The “I don’t know what will happen to my money” is part of the litany of excuses for not giving to associations, alongside the unbeatable “I don’t have any coins on me” and “I have an appointment you urgent, I don’t have time to stop”. According to a 2009 study*, this is even the most frequently cited reason (87%). To put an end to this justification and help fundraising, more necessary than ever in times of inflation, 20 minutes inquired about what happens to a euro collected by the French Red Cross. And that’s good, the latter is organizing its national collection days right now, until June 11. Come on, let’s go for the adventure of one euro.
We are not going to sell you a long course full of twists and turns. On the contrary, our euro will not see many countries. “The money stays and will be redistributed in the community where it was collected”, indicates Rémy Becuwe, president of the Northern Red Cross, knowing that the association is present throughout the territory. To take the example of his community, a euro given to Dunkirk “will be reinvested in Dunkirk. He does not leave the territory, so that each donor can see concrete actions at home”.
80% in “pure social actions”
This short donation circuit also makes it possible to meet the specific expectations of each municipality. “Depending on the zone, one euro will be distributed more in marauding or in food aid, for example. “In Lille, the Red Cross wants to relaunch marauding, so a lot of the money collected (40,000 euros in 2022 across the North region, according to Rémy Becuwe) will be invested in this.
One thing is certain, whatever the municipality, “the money will be used for concrete things”. As we have seen, it is difficult to determine a precise percentage since each territory distributes the money where it is needed. Nevertheless, Rémy Becuwe estimates that on average, “out of one euro, 80 cents will be used for pure social actions, such as marauding, food aid, French lessons for foreigners, and 20 cents for the equipment of rescuers, which is extremely expensive”.
talk about it directly
As you will have understood, “the money from the harvests is used directly to help the poorest, and does not finance our offices or our members, which are managed by internal finances. This is also why you will not receive any flyers presenting the actions of the Red Cross in your region. “We didn’t want the money raised to be used for that,” explains Rémy Becuwe.
To find out what your euro(s) will be used for, there are several ways to go deeper into the subject. First, social networks. “Generally, each community has its different accounts where we explain our actions”. Press releases are also sent in the event of specific actions, “particularly in relation to our aid to Ukrainian refugees”. Finally, a bit of human warmth in this low world: “it is of course possible to talk about it directly with one of the members of our association. He will be very happy to tell you what the money you plan to put in the next few months will be used for. There you go, no more excuses.