W5: How much do charities really benefit from mega lotteries?

W5: How much do charities really benefit from mega lotteries?: Three-quarters of a billion dollars- but just how much of all that cash actually makes it to charity? That’s what Kate Bahen at Charity Intelligence (Ci) wanted to find out. The Toronto-based organization analyzes information about charities to help donors determine where their dollars can have the most impact. Bahen’s team of financial analysts reviewed the most recent three years of audited financial statements of the 30 largest charity lotteries in Canada.

And what did they find? On average – only 27% of all that money actually goes to charity. Why so little? For starters, Ci’s analysis found huge operating costs.