Sandrine de Cecco, visually impaired, is a member of the main French association dedicated to this disability: the National Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired (Unadev). When the Court of Auditors audited her association, she dissected the report with friends using reading software. “It still took us several days to manage to read it in full. As the reports of the Court of Auditors are not necessarily very funny a priori, we happened to fall asleep a little on it“, she confides to the magazine “Cash Investigation” (replay). The group then discovers a small bomb in the bowels of this document…
Less than 50% of donations made to Unadev actually reach visually impaired beneficiaries! The waste within the association is such that the Court of Auditors declares that the use of donations is “non-compliant” with what the donor could expect. This is the first time that she has been so strict with an association. “For an association, it is very seriousbelieves Sandrine de Cecco. The Court of Auditors points to far too high remuneration and investments that were not necessarily justified, since it was a very famous hotel on the Côte d’Azur. An average donor does not expect that, when he gives ten euros, less than five will be spent on actions for the benefit of beneficiaries and members, visually impaired people.“
Misuse of donations, unnecessary spending…
While Unadev has just had its fingers slapped publicly for its mismanagement, it nevertheless asks to be labelled. “It seems aberrant and stupid to ussays Sandrine de Cecco. What do we do to try to reassure? We are trying to repaint the facades. What can repaint facades? A label. That is to say, effectively, to try to regain a virginity, a clean image to lose as few donors as possible.“
And it is true that at the time, the facade of Unadev was not very attractive, and certain things made their mark: misuse of donations, useless expenses… So, a good label on that and that will make it cleaner! And indeed, Unadev will indeed receive its label… only eleven months after the publication of the report of the Court of Auditors: Le Don entrust, a non-profit organization which since 1989 exercises a mission of control of the call to the generosity of the public, open to all causes of general interest, judges the application of the association “admissible”. In 2018, he withdrew his label from Unadev, a year after granting it to him.
“Companies, sponsorship, associations: dangerous liaisons”, an investigation by Gabriel Garcia, broadcast Thursday October 20, 2022 at 9:10 p.m. on France 2.
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