.
- WCL operates, per the ACNC Register, in all states. It also has an invitation to give on the internet.
- It still does not have the registration necessary, an ARBN, to operate interstate.
- It still does not have a fundraising licence in its home state, or any of the other five states that have a licensing regime[1].
What do they do?
- See their description.
Do they share the Gospel?[2]
- Despite their name, no, they don’t.
What impact are they having?
- Nothing systematic found.
What do they spend outside the costs directly incurred in delivering the above impact, that is, on administration?
- No financial information is publicly available.
Do they pay their board members?
- Neither constitution nor a profit or loss statement is available to check.
Can you get a tax deduction?
- Yes
- Below is an extract from a newsletter. What is the relationship between International Needs Australia (the renamed International Needs), WCL, and tax?
Is their online giving secure?
- PayPal is used, so yes.
What choices do you have in how your donation is used?
- If you wanted to use the online facility, you would need to know that the choices for your money are given in the bank transfer section later on the page:
Is their reporting up-to-date?
- Yes. (Four months after year end, about the same time as last year.)
- However, given that their financial year ended seven months ago, it would not be unreasonable to ask them for an update (especially if your proposed donation is large).
Does their reporting comply with the regulator’s requirements?
- AIS 2017: Apart from the lack of outcomes, yes.
- Financial Report 2017: NA – because of their size, they don’t have to lodge one. (They lodged one last year.)
- Their Associate membership of Missions Interlink requires them to “have available for [their] members and supporters a clear and appropriate financial statement which has been approved by its auditor.” No such statement has been made public.
What financial situation was shown in that Report?
- NA
What did the auditor say about the last financial statements?
- NA
Where were your (net) donations sent?
- No information is disclosed.
If a charity, is their page on the ACNC Register complete?
- Yes
Who are the people controlling the organisation?
- Per the website, the people here.
- But the list on the ACNC Register (under ‘Responsible Persons’) still has a Janice Smith, and now no Janice Kreltszheim:
- James Docking
- Margaret Docking
- Martin Embery
- Byron Groves
- Janice Smith
To whom is WCL accountable?
- As a charity, to the ACNC.
- And as an association, to the Victorian regulator of incorporated associations.
- To Missions Interlink via their Associate membership.
- For one opinion on the strength of that accountability, see the section Activities in this review.
- The law in this area is not straightforward and advice varies, so check with the charity before drawing any conclusions. ↑
- “Good living and social concern are important [to the cause of evangelism], but they are not uniquely Christian graces…I’ve met a lot of fine Hindus, Muslims and atheists. Just living the life is not going to bring someone to Christ. There is much more to it than that. We must help people, certainly, but we must also share with them why we are motivated to do so. We must stand against injustice, poverty and need, but we must at the same time point to the One who brings justice and who can meet the deepest need. Until they know our reasons, how can they come to know our Lord?” [Dan Armstrong, the Fifth Gospel: The Gospel According to You, Anzea Books, pp. 13-14. ↑