# Goal and Oxfam Ireland begin merger talks

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/02/21/goal-oxfam-begin-merger-talks/
- Published: 2017-02-21T18:55:14+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Goal and Oxfam Ireland’s recent announcement that they are entering formal discussions
on a potential merger will create an organisation which has a combined turnover 
of around €220 million based on recent income.**

Tentatively called [Oxfam Goal](https://www.oxfamireland.org/blog/oxfam-enters-merger-talks-goal),
both charities had a combined fundraising income of over €17 million based on accounts
for Goal in 2015 and for Oxfam in 2016.

Goal has been at the centre of a [major investigation into its spending of United States aid money in Syri](http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/goal-funding-part-suspended-over-alleged-irregularities-1.2629248)
a, its biggest source of income in 2015 at €70 million. Following the investigation
a number of Goal staff resigned. The majority of the funding that the Irish Government
withheld in 2016 as a result has now been released to the charity.

## Advertisement

[Oxfam Ireland](http://www.oxfamireland.org)’s total fundraising income in 2015 
was €12.6 million, of which €7.4 million was from trading. Net trading income was
€0.6 million. Voluntary income from donations, legacies and events was €5.2 million.
Fundraising costs was €2.5 million.

Goal’s fundraising income was €4.5 million in 2015. Donations and legacies brought
in €4.2 million while events income was €1.3 million. Fundraising costs were €2.4
million.

 

> Delighted that [@GOAL_Global](https://twitter.com/GOAL_Global?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)&
> [@OxfamIreland](https://twitter.com/OxfamIreland?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) in discussion
> to bring 2 great Irish NGOs together for greater impact in fight against poverty
> [https://t.co/Y30oRelnVC](https://t.co/Y30oRelnVC)
> — Jim Clarken (@JimClarken) [February 14, 2017](https://twitter.com/JimClarken/status/831562448083763201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

> We are exploring the exciting possibility of a merger with [@OxfamIreland](https://twitter.com/OxfamIreland?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> to save more lives & support more people [https://t.co/qrABBGcGJR](https://t.co/qrABBGcGJR)
> — GOAL Global (@GOAL_Global) [February 14, 2017](https://twitter.com/GOAL_Global/status/831535043650674688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

 

Oxfam chief executive Jim Clarken said the prospective merger would increase the
scale of both organisations which he said “means we can deliver greater impact for
people in poverty and in crisis.”

Media reports suggest that [Goal had considered a merger with another major development charity, Concern](http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/goal-considered-merger-with-concern-before-oxfam-1.2979370),
before opting to begin discussions with Oxfam Ireland.

The merger discussions and due diligence activities come as Oxfam and other NGOs
respond to the confirmation of famine in South Sudan:

> Heartbreaking to have the first famine declared in several years in [#SouthSudan](https://twitter.com/hashtag/SouthSudan?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
> We must do everything we can to prevent it getting any worse [https://t.co/r8eQIKJdXJ](https://t.co/r8eQIKJdXJ)
> — Jim Clarken (@JimClarken) [February 20, 2017](https://twitter.com/JimClarken/status/833786301166059520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

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