Charging for charity – the tax exempt College of Universal Medicine’s first annual evasion statement
Posted: May 14, 2014 Filed under: cult front groups, financial exploitation, Marketing, Money, money for nothing, Universal Medicine Charities | Tags: Australian Not for Profit and Charity Commission, College of Universal Medicine, Fiery Building Fund, Natalie Benhayon, Serge Benhayon 4 Comments
Serge Benhayon, aka ‘the voice from heaven’ (left), drumming up cash.
Until recently, charities in Australia could raise and spend money without accounting to anyone. This year, the newly formed Australian Not for Profit and Charity Commission required them to submit an Annual Information Statement. The College of Universal Medicine surpassed itself by also forwarding its audited accounts. The information tells us the College raised almost half a million dollars, spent nothing, and their charitable activities were merely marketing events for UM’s business. Typical of anything UniMed, their attempt at transparency raises more questions than it answers, including why the charity is talking about buying a school building, when the students have already paid for one.
We’ve already covered the College of Universal medicine’s dodgey financial genesis, with Serge Benhayon and his top rung Brides calling for anonymous donations to purchase his temple of profit:
There has been a new UniMed building and 6 acre grounds bought in Goonellabah (2.3 million). Serge showed us some pictures of the grounds – it is very very beautiful. UniMed needs anonomous (sic) gifts of investment for this new property to get up and running. (EDG notes taken by Elizabeth Dolan, September 18, 2011, p.4)
We also questioned how a charity supposedly set up for for public benefit is allowed to deliver an anti-social education, teaching that education and charity are evil on a par with paedophilia, humanity is ‘rot’ and that anyone who disagrees with Serge is a Judas, and part of a global conspiracy loving-ly named the Astral Cult.
We looked at how the College will run a curriculum marketing Benhayonist indoctrination, and how the cult’s upper rung of professionals plan to donate their teaching services to help recruit to the cult.
But it’s not all bad. Lately we’ve noticed the College was refused religious charity status, meaning it would have had less reporting obligations. It’s now classed by the ACNC as a charity for the advancement of education. The next step is the ACNC acknowledging the only advancement is to the Benhayon business interests, while ‘students’ Esoteric education has them regressing to new depths of witlessness.
Selective biography
Before we dismantle the charity’s dubious carryings on, it’s worth a look at Natalie Benhayon’s bio within the financial statements.
Natalie Benhayon-Director
Ms Benhayon is Co-presenter of the School of the Livingness, Universal Medicine. She is the former Coordinator of the worldwide project, e-Dreams. Ms Benhayon is also the Coordinator of UniKids, a worldwide program for children aged 0- 12 and the prior coordinator of an esoteric Youth Group program in NSW, Australia.
Aww, Sister Natalie the kid friendly, self-loving Esoteric missionary. Butter wouldn’t melt. Funny how it doesn’t mention Natalie’s directorships in Dad’s firm, or her quaint little company, Esoteric Women’s Health Pty Ltd, flogging breast massage, ovary massage and the Our-Cycles menstrual cycle app for blokes. E-dreams was an email dream interpreting racket, where Natalie put her AMAZING clair-scam-ience to service in siphoning a few more bob out of the gullible. We know about the Esoteric Youth Group program, where kids as young as 12 were pressured into group confessions on sexual activity, drug, alcohol and porn use, and to dob in their parents. However, UniKids shows up nowhere in the cult’s publicity, and is probably a new and sinister password protected addition to the pyramid scheme of abuse – exposing kids to inappropriate behaviours.
Charitable Activity?
Charging recipients
The Annual Information Statement for the year ending June 30, 2013 provides a link to the College’s audited financial statements with several items of interest:
Principal Activities
The Company operates the Esoteric Developers Group (EDG) events at Lennox Head, New South Wales, which are webcast nationally to locations in Perth WA, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and other locations. The EDG presentations are held approximately monthly and feature presentations in line with the Company’s objects.
One wonders if the ACNC is aware that EDG presentations are merely bu$iness as usual for UM. EDG was recently rebranded as the ‘Ageless Wisdom Teachings’, but they’re still promotional/ brainwashing events designed to ensure customers are so frightened of the Four Lords of Form and catching contagious cancer from having emotions they’ll keep hurling funds at money for nothing Esoteric products and services.
But UM’s shonky charity doesn’t just promote the Benhayon business, it’s charging for its charitable activities. The AIS also states it has no intention of changing the ‘way it pursues its charitable purposes’ this financial year.
The following recent UniMed event schedule shows the College’s charitable activity wedged between commercial presentations, with at least three separate points at which ‘students’ are charged:
P R O G R A M
This Saturday:
UNIVERSAL MEDICINE EVENTS:
True Movement / 11.30am – 12.30pm / Rego 1h before start.
