In 2022, 84p in every £1 we raised went directly to our life-saving work around the world.
How much do you spend on admin costs? How much does your CEO earn? Does all my money get spent in the countries where you work?
We get asked these sorts of questions a lot. And it's only right that we do. We are committed to being transparent and want you to feel confident that we are spending your money wisely and in a way that will have the most positive effect on the lives of children affected by conflict.
What do we spend your money on?
89% of the money we spend goes towards protecting, educating and standing up for the rights of children living through war.
That could be anything from setting up a child-friendly space in a refugee camp, to education classes for children who have fled a war zone, to enabling young people to speak up for their rights, and much more.
In 2022 we spent £16,947,000. Nearly all of that (67%) went on helping children whose lives have been torn apart by war. The rest (33%) went on fundraising efforts, systems and admin - without that, helping the 256,000 people we did in 2022 would be impossible.
Every year, our accounts are audited to make sure we’re effectively using the funds donated by you, our supporters.
What are our admin costs?
Administration costs are often the focus of attention. It is implied that they are "bad" and that a "good" charity spends as little money as possible on its running costs.
But focusing solely on admin costs misses the point. For example, a charity that only spends 1% on admin and 99% directly on its mission won't have systems in place to know how many people it is supporting, what impact it is making on their lives, or how these projects can be further improved.
Our aim is not, and should not be, to spend as little of our money as possible on running costs. Our focus is, and will always be, delivering the best possible support to children affected by war.
Sometimes that means investing in future income or monitoring and evaluating our projects to measure their impact.
Last year we raised £19,038,000 from a variety of sources. Of every £1 raised, 84p was spent on charitable activities and the rest, 16p, was spent on admin costs.
How much does our CEO earn?
Our CEO, Helen Pattinson, was paid a salary of £99,650 in 2024. That might seem like a lot of money but for someone in charge of an international organisation with hundreds of staff - many working in very dangerous places - it's normal.
In her time with War Child, Helen has overseen a huge growth both in our income and in the number of children and families we help by tens of thousands. Her salary reflects the responsibility she shoulders.
All our salaries are constantly reviewed and benchmarked against other charities to ensure we can attract brilliant people with the skills and expertise to help us support more children.
