The correlation between transparency and this notion of salaries.... In fact, the reason that salaries have increased is in part that in the United States there's been a dramatic increase in the amount of government contracting for charities to do the kinds of work that government has done before; and as the economy has done well—at least up until 2008—and the percentage of money that people give has grown, so have the size and complexity of these organizations. That is the way salaries get determined. According to all of the experts we speak to, the salaries are based on size, complexity, and cause. Those are the reasons that salaries go up, not because of transparency. My God, it's the opposite! Transparency helps as a brake against abuses.
So, other than that, I would argue, in conclusion, that if a charity is truly mission-driven, then when the dust settles and this information is disclosed, it will become more trusted. The most precious commodity a charity has is the trust of the public, and the public wants to know this information. Those charities that are open in this way and disclose information will garner more trust, and it will lead to a more efficient sector. The information will help all of us in making more rational decisions related to determining CEO compensation in this sector.
In conclusion, I hope we can have more disclosure in areas like this, so that the mission can be better fulfilled, rather than seeing the abuses where people's pockets get lined, rather than the world being made a better place.
Thank you.