No booking requiredLunch Break / 12.30pm – 1.15pm
The Way of the Livingness Presentation 11 / 1.15pm – 2.15pm / Rego 1/2h before start. For more Information and to book – click here
COLLEGE OF UNIVERSAL MEDICINE PRESENTS:
Ageless Wisdom Teachings / 2.30pm – 5.00pm / Rego 10 mins before start.
For more Information and to book – click hereUNIVERSAL MEDICINE EVENT:
The Relationship Group / 5.15pm – 6.15pm-ish / Rego 10 mins before start.
No booking required
We’re not sure of the fee for lurching around in ‘True Movement’, led by the good for nothing Benhayons, but students ‘invest’ $5 for the Way of the Livingness presentation.
Saturday 26th JULY 1.15pm – 2.15pm (NSW DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME)
Registration: 12.45pm to 1.10pm
Investment: $5 study.universalmedicine.com.au/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=357
Eager to bear witness to every hallowed utterance of ‘The One’, the faith-full then hang around for the other presentations, forking over a one off $35 ‘Library subscription’ for the Ageless Wisdom Teachings act of ‘charity’.
The AWT consists of 2 parts:
- A monthly 2-hour AWT Lecture meeting – hosted by Serge Benhayon and many other presenters in Northern NSW, Australia
- An online series of ‘News’ items and ‘Messages’ that are released periodically by the College of Universal Medicine with a section for humour, meditation, silliness and play-fullness…
You will need to be a subscriber to the AWT to be able to have access.
There is a one off ATW Library subscription fee of $35. The launch of the library will be announced shortly. coum.org/about-ageless-wisdom-teachings
They also pay to attend the AWT in person:
Payment of $15 AUS (£15 for UK-based AWT events) is to be made at event registration. coum.org/enrol-ageless-wisdom-teachings
And they’re slugged another $175 for an annual subscription to the audio recordings of the Way of the Livingness, for repeat listenings to the same crap Sergio has recycled through seven manifestos and at every presentation for years and years.
That’s not to mention the marketing of workshops, practitioner courses, retreats, music, self published sutras, symbol cards, and the routine hustling for donations at each event.
Again from the audited financial statements:
The purpose of the EDG events is to give people in all walks of life support and tools to deal with the increase of:
- (a) Stress;
- (b) Fatigue and exhaustion;
- (c) Pain;
- (d) Illness and disease; and
- (e) Conflict,
all of which are increasing across Australian society.
– especially among those afflicted by the Universal Medicine cult.
Conventional medical practitioners and specialists, complementary medicine practitioners and other persons in positions of community-service give presentations at the EDG events on a range of topics related to the Ancient Wisdom, including science, health, medicine, philosophy and other subjects within the objects of the Company.
The object of the Company is recruitment of donors. Sorry, ‘investors’.
Zero expenditure
Fiery Building Fund Money Grab Gauge
In addition, the Company is investing funds for the purpose of purchasing a school building for the purposes of furthering the educational objects of the Company once sufficient funds are raised.
Year ending June 30, 2013, income was $472,508. Expenditure was $1,167 on accountancy fees and postage stamps or something.
The total funds invested, carrying over from the previous year is $599,772 – to purchase the students’ ‘very own building‘. However, according to Serge’s highly skilled ‘editor’, Gabriel Conrad, the funds are for renovating the building Serge owns.
In order to get the College of Universal Medicine off the ground and make our very own building a reality, (approx.) $500 000 are needed initially to clad the space designated for healing courses, workshops and retreats and to provide toilets and parking. (Gabriele Conrad, email, June 2012)
In 2011, an anonymous student was more descriptive:
There is 1700 square metres of building – and only 5 minutes away from the Clinic. [Goonellabah NSW] The plan is to have 14-18 offices, and will ultimately be offering Home Hospice, an extended Clinic, and ultimately a College. In time it will be used for all our Retreats etc. The street no. is 37.
Serge presented that assistance is needed financially to get the ball rolling – and asked that we contribute in some way if we can and feel impulsed to do so, as we have done for the U.M. Brisbane Clinic. If we find that we are in a position to assist, the energy of donation will reward the kidneys. He mentioned that there will be free Retreats for cancer patients and for those experiencing illness or disease. (EDG notes, anonymous note taker, [believed to be Kathleen Baldwin] April 23, 2011)
Because renovating a multi millionaire’s commercial premises is the pinnacle of charitable acts.
The students will be given the opportunity to buy the thing they already bought from the Mercenary Messiah some time in the future, we suppose. That way he can cash out the asset he bought with their money and run business as usual without the inconvenience of rent or tax. But only if the students behave themselves and raise another $2.5M.
If anyone knows the whereabouts of the funds raised over the years the Benhayons were calling for donations to buy and renovate the Brisbane premises and then the College, drop us a line. What became of all of those ‘anonymous’ donations before the College was granted charitable status?
Was anyone issued a receipt?
