I’m interested in donating some money to a charity that helps animals. I’ve adopted a couple of animals from the Performing Animal Welfare Society, and I feel they do a good job from what I’ve read (Give.org). But, I’m interested in finding a second charity. I think they Animal Legal Defense Fund sounds like a good charity (I like the idea of working to help animals through strong animal welfare legislation), but the president of the organization makes around $86,000, which sounds kind of high for a charity. Am I wrong about that?
Please keep in mind that I’m not interested in donating to any of the more extreme organizations. I’m not anti-PETA or anything, but I’m more interested in supporting animal-welfare groups as opposed to groups fighting for animal-rights.
Please keep in mind that I’m not interested in debating the merrits or animal rights, animal welfare, human rights, etc. I just want to know which are some of the most reputable, best run animal charities around. Thanks!
Please allow me to direct this thread to alohaaloha’s attention. As director of Silicon Valley’s Animal Control Authority she will be able to give you some excellent suggestions. I will have an email waiting with a link provided for her when she wakes up this morning.
Of course, local shelters such as the Asheville Humane Society can always use individual donations as well. (While I certainly wouldn’t mind your donating to our organization, you might want to find out whether your local animal welfare organization is a decent one).
$86,000 annually doesn’t sound too high for the director’s salary in a large organization, especially if they’re based in a metropolitan area such as DC – is that where the Defense Fund is based? Instead of looking at their director’s salary, you may be better off looking at their overhead versus program expenses: the Better Business Bureau recommends that a nonprofit’s overhead comprise no more than 35% of their total budget, and animal welfare organizations average overhead expenses of around 13-14% of their budget, according to a recent article in the Charlotte Observor.
There are shelters out there that are run entirely by volunteers, so that if the idea of paying a directors salary turns you off, I would look into one of them. I am not sure if you are interested in donating to an actual shelter, or to a larger group?
There are many small rescues that do a lot of work, who pay all expenses out of their own pockets. Donations are always very appreciated. Some have programs set up where you can sponser a specific animal, or just make a general donation for food and vet care.
Well, I don’t mind people getting paid, I just expect them to get a relatively low salary. I’m not trying to sound idealistic, but I expect the people who work there, especially at the top, to be there for a reason other than salary. The Pres. of the Humane Society of America (which is not connected with your local branch of the Humane Society!) makes over a quarter-of-a-million dollars a year; I find that to be outrageous, especially considering that 35% of the money they make goes either to fund raising or administrative costs. Maybe the $86,000 the head of the Animal Legal Defense Fund isn’t so bad…
Also, many purebred breed clubs have rescue programs that would be very worthy causes, you can link to the breed club rescue sites here: AKC Breed Club Rescue
Well, the AKC may do some good works, but there are a number of animal rescue volunteers that are furious with them because they think they could do more to prevent puppy mills.
But I do applaud the idea of breed rescue. There may be some in your area.
The genius of breed rescue is this: They put the “rescued” dogs in a foster home with owners who KNOW and LOVE the breed. They care deeply about the animals, and will not place one out ofr permanent adoption unless they think they’ve made a good fit. And if there are any problems, they will take the dog back. They completely bypass the shelter system, relieving a burden on those resources. And they never put a good dog down.
I know a lot of people in the basset rescue network across the country. Such incredibly generous, dedicated people. A bit crazy, some of them, but they’ve got huge hearts. Donations go for vet bills, usually, and sometimes some food/supply support for some foster dogs.
Although it’s true that you’d hope national organizations to be headed by folks who will accept low salaries, there’s a danger in looking too far in the other direction: when you pay too little, you find that the job gets applicants with more passion than skill or experience. Spend a little time in the animal welfare field, and you’ll appreciate the need for more skill and experience in leadership positions :). (On top of which, the dreadfully low pay in the nonprofit field is a major reason for burnout and high turnover: paying workers a living wage ought to be a priority for any nonprofit that includes compassion and/or respect for human dignity in their mission. But that’s just my pet peeve).
The 35% of their budget in overhead areas of the HSUS is more alarming to me than the salary of any individual worker. That may be because they’re more of an educational/administrative organization: while individual aimal welfare groups aren’t under the authority of HSUS, we do use them liberally as a resource, calling them for information, for networking (as in, “We just seized thirty llamas in a cruelty case; can you point us toward a reputable animal sanctuary that can care for llamas?”), and for training. It’d be interesting to delve into how much of their overhead might be classified as program if you consider their networking services as program. I dunno.
If you really want to look at Director salaries, I’d suggest you contact SAWA, the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators. They publish statistics on salaries in the field, I believe, and can probably get you some benchmark figures to use in your comparisons.
I contribute to the Humane Society of the US on a monthly basis, but would suggest you consider your local animal shelters as well. Additionally, we give used clothing/household items when the animal groups leave bags on our door - happens all the time, and it’s an easy way to help our furry friends and clean out our closets.
CPA hat on: These contributions are deductible for tax purposes, of course.
