Club Foundation Income “Polish Gazette” in 2023 reached PLN 11.26 million. This is more than six times more than in the previous year, when they amounted to PLN 1.74 million.
This was mainly due to an increase in revenues from non-remunerated public benefit activities (i.e. from donations and subsidies to projects) from PLN 486.1 thousand to PLN 7.92 million. However, revenues from remunerated statutory activities increased from PLN 1.25 million to PLN 3.34 million.
Gazeta Polska clubs in action ahead of referendum
The Foundation does not specify in its reports how many donations and in what amounts, nor how many grants and in what amounts it has received in recent years. Since the end of December last year, when TV Republika’s ratings increased due to changes in Telewizja Polska, the station has encouraged donations directly to its broadcaster and to the Independent Media Foundation. However, appeals for donations to the “Gazeta Polska” Club Foundation are regularly published in “Gazeta Polska”, “Gazeta Polska Dzień” and the related portal Niezależna.pl.
In the first half of October last year, shortly before the parliamentary elections combined with the referendum, Gazeta Polska Clubs carried out the “Tour deReferendum” campaign, including meetings in 50 cities with electoral law experts.
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With the increase in the costs of the foundation’s statutory activities from PLN 413.2 thousand to PLN 8.39 million, its profit in this area increased from PLN 1.32 to PLN 2.86 million. – The foundation’s costs consist mainly of external services, including costs for organizing conventions and donations, the report noted.
The economic activities of the “Gazeta Polska” Club Foundation are much smaller in scale and less profitable. In 2023, revenues in this area increased from PLN 54.3 thousand to PLN 212.5 thousand. PLN, and with an increase in expenses from PLN 932 thousand to PLN 1.03 million, the loss decreased slightly: from PLN 877.7 thousand to PLN 817.8 thousand. zloty. However, general and administrative costs increased from PLN 506.4 thousand. to PLN 1.34 million, and other operating expenses – from PLN 24.5 thousand to PLN 110.9 thousand. zloty.
Foundation with a larger fund
Total profitability of the “Gazeta Polska” Club Foundation increased above zero: at the operating level from PLN 59.9 thousand PLN Loss to PLN 699.9 thousand PLN PLN profit, and in net terms – from PLN 79.4 thousand PLN Loss to PLN 588.5 thousand PLN Profit.
The foundation’s board, consisting of Tomasz Sakiewicz, Katarzyna Hejke and Ryszard Kapuściński (also its vice-president), decided that last year’s net profit will go partly to cover previous losses (at the end of last year they amounted to PLN 103.4 thousand) and partly to the statutory fund. As a result own funds increased year on year from PLN 750.5 thousand to PLN 1.34 million.
At the end of last year the foundation had PLN 1.5 million in its accounts.
In the chart below, the current financial year is 2023 and the previous one is 2022
On its website, the “Gazeta Polska” Club Foundation states that more than 500 “Gazeta Polska” Clubs have already been established in Poland and abroad (including other European countries, the USA, Canada and Australia). The first one was established in 2005. Its aim was to “support social activity, primarily at local level, but also at national level”.
– There are thousands of meetings in Poland and around the world that continue the noble goal of building a civil society – it was stressed.
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The foundation has been operating since 2012 and last year achieved by far the highest financial results in its history. In 2021, it generated PLN 871.9 thousand. PLN of statutory revenues and PLN 300.9 thousand PLN economic and PLN 46.6 thousand PLN of net profit, a year earlier by PLN 693.4 thousand and PLN 159.5 thousand, respectively. PLN revenues amounted to PLN 60.8 thousand. PLN net loss. In 2019, it earned PLN 351.8 thousand net. PLN (with PLN 670 thousand of legal revenues and PLN 545.9 thousand of economic revenues, in 2018 – PLN 192.5 thousand (with PLN 1.36 million and PLN 198.4 thousand of revenues, respectively), a year earlier – PLN 292.3 thousand PLN (with PLN 1.01 million of total revenues), and in 2016 – PLN 130.9 thousand (with PLN 1.06 million
Record donations to TV Republika
The Independent Media Foundation’s results also soared in 2023. As we have already described, only until the end of December last year, the foundation recorded a record amount of PLN 16.3 million in statutory revenues (compared to only PLN 67.9 thousand a year earlier), of which PLN 10.66 million came from contributions from private individuals and PLN 5.78 million came from grants.
In turn, Telewizja Republika, in its application for a license for the eighth digital terrestrial TV multiplex (the station began broadcasting there in mid-July), stated that from December 19 to May 20 it received exactly 51,340 payments from donors. The total of these payments reached PLN 6.47 million.
TV Republika offers incentives to support its activities many times every day, including by donating to the Independent Media Foundation. A website was even launched in March to make it easier.
