Poor governance may have misled donors to Didier Drogba Foundation
Melanie May | 6 December 2016 | News
Poor governance at the Didier Drogba Foundation means donors may have been misled about the activities of the charity, the Charity Commission has found.
The Commission published its report into the charity on 2nd December. It had investigated the charity after The Daily Mail approached the Commission earlier this year with concerns relating to the operation of the charity and the potential that funds had been misapplied.
It found that people may have been misled because the operations of the charity and La Fondation Didier Drogba (a non-governmental organisation previously established by Mr Drogba in the Ivory Coast) were not adequately separated. It also found that failures in the charity’s governance, with poor record keeping and accounts that did not meet regulations but that there was no evidence of fraud or corruption on behalf of the charity.
Funds had been raised at a number of events in the UK for a hospital project in the Ivory Coast, but the charity had not yet spent any of the funds on charitable activity. The trustees said this was due to the political situation in the Ivory Coast but did not explain this to donors adequately. The Commission considered that donors would have expected their donations to have been used for charitable purposes and not accumulated in a bank account.
The Commission was satisfied however that funds had not been misapplied and that there was no evidence of fraud or corruption.
The Charities Commission has today confirmed after a seven month investigation, that no funds have been misapplied by my Foundation.
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) December 2, 2016
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The Commission has issued the charity with an action plan to ensure that the outstanding concerns, particularly with regard to transparency to donors and the public, are addressed by the charity’s trustees. The Commission will follow up with the charity to ensure that it is implemented.
David Holdsworth, chief operating officer at the Charity Commission said:
“Charities benefit greatly from the support and generosity of high profile individuals, who add a great deal to charities and causes they become involved in. This case highlights that having trustees with the right skills, experience and capacity is crucial to ensuring good governance, record keeping and transparency which are key to operating a charity effectively.
“The Charity Commission and the public expect charities to be transparent about how they raise and spend their funds, and provide clarity on the amount that goes to the end cause.”
The full report is available online, and Drogba has since made a statement regarding his intention to seek an apology and damages from the Daily Mail.
I have instructed my lawyers to seek a full apology and damages to be paid to my Foundation from the Daily Mail.
— Didier Drogba (@didierdrogba) December 2, 2016
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.