Archived: YWAM Byron Bay: 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Care: At least some of the information about this charity is no longer current.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 review in the series ‘Members of Missions Interlink’, Missions Interlink being ‘the Australian network for global mission[1]’ (and a means for a Member to get income tax exemption when it might not otherwise be available[2], with a consequent accountability regime).
‘YWAM Byron Bay’ is one such Member, and an organisation that invites donations in the ‘Pay’ menu.
Both Members and Associates have to accept a set of standards, the introduction to which includes this statement:
‘YWAM Byron Bay’ chose not to respond to a draft of this review.
The charities’ regulator, the ACNC, in their article, Donating to Legitimate Charities, gives “some things to consider to help you make sure your donation is going where it is intended”:
- Check the charity’s name
- Ask for identification from anyone seeking a donation.
- Be careful of online requests for donations.
- No tax deduction doesn’t mean the charity is not a legitimate one.
- Find out more about how the charity says it uses donations.
Here’s the results for ‘YWAM Byron Bay’[3], with #5 supplemented by the essentials of the ACNC’s What should I consider when deciding which charity to support?[4].
1. A search on the ACNC Register of charities gives no results. The website linked from Missions Interlink is also in the name ‘YWAM Byron Bay’. The ‘Contact Us’ page has the details of another organisation:
There is no explanation for this switch.
But it does give the clue that perhaps the charity is in the name ‘Youth With A Mission Byron Bay’. It is (hereafter YWAMBB).
One shouldn’t have to go through these hoops to check on an organisation that’s seeking your money.
YWAMBB has not registered ‘YWAM Byron Bay’.
2. NA
3. The “web address begins with ‘https’ and there is a closed padlock symbol next to the web address in the address bar”, so the website is secure [the ACNC article above].
It is not until the third page of the giving process that you are told that PayPal is used. There’s a link there to an explanation of PayPal’s security.
4. The Australian Business Register (linked from YWAMBB’s ACNC Register record), says that YWAMBB is entitled to receive tax deductible gifts, but only for a fund that it operates, ‘Youth With A Mission Byron Bay Building and Maintenance Fund’.
There is no mention of this fund on the website.
5. The mission is not described on the website. Via the main menu you can see what YWAMBB do: a thing called DTS, things for ‘Secondary Schools’, and, under ‘About’, various other activities they call ‘Ministries’.
No report of 2017 activities and outcomes is available because the AIS 2017 has still not been lodged, eight months after their year-end (it is two months overdue).
No Financial Report for 2017 is available because it is also overdue.
There is no information on outcomes, results or impact on the website.
- https://missionsinterlink.org.au/about/ ↑
- See here for last year’s review. ↑
- Focus on the nature of the charity’s work, its beneficiaries and the impact the charity is having in the community.Is it clear what the charity is trying to achieve and how its activities work towards its objectives?Would you like to spend your money, or time if volunteering, to support these objectives?Is the charity being transparent about its activities? [A section in the article, Donating and Volunteering]. ↑
