Stowarzyszenie Wiosna brought to account

My charity involvement experience in 2025 - has already been comprehensively summarised and since then, I have not changed my mind with respect to far-reaching criticism towards Szlachetna Paczka's arrangers. The 2025 edition will be finalised for me in late March 2026, when a sofa, ordered just recently and replacing a shoddy one bought online by donators and returned to the shop, is delivered.

In one of the discussions past the final weekend, the leader asked about Stowarzyszenie Wiosna's financial statement. The penny dropped, while I dropped everything to look into publicly available financials of the organisation for 2024.

The key findings are perplexing:
- In 2024 Stowarzyszenia Wiosna raised over PLN 31 million from private and corporate donators.
- Expenses for aid to those in need reached to more than PLN 4.5 million.
- As a non-profit organisation, it regularly produced operating profit of over PLN 6 million yearly and earned interest income of over PLN 1 million yearly from financial assets it held.
- At the end of 2024 the entity behind Szlachetna Paczka accumulated PLN 28 million in cash and bank deposits and PLN 6 million in corporate and government bonds. Financial assets increased by PLN 7 million vs. end of 2023.

Jaw drops open. Why has nobody made a mess about those numbers if the figures are within everyone's reach?

In early January 2026 I received an open invitation for an in-person meeting with Stowarzyszenia Wiosna's representatives in Warsaw, held yesterday. I signed up for it, wondering how much room for a genuine and open discussion would be given by the event's hosts.

It turned out the four-hour event was attended by mere 60 people and over most of its time we were split into five groups. The teamwork we had been meant to do was not fully done, as short discussion panels morphed into bitter experience sharing and I did not shun taking part in it. Stowarzyszenie Wiosna's employees listened carefully to all regrets spoken out during the sessions. Time will tell, if they take it to hearts. 

With respect to cash-richness of Stowarzyszenia Wiosna, I raised my reservations in person to one of executives after the event ended. We had a frank discussion, however I do not buy in the explanation that PLN 34 million is an atomic-case scenario reserve to carry on with the next edition if zero donations are made next year. Firstly because during 15 years of my hands-on experience in corporate finance I have never seen proceeds of any organisation going down by 100%, nor any entity bracing for such scenario. Secondly, because yearly running costs of Stowarzyszenie Wiosna are some PLN 10 million lower than its cash cushion, hence at least some room for depletion is given.

My mission is completed. I have accomplished more or less as much planned, i.e. spoke up, were audible, with little hope anything is going to change. Fighting itself ought to be a virtue even if you are fighting a losing battle. Sometimes you don't lay down your weapons just to assure yourself when you look in the mirror, you see a face of a man who acts righteously.