The Valentin Haüy Association aims to meet all the needs of visually impaired people. It carries out its social missions itself, for which it has developed training facilities as well as putting in place support programmes for social and professional integration, accommodation for young people and senior citizens, and facilitating access to culture, sport and leisure activities – all offered at its head office or in local committees. It employs nearly 560 salaried staff and benefits from the support of around 3,300 volunteers. The association has a budget of around €35 million, of which only a quarter on average comes from the generosity of the public. It also relies on public funding, the use of which does not fall within the scope of this report, which deals with the use of funds raised from public donations.
At a time of financial instability, vigorous action is needed to match resources and expenditure, and to position the association to meet the obligations created by the acceptance of public donations in terms of internal control and the quality of the information provided. The association needs to improve in terms of collecting donations and the speed with which funds raised are used. In addition, it must respect the independence of the foundation it has created more.
