This is a summary of Objects first annual return and until we get round to downloading their accounts and doing a proper analysis, this will have to do. Obviously it doesn't say a lot, but we can see that as of last August, they were worth just over £7000. Like many of us, I would love to know where the rest of the money went, but I suspect that the real issue is where is the rest of the money going to come from. £7,000 isn't going to pay anyones wages, although it might fund a lap top, a decent printer and a few thousand stickers to plaster over strip clubs in Shoreditch.
Now, don't go getting any ideas that this means that Object are finished. Even if they vanish in a puff of smoke, the ideas and attitudes that they inspired will remain active, so everyone must stay vigilant.....
Yes I've been concerned about Object's status. I brought it up here on the Hairy Moneyball blog.
ReplyDeletehttp://thehoneyballbuzz.com/2009/06/25/demand-for-change/#comment-1145
At the time Object describes itself as a “charitable organisation” and solicited donations from the public.
Hello Reason
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I followed the link that you provided and found the article to be immensely interesting. I note that the GMB were not invited to a meeting run by Object, an organisation that is supported by Unison. I feel an article coming on that will examine this in detail....
Hello Chasmal
ReplyDeleteObject don’t like being scrutinised. They appear to have changed their website, but back in 2009 they called themselves a “charitable organisation”. They are now a company limited by guarantee, registered in July 2010. What were they before July 2010?
Well it seems to me that in that time, they were essentially a small group of people that drew down a shedload a grants with the luxury of not having to justify what they spent it on. I do not believe that they were ever registered as a charity.
ReplyDeleteSo their assets are just cash in the bank. No computers or anything similar owned by Object? Would really love to see where all the funding has gone. Somehow they are just not accountable for the money "taken" from trusts for them to promote things. Would love to know how much money they obtained for their half of the book that was published.
ReplyDeleteSeriously these anti strip tease campaigners have gone on far to long with no real scrutiny.
I see what you are saying....no real assets as such, no IT kit, no furniture etc. I think they are all home workers, which is an appropriately lean business model for an organisation with £7,000 in the bank. But the key question must be focus on what happened to the grants, such as
ReplyDelete£25,000 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
£50,000 Trust for London
£18,000 Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
£30,000 Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
£4,850 Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
£5,000 Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust
The above alone adds up to just over £130,000 and many people surely would like to know where it went. Probably salaries, because their website costs must be minimal and lets face it, stickers aren't exactly expensive to produce....
How much of this funding was before the Object limited company was formed in July 2010?
ReplyDeleteThe Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust was all 2007 to 2008, Trust for London was 2010, just do not know when in 2010 and I am unsure when they got the Esmee Fairbairn money. Still, the thick end of 60K of JRRT funding is nice not to have to worry about too much....
ReplyDeleteNoticed they are advertising for a part time finance officer. Which lead me to read the articles of association and the company objects (I assume they meant Objectives but you never know). Nothing in the articles about attacking striptease it is suppose to be about the media portrayal of women.
ReplyDeleteSo being creative with finances would be good I suppose.
Given that they have so little money, will the post be unpaid? Talk about ex-ploi-tat-ion of wo-myn...
DeleteThey have two jobs being advertised one is for campaign and policy manager (Anna's old job) £25k pro rata 2 days a week
ReplyDeleteAdmin and finance office £18k pro rata 3 days a week.
The fact they tweeted a reminder suggests how many applicants they had.
Hard to see that there is 3 days work a week for the finance person. I also guess that as Annas old job is being advertised that she is no longer 'Acting' CEO. Worth looking at the page for their impending Board meeting.
Deletehttp://www.object.org.uk/morenews/162-object-agm-2012-become-a-board-member
Spelling errors aside, lots of paperwork to view and a 'relevant extract from the Conflicts of Interest policy'....
Having read the 2009-10 Annual Report I was struck by the fact the amount of money earned in the year through grants and fund raising would only just cover the two advertised posts and a CEO who is Pro rata 2 days a week on £30k. That is assuming they are paying no NI contributions etc. Ok so every one works from home reducing the cost and people are using their own equipment but looking at the claimed income assuming the paid work to be roughly as is they didn't actually do anything in that year that cost them money but rode the backs of others.
DeleteAnd with the membership reaching a massive 250 show just how much of the population they truly represent.
Any idea where/how they'll get the extra money needed to cover this year's salary bill? It's not exactly flowing in any longer...
DeleteI think I might apply for that CEO post...
ReplyDelete