Fat cat salaries

"The boss of Oxfam is paid a small fortune"

FALSE: SHE'S NOT - AND NO-ONE we've found who works in charities is. The highest-paid charity boss we can find is Dr Gill Greer at the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), and she earns about £269,067 a year (see profile). That is a lot of money but it pales in comparison with what many people get paid in the private sector.

Back at Oxfam, director Barbara Stocking gets £90,505 a year (see profile) – much less than Gill at IPPF, but still a large amount. Wouldn’t this money be better spent on feeding the starving?

Click for results of Chelsea vs Save the Children

Chelsea and Save the Children (see profile) are of very similar size in terms of annual turnover. But Jose Mourinho trousered £5.1 million in 2004 while Save the Children's boss got... £95,300.

Probably not. Oxfam is an enormous charity, working in dozens of countries and with an annual turnover of over £200 million. Making sure all that cash is well spent is a difficult job, and one that very few people can do. Those who can do it tend to be expensive. Very expensive.

To put it in context, City firm Accenture pays mid-ranking managers about the same as Barbara. These managers perform important roles but nobody would consider letting them loose with £200 million. The people who manage that sort of money tend to get paid an awful lot more.

Click for results of Man United vs The British Red Cross

Manchester United and The British Red Cross (see profile) spend similar sums of money. Alex Ferguson’s salary topped £4,100,000 in 2004, while the CEO of the British Red Cross got... £145,000.

Barbara could easily go off and earn mega-bucks like them. But she doesn’t, and we think that indicates she's in the job for the right reasons. It also means that Oxfam is getting a good manager on the cheap – which means you’re getting a good deal when you donate.