Food for the Poor

• Total income
• Administrative expenses
• Fundraising expenses
• Program percentage
• Donor communication
• Awards

Total Income

Food for the Poor's financial information from 2011 to 2014 is as follows:

• 2014: $912,451,190
• 2013: $1,029,428,385
• 2012: $899,936,574
• 2011: $938,218,153

To-date financial information and donation totals can be found on the foodforthepoor.org website. 

Administrative Expenses

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014, Food for the Poor reported that it spent 0.8 percent of its revenue on administrative expenses, or $7,630,451. The chairman and president of Food for the Poor, Mr. Robin Mahfood, received an annual salary of $395,664, or about 0.04 percent of the organization's revenue.

Fundraising Expenses

For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014, Food for the Poor spent 3.4 percent of its revenue on fundraising expenses.

Program Percentage

Food for the Poor reports an average of 95 percent of its income being spent on program delivery. That indicates responsible financial management under expectations put in place by charity watchdog organizations, which rate charitable organizations with program delivery percentages exceeding 70 to 80 percent favorably. This ensures that the proper ingredients and help are in some form reaching the poor people of the selected impoverished countries. 

Donor Communication

Food for the Poor regularly sends email newsletters and postal mail requests for funds. The allow donors to know where their donations are going. The organization also operates a robust blog and several social media accounts, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Google+. They provide continuous updates about the charity, and the families and children being helped.

Awards

Food for the Poor has been widely recognized for its mission, innovative marketing, and impact which it has made in the communities where it serves. A small sampling of recent awards is highlighted below, but is not meant to be a comprehensive list of the recognitions received by Food for the Poor.

• 2016: Mail Innovation Award from the United States Postal Service which recognizes innovation, teamwork, communication and customer service during projects using the USPS or collaborating with the USPS
• 2016: Chancellor Award from the University of the West Indies (UWT) which is awarded to individuals of Caribbean heritage or organizations which were founded by persons of Caribbean descent making contributions to promote or solve prominent issues affecting the Caribbean region
• 2015: Nonprofit Organization of the Year from The Direct Marketing Association Nonprofit Federation (DMANF) which recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations for their mission delivery
• 2014: Gold DMA International Echo Ultimate Team Awards (2) from the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) for video and direct mailing campaigns
• 2013: DMA International Echo Ultimate Team Award from the Direct Marketing Association for a direct mail fundraising campaign
• 2011: Bronze Telly Award for the video spot, "The Least of These"
• 2010: Joe Jackson Industry Champion from DuPont Performance Coatings recognized Daniel-Gérard Rouzier, Chairman of the Board for Food for the Poor-Haiti, for his work to arrange and provide proper burials to 2,500 earthquake victims in Haiti, rather than have the remains trucked to a mass burial pile and left to decay, as was the case for many victims of the Haitian earthquake

• Accessible financial information
• Negative press

Accessible Financial Information

Food for the Poor has published financial information from 2008 to 2014 online. However, the information which has been published is not comprehensive for all years. Additional improvements in the organization's transparency would be necessary in order for us to rate Food for the Poor more favorably on this particular criterion.

Negative Press

Food for the Poor has been the subject of some negative press in the past, including the following: 2000: Diversion of Funds/Sex Scandal In 2000, after police reports were made in Broward County, Florida, the FBI began an investigation of Food for the Poor. It was determined during the investigation was that Ferdinand Mahfood, founder of Food for the Poor, had diverted over $400,000 to two female employees, both of whom were romantic interests of his. This scandal resulted in Mr. Mahfood resigning and his brother, Robin Mahfood, assuming the roles of chairman and president of the organization. The Mahfood family repaid the mishandled funds. 2001-2002: Loss of Support from the Catholic Church After the above scandal was exposed, the Catholic Church removed its official support of Food for the Poor. However, there are several Catholic publications which now write positive stories about the organization. 2003-2007: Family Members of Founder Paid $1.9 Million in Salary and Benefits Food for the Poor began as a family nonprofit, so it is not surprising that there are several family members of the Mahfood family which have been on the organization's payroll. However, some view the number of family members and their respective salaries as indicators of nepotism and greed.