According to Tạ Minh Tuấn — Chairman of TMT Group and founder of the Giấc mơ đôi chân thiên thần Fund — we do not actually need to be 1 professional financial organization to make our activities transparent, especially those involving money. When serving at a senior level in 1 organization, accountability must be even greater, particularly in charitable work.
Tạ Minh Tuấn – Chairman of TMT Group, Founder of the Giấc mơ đôi chân thiên thần Fund
A few words for organizations, groups, and individuals involved in charity, and for everyone who follows with interest.
In fact, we do not need to be an organization specializing professionally in finance to make our activities transparent, especially those involving money.
The first point is that we have nothing to be ashamed of in our conscience: we know, heaven knows, earth knows, and we would still consider our actions acceptable if 1 camera were watching. And yes, at some point we will believe that there is always 1 such “camera” in the universe.
The next point is that we are accountable for charitable activities so everyone can know what is happening. If we have difficulties with accountability, it means there are issues involving the self and ego within our consciousness, causing us to feel we do not need to explain ourselves. As we begin transforming the ego, we understand that the higher the level at which we serve in 1 organization, the greater our accountability must be.
So how should accountability be demonstrated when an audit is not yet affordable?
Here, we would like to give an example of 1 of our 2 charitable projects: the Giấc mơ đôi chân thiên thần Fund.
Every month, the Giấc mơ đôi chân thiên thần Fund publishes detailed financial reports on its website and Fanpage.
Does the Fund provide bank statements?
There was no need to wait for the recent controversies online: for several years, the Giấc Mơ Đôi Chân Thiên Thần Fund has consistently obtained and publicly posted its bank statements online on a regular basis. Anyone interested can view them.
Where can I view the Fund's bank statement reports?
The reports are transparently explained each month through posts on the Fund's website and Facebook page.
What is the legal validity of these statements?
When urgently needed, online statements can always be obtained. However, every online statement is subsequently supplemented with a printed statement issued by ACB itself, bearing the bank's official round red stamp to confirm its legal validity.
Are the bank statements redacted?
The statements have not been concealed, cropped, or edited in even 1 detail. They therefore show every amount coming in and going out, so “even 1 đồng” cannot “slip through the net.” They reveal whether anyone has used charitable funds to open a savings account, invest in this or that, and so on…
What if someone suspects these statements have been photoshopped or edited?
There is still 1 option: arrange to visit the bank with a Fund representative to check directly.
A bank statement only shows money coming in and going out, and in fact does not show where the money goes when it “goes out” — so where does it actually go?
For that reason, the Fund transparently publishes all payment orders, showing which account receives the money, who owns it, and whether that account actually belongs to the supported recipient or to someone exploiting the situation.https://cdnstoremedia.com/adt/amt/2020/11/640×3-amt5fe55e71b4193.html
And of course, if anyone suspects a payment order is forged, once again, as above, we can check directly at the bank and ask it to act as 1 reputable, legally recognized “intermediary” to verify the accuracy of these payment orders.
Information on the Fanpage about 1 emergency expenditure.
Next, what if the payment orders are genuine, but the beneficiaries (and their account numbers) have been fabricated by the Fund to “siphon” money out?
Therefore, the Fund now publicly identifies its beneficiaries. In all communications, it avoids writing that solicits “pity” or “buys tears,” choosing instead a dignified, uplifting approach that offers a realistic yet positive and resilient view of those it supports. They are therefore also willing to appear publicly to inspire confidence in others.
For that reason, anyone can easily check whether the account truly belongs to the supported person's family.
Of course, people can even find phone numbers publicly listed on the website, so that if they have doubts, they can call beneficiaries directly to verify.
And if anyone further suspects that the phone numbers are fake, the beneficiaries' addresses are always publicly listed in their profiles on the website, so that kindhearted donors and benefactors can visit, or anyone with doubts can go in person, meet the children and their parents, talk with them, and ask whether their families actually received that amount by transfer, over that period, from the Fund.
If a family is uncomfortable having its phone number and address made public on the website, the Fund does not publish them; instead, it arranges to share those details privately with anyone who needs to verify them. Usually, families agree to appear publicly because they are honest people telling the truth about their circumstances — what is there to fear?
Where did the Fund gain the experience to manage these activities so rigorously?
In fact, I personally also experienced a distortion involving money and finances 10 years ago. I did not take anyone's money, but I had difficulties fulfilling my accountability to shareholders, which caused some unnecessary misunderstandings. Everything was later explained, and I was cleared. Still, it was 1 necessary lesson.
I am truly grateful that the universe arranged for the incident to be so small in scale, confined to a single organization, to prepare me for other work later in life!
There was 1 other matter, unrelated to charity but involving investment. When I invested in 1 company, because I valued someone and wanted them to benefit from the investment too, I invited them to contribute 50% of the total 100% of my investment share.
And this person has no authority whatsoever over the business, because the agreement is between that person and me. That means I share my returns with them only if the business performs well and I receive returns.
This is actually common in investing. For example, in some fundraising television shows, the investors who appear act as representatives; they do not necessarily invest entirely from their own money. Sometimes they need only commit a minority percentage of the capital they promise on television to invest in a startup, raising the rest from their network.
However, while I was right in principle, I was wrong in terms of human relationships. So I have not done that again since. Here, I am also sharing very frankly and publicly that it was the first and only time to date that I did so; I personally participated in all other investment deals.
Mr. Tạ Minh Tuấn is an entrepreneur with extensive business experience.
Perhaps that was when 1 very small number of people began saying I used charity money to invest. I immediately provided bank statements as evidence. I do not know whether those who said this ever bothered to read the Fund's statements and financial explanations; nevertheless, they were right to ask questions.
And all those experiences shaped the transparent, practical community projects that followed. We must also acknowledge the efforts of the teammates directly running the Fund with a sound spirit of service.
Yes, many people across the country can also vouch for the Fund's transparency because they have worked, or are working, for the Fund. They know it is transparent down to every thousand VND.
Let us understand that mistakes can be corrected, lessons can be learned, everyone has a past, and everyone still has a future.
Does the Fund have any upcoming activities? If I feel confident and want to contribute and work with the Fund, what should I do?
The Giấc Mơ Đôi Chân Thiên Thần Fund continues to invite you to provide direct 1-to-1 support to children with leukemia and life-threatening blood disorders.
Each month, you contribute 1 small amount, yet enough to help protect a child's life. You can accompany the child for 6 months, 1 year, or longer, depending on your means. The wonderful thing is that 100% of the funds raised directly help the supported recipients.
As you know, many funds, including those overseas, need money to maintain their operations, so only a certain % of your contribution — provided it is acceptable — actually reaches people in need.
For example, a fund may allocate 30% to salaries for staff working seriously for it (otherwise, how could it operate professionally?), communications, and operations, leaving only 70% of your donation to reach people in need. Yet in some funds, that 70% falls to only 50%, or even 30% or 10%, and distortions emerge in charitable work.
Tạ Minh Tuấn – Founder of the Giấc mơ đôi chân thiên thần Fund
Source: Cafebiz
