Ignore the Smears, and Help UNICEF

In order to make this point: 

Reports are out there that many CEOs of charities are getting overpaid, while their causes are seeing very little…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2012

Blonder Paladino Donald Trump accused UNICEF’s CEO of basically ripping off the charity.  

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2012

UNICEF USA’s CEO, Caryl M. Stern, responded: 

.@realdonaldtrump sorry no rolls; only a prius. fire your fact checker and help us save kids lives.

— Caryl M. Stern (@CarylStern) November 19, 2012

And UNICEF itself wrote,

No, @realdonaldtrump do YOUR research. 90% of every dollar goes to help children. And no Rolls Royce for our CEO. snopes.com/politics/busin…

— UNICEF USA (@unicefusa) November 19, 2012

In fact, regardless of what Ms. Stern drives, UNICEF took in $455 million in the fiscal year that ended in June 2011. Just under $447 million of that went to fund its programs. Administrative expenses totaled $12 million, and fundraising expenses came to $29 million.  Ms. Stern’s compensation amounts to $454,000 per year – a tremendous amount of money, but not unheard-of for someone managing an operation such as this, based in New York. It represents 0.10% of UNICEF’s annual expenses.

Trump is apparently referencing something that Snopes has already debunked as false; charges that Stern earns over a million dollars per year and has a Rolls-Royce at her disposal. 

The United States Fund for UNICEF was founded in 1947 to support the work of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) by raising funds for its programs and increasing awareness of the challenges facing the world’s children. The oldest of 37 national committees for UNICEF worldwide, we are part of a global effort to save, protect and improve children’s lives. Every moment of every day, UNICEF is on the ground providing lifesaving help for children in need. We provide families with clean water and sanitation, we vaccinate against childhood illness, and we help protect children against malaria. We provide nourishment to fight malnutrition, and we care for children affected by AIDS. We protect children from abuse, and we give them an education. We are here to make sure that all children lead a healthy, humane, and dignified life.

I don’t know why a craven and mean-spirited wealthy person in the public eye would choose to lie about UNICEF in an effort to do it harm, but you can do something about it. Donate to UNICEF and support its programs, such as providing kids with clean water, an education, health care, AIDS medication, food, vaccinations, and other programs.