Lies, White Lies, and Accounting Practices
Why nonprofit overheads don’t mean what you think they mean
Before giving to charity, do you check to see what percent they spend on overhead? If you are like most people, this is the number one thing you look for before donating.
Unfortunately, the overhead ratio is almost meaningless. The amount a nonprofit claims as overhead often has more to do with their accounting practices than any actual cost effectiveness. The constant pressure from donors to keep overhead low is leading to worse, not better aid.
In just 20 pages this book breaks through all the myths surrounding nonprofit overhead and will forever change how you evaluate nonprofits.
Reviews
New publication I like: Lies, White Lies, and Accounting Practices-Why nonprofit overheads don’t mean what you think they mean - Development as anthropological object
One interesting aspect for me as a ‘development writer’ is that Saundra’s publication defies neat categorisations – it’s much longer and more detailed than a blog post, but yet it’s not a ‘book’. It’s also more insightful than a newspaper article, yet the publication is easy to read and understand.
“Ever read a book and say “wish I’d written that”? That was my reaction. Only I would not have kept it to 5,400 words.
Check out this book for a brief introduction to the issues surrounding overhead ratios. It’ll be worth a few minutes and a few bucks.”
Praise
“awesome ebook from @Good_Intents on the fallacy of overheads as a measure of NGO effectiveness. go get it” Simon Moss from the Global Poverty Project
“Just had a sneak preview of @Good_Intents‘ new donor briefing “Lies, White Lies & Accounting Practices” on NGO overheads. Great stuff.” from Cynan_Sez
“Ever heard someone say ‘I support this charity cos 90% of funds go to the recipient’? Read this” from @wmyeoh
“Overhead/admin is often a meaningless metric, and trying to chase charities with low overheads is not a good idea. The best source of explanations for this is Good Intentions Are Not Enough, which has a whole ebook on the topic as well: Lies, White Lies and Accounting Practices — Why nonprofit overheads don’t mean what you think they mean.” from a Nadder!
Comments on Facebook
“Excellent resource, thanks!”
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“Very informative, thank you.”
How to Order
Order the book through paypal and choose your own price, you get to decide what the guide is worth to you. I will email a copy of the guide to you within a few days (I currently have limited internet access).
OR
Go to Smashwords to read an excerpt and download an e-version of the guide.