It has been revealed in a recent report by Netease that out of the 65.2 billion yuan that were donated following the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, only 15.1 billion yuan, or 23.16% of the total, has been publicly accounted for. Clear information on the use of the remaining 50.1 billion yuan has never been made publicly available, and even the money’s sources cannot be verified.
In its wake, the dreadful Wenchuan Earthquake inspired a national fervour for donating to charities. Some charitable organisations lack the capability to manage large amounts of money and supplies however, causing a lot of problems and inefficiencies. Questioned on their activities by the general public, such organisations are faced with high risks when trying to manage their funds, and suffer a lot from public pressure. In order to deal with this problem, it will be necessary for charities to improve their transparency mechanisms, in order to make sure people know that the funds are going where they should be going.
