Irish Cancer Society CEO John McCormack has said he will take a salary cut of €10,000 and regrets the decision to close the hardship scheme for families of children with cancer.
Mr McCormack said he was very conscious of families' hardship but the society did not think it was in a position to keep the service.
However as the decision caused public outcry, it has been partially reversed and will be maintained.
Asked if he thought his reduced salary of €135,000 was justified, Mr McCormack said it was.
He added that he gets a 16% pension contribution on top of the salary along with a company car.
He knew it had caused a lot of upset but he insisted they were batting on behalf of people.
Head of Finance for the charity Niamh Ní Chonghaile said 72% of every euro donated goes on services and they were happy with that return.
She also said they looked at the cost of fundraising all the time.
She said the society's headquarters in Dublin 4 was worth €12m. Asked if they might sell the building, she said it was good in terms of access.
Cash reserves stand at €8.5m which is around 4.7 months of expenditure. This is below the €10m target for the society as per industry guidelines.
They were speaking at the launch of daffodil day 2016 which will take place on 11 March.
Mr McCormack said they hoped people would not be reluctant to donate after the controversy.
The Head of Services at the Irish Cancer Society has said that the society could, potentially, be looking for further payroll savings.
Donal Buggy described Mr McCormack's salary as substantial, but told RTÉ's Six One that senior salaries have been public for some time, adding that the society prides itself on transparency.
It had been a difficult week for the society but more importantly it was a difficult week for cancer patients and their families, Mr Buggy added.
Mr Buggy stressed the society relies almost entirely on individual donations and retains six month reserves to deliver its services. He said the society used its reserves to fund 2015 deficits.
