Can Hong Kong charities be trusted? Here’s how to donate your money with care
With loopholes in rules governing organisations, City Weekend reviews an official guide on ‘good giving’
In a city where life moves at breakneck speed and the high cost of living coupled with rocketing property prices mean most are pinching their pennies, Hongkongers might not be perceived to be the most generous when it comes to charitable giving.
And the British-based Charities Aid Foundation in 2017 ranked Hong Kong an admirable 25th out of 139 countries and territories based on the proportion of people who reported they had recently helped a stranger, donated money or did volunteer work.
Still, generosity aside, can we trust the charities we donate to and sleep easy knowing the money goes to those we intend to help?
Just last year, Hong Kong’s Audit Commission reported loopholes in the rules governing charities. The commission found that in one case, a local organisation had not carried out any charitable operations in the 12 years since it was recognised as a tax-exempt charity.
In two cases, charities were unable to account for how they had spent their donations. The commission discovered 14 land sites granted to charities, but they were partly used to operate hotels.