Blog 1 - CUSO International - Megan Beierle

Canadian University Students Overseas (CUSO) International originated in 1961 when a group of university graduates recognized a collective interest in a more connected world. Recognizing that the conditions people are born into should not limit their opportunities, an open call for volunteers to become ambassadors turned into the group’s mission to share their abilities with less-fortunate and under-developed countries.

Today, CUSO International continues working toward their mission of a more inclusive world where people reach their full contribution potentials, while maintaining respect and integrity, accountability, and partnership. CUSO International is registered as a charity in both Canada and in the United States (U.S.), and operates in 12 countries. The group’s three main pillars are community, health and livelihood.

CUSO International commits to maximizing donated money, its volunteers and partners pledging $10 for every $1 donated, so donated money goes further. In its Annual Update, CUSO International does not reveal the proportions of  where any of its donations come from, but transparently reveals where donor money is going. Seventy-five per cent of donations are pledged to programs, donations and “other,” while 25 per cent go toward revenue in-kind.

Surprisingly, as the CRA reports, 65 percent of the money supporting CUSO International’s efforts in its primarily African, Asian and South American projects comes from government sources, while only six per cent comes from receipted and non-receipted donations.  Of the over $33 million in revenues, the CRA also shows that almost one-third of that revenue goes toward employee compensation. Infographics also show that none of the listed expenses include charity programs, fundraising or political activities.

After initial investigations of CRA’s and Cuso International’s websites, Charity Intelligence (CI)’s rating for CUSO International as “below [the] reasonable range,” does not surprise me. CI reports that only $0.48 for every dollar raised goes toward the CUSO International’s mission. After compensating employees and spending donations on “other” areas, CUSO International’s funding reserves do not even cover its operating expenses.

I don’t believe that CUSO International has acceptable levels of overhead, considering where the money is reported to be going. If the money was all going to the charitable efforts that CUSO International professes to love and be passionate about, I would be more forgiving toward the overhead rates. Granted, the value of a charity like this cannot be judged solely on the money it donates to a cause.

Other ways of measuring CUSO International’s effectiveness include:

• Changes in morale in the communities they service,
• Increased productivity and quality of life in those communities, and
• The inspiration or change it leads, revealed in the rising number of volunteers each year.

I believe that hearing or reading first-hand experiences from volunteers and beneficiaries would also help me measure the organization’s effectiveness, as observation cannot fully represent the truth of a situation.

My hope for CUSO International is that they become more transparent about where their donations come from and exactly where they are going, so its publics and potential donors can fully trust them. Their mission, vision and values are strong and admirable, and their aim to educate rather than simply “give” offers hope for more sustainable communities that can develop independently.