Financial Situation

How we use your donations

Here is a snapshot of our finances. Although MSEP has occasionally received grants from foundations over the years, the project relies on community donors for core support. If you would like to see a complete financial statement showing how funds are raised and spent, please contact us. We are happy to share this information.

Financial Situation in 2022

As the pie charts below indicate, in 2022 MSEP received wonderful support from our donor community and thus were able to make significant contributions to partner schools in Mae Sot.  What the charts do not really show is that our capacity to send volunteers to Thailand for extended periods has been deeply affected by events of the last years.  While prior to COVID we had teams of 3-5 students going to Mae Sot, in 2022, we supported only one volunteer in Thailand and then for only three months with a cost almost as high as sending several volunteers in past years.  Flights to and accommodation in Thailand have become more expensive, making it difficult to estimate costs going into the coming year.  It will take another year for us to assess the impact of the changes.  However, knowing how important our presence is to our partners, we are actively seeking ways to meet the challenges.

Expenditures, 2022

Financial Situation in 2021

Again in 2021 our volunteers could not travel.  The good news is that we were able to make some substantial contributions to help our partners through a difficult time without falling behind financially in spite of the challenge of not being able to hold our usual fundraising events.  It is really because of our generous community that this is possible.   One development of note in 2021: for the first time, MSEP asked volunteers to contribute financially to the project. In another development, Mary Sweeny, a Sherbrooke accountant, took on the task of keeping track of our accounts from Dania Paradis-Bouffard, a member of our Project Committee who has managed the accounting for the last two years.  

Expenditures, 2021

Financial Situation in 2020

As we all know, 2020 was no ordinary year.  Like so much in our community, MSEP activities came to a standstill.  After our raffle, fundraising opportunities became impossible (which meant no Thai-Burmese Dinner!).  In spite of this problem, our revenues for the year show that our community was generous.  The charts below are skewed a bit because both show a large donation that is dedicated to a school with particular needs.  This donation aside, we received more than $10,000 in donations from people in our community and beyond. 

     On the expenditures side, we were prevented by Covid-related problems from making full use of our assets:  Volunteers could not travel. Thus our expenditures for volunteer support were reduced almost to zero.  In addition, migrant learning centres in Mae Sot were forced to close their campuses to students.  We continued to make our normal donations to our partners to help them pay their on-going expenses (rent, electricity, etc.); however, one school had to close completely. We also made a number of special donations for Covid-related needs (sanitation equipment, transportation for teachers doing home-based learning activities, etc.) and were very glad to be able to give some support to our partners.

Expenditures, 2020

Financial Situation in 2019

2019 marked a shift in MSEP’s funding base. Since the end of the Pathy Family Foundation Grant in 2018, MSEP has relied on the project’s activities, charitable donations and donations from community organizations for support. We are extremely grateful that our community, as well as some former volunteers, have come forward to help fill in the gap left by the end of Pathy support. It is evident from the charts below that we are not quite staying even. Excluding dedicated grants to two schools (see below), our project expenditures totaled $33,075 while our revenue came to $30,368. Fortunately, we have some savings! The expenditures chart shows specifically how we used our funds in 2019. Donations to schools account for 61% of our total expenditures. Volunteer support accounted for $14,124 or 26 % of our expenses. If you have any questions or would like further information about our project finances, please contact us. We are proud of our management and happy to respond.

Expenditures, 2019

Financial Situation in 2018

2018 marked the third and final year of a grant received from the Pathy Family Foundation in 2016. Thus the pie chart for revenues indicates that this grant provided $15,000 of our revenue last year. Since it has now ended, funds raised by the project’s activities, charitable donations and donations from community organizations have become increasingly important. We are extremely grateful for the response of our community to our fall appeal as reflected in the increase in charitable donations this year. The expenditures chart shows how we used our funds in 2018. $12,500 was given to our six partner schools as MSEP’s annual donation. In addition, a special donation once again enabled us to make a significant targeted contribution to one school. Volunteer support accounted for $17,631 or 30% of our expenses. As you can see, because Project Committee members are all volunteers, we spend little on ourselves! If you have any questions or would like further information about our project finances, please contact us. We are proud of our management and happy to respond.

Expenditures, 2018

This year MSEP contributions to schools included $20,000 in targeted funding for schools with special needs.

Dedicated Donations to Schools: $20,000 (34%)
MSEP Contributions to Schools & Educational Organizations: $13,228 (22%)
Outreach, Publicity, Fundraising: $5,987 (10%)
Administration: $548 (1%)
Stipends & Project Committee Travel: $1,624 (3%)
Expenses Related to Volunteer Support: $17,631 (30%)

Financial Situation in 2017

Expenditures, 2017

This year MSEP contributions to schools included $25,800 in targeted funding for schools with special needs.

Dedicated Donations to Schools: $25,800 (39%)
MSEP Contributions to Schools & Educational Organizations: $11,546 (17%)
Outreach, Publicity, Fundraising: $6,251 (9%)
Administration: $619 (1%)
Stipends & Project Committee Travel: $4,951 (7%)
Expenses Related to Volunteer Support: $17,666 (27%)