At what point will the students wake up to the fact no member of the public is receiving any charity for the millions they’ve donated to the Benhayon’s business, here and in the UK?
It’s obvious who is benefiting from the College of Universal Medicine and Fiery Building Fund-raising, and it isn’t the public, as is the requirement for companies granted tax exempt status.
The College of UM is merely another of Serge Benhayon’s money for nothing scams.
Garnishing a Scam – marketing the tax exempt College of Universal Medicine
The College of UM – a hostile education
Universal Medicine CULT Exposed 
Esoteric charity is impressive, yes? Spend nothing and charge for it, in aid of a stricken millionaire con artist…
Is it any wonder the cult has resorted to calling me a sadist, a psychopath and a cyber-bully to deter us from scrutinizing their excruciatingly obvious cons?
The photo at the top of the page was removed from the Fiery Building Fund site shortly after I exposed it on the Accountability blog. What would the cult have to hide in that photo?
Ex College chairman (in perpetuity) Sergio out to the left appealing for $$$, and in his thrall, cult psychologist, Caroline Raphael, cult doctor, Jane Barker, cult lawyer, Paula not on the payroll Fletcher and down the back, Benhayon’s business partner and charity director, Desiree Delaloye – helping the flock buy their very own building with the title in his name.
Why did Serge quit as Chairman, and why is his role as guru in chief and prophet of the One Unified Truth being played down?
And did the CoUM not spend anything because their original plans when tits up with the exposure? They know we’d rip into the first whiff of conflicts of interest. Or do they?
The College can’t argue they’re confused about charity regulations/laws.
Not with Tricky Vicky, Victoria Lister, the not for profit and philanthropy consultant on board since at least 2008, and Brisbane barrister Charles Wilson as one of the directors from the outset.
His bio from the financial statements:
Charles Wilson – Director
Mr Wilson practises in commercial litigation at the private referral bar in Brisbane, Queensland. He formerly served on the Board of councillors of a small non-profit public educational foundation in an honorary position for 10 years. Mr Wilson holds degrees in Arts/Law from Sydney University and studied mediation at the Harvard Negotiation Institute at Harvard Law School.
WTF Charlie?
WTF?
Not to mention Charity Chairperson, Serryn O’Regan is also a lawyer.
No excuses.
I just tweeted this, but donors to this unholy scam ought to consider taking a class action against the College. It has not delivered on its charity or other promises.
Also those who donated to the purchase and renovation of the UM Brisbane clinic under the impression students would own that building.
Think about it.
You won’t get your money back any other way, and at the moment those funds are merely benefiting the Benhayon family of bullshitters and their parasitial cartel.
Imagine this.
You’re giving to a charity- let’s say World Vision, UN food relief, or maybe even a local number like the McGrath foundation- and you find out that your donation has done nothing but put fancy buildings on properties held in the name of directors and stakeholders?
You’d be pretty pissed off. How does anyone benefit from your benevolence? How does the landholder disentangle themselves from the investments made from donations into improving their assets? The answer is, you can’t.
If it was one of those charities, it would be both and media outrage and obvious even to UM members that things were not right. Even Victoria Lister would see a problem.
Yet, put the words “energetic integrity” in-front of it, and presto, there’s no problems at all.
CoUM are doing just that. It’s their clear and stated intention, and so far they’ve acted on it.
How, contributing UM members, will anyone be able to work out what belongs to the charity and what belongs to Serge? You can’t.
In a further slap in your face and as a reward for donating, once the building work is done, the charity needs to rent from Serge to have the privilege of being there. Doesn’t sound very charitable to me. Or the ACNC I bet.
The Brisbane clinic, co-owned by him and some other inner members has precisely the same set up. You’ve given (anonymous or otherwise) donations so Serge and Penny can co-own a nice property in Brisbane. Neat. But of no benefit to anyone, except those guys who get to run their business out of the property.
The co-opted UK Sound Foundation (nothing to do with UM apparently) suffers the same internal conflict of interest.
Of course, Serge could sell the properties to the charity, or god-forbid, GIVE them to the charity. But I wouldn’t be holding my breath. The charity could also do something charitable- which does involve giving money away- so of course that is as likely as Serge being the reincarnation of Leonardo DaVinci, so let’s just forget that one.
As with all things UM, it is one set of rules for the astral cult, who have just regular integrity to deal with, and another for UM, Serge and the bedazzled members, who have special turbo charge “esoteric integrity” which has it’s own rules.
I am guessing that the board members have bought some big picture charity idea that only makes sense to the faithful. Otherwise it is hard to imagine that people like Charles Wilson would sit on a board and not see the obvious conflict of interest right before them.
But then, that’s the vexing thing about UM members. Everything they do is exactly the opposite to what they say. And they are I think, truly unaware of it, so preoccupied are they with the fantasy world that Serge has immersed them in.