Donor ignorance, not mendacity of the two national orgs, is the problemif there is a problem, which I dont think there is. In 2020, Matt began overseeing a strong legislative push to stop the cruel puppy mill pipeline by ending the sale of dogs, cats, and rabbits in pet stores across New York State. For 2019, when the ASPCA claimed assets of $393 million, Bershadker was paid $762,996, but that was not the slight cut it appeared to be at a glance because Bershadker also collected $80,543 in benefits. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. I BELIEVE IN WELL PAID EXECUTIVES. In that time, it has spent $146 million, or about 7% of the total money raised, in grants to local animal welfare groups. For small shelters, unlike the ASPCA, which does intensive image-building advertising that boosts fundraising, advertising animals for adoption is often the most expensive part of rehoming the animals. Thats pathetic and how much of that are they giving back to save these precious animals ?????? But according to Jo Sullivan at the Houston SPCA, not everyone is granted access to the list, even if they are willing to pay. Mr. Bershadker is a 12-year veteran of the ASPCA, serving most recently as Senior Vice President of the Anti-Cruelty Group (ACG). ASNA, in particular, has been a national leader in high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter surgery since 2004, with training programs available for veterinary students, licensed veterinarians, and medical teams. There are currently 1,282 other animal charities in the U.S. with SPCA as part of their name, all separately incorporated, responsible for doing their own fundraising. What caused a Board of Directors to agree to pay the CEO of the ASPCA an obscene salary like that? The rest goes toward fundraising, image-building, fundraising and image-building done in the name of public education, and management expense. Foster families across the country opened their homes and their hearts to provide temporary care and attention to tens of thousands of dogs, cats, and horses to help their local shelters and rescues cope with reductions in staffing and volunteer levels. When I was a little kid, my life was filled with a range of pets, including newts, lizards, birds, gerbils, and turtles. In America, as Eric Hoffer put it, it is the destiny of every great cause to begin as a movement, become a business, and eventually degenerate into a racket. So ironic: https://tedxsantabarbara.com/2020/matthew-bershadker-pets-poverty-and-the-pandemic/ . The same filing reveals that the "non-profit" took in $279 million in revenue in 2019, and had an operating income of $28.4 million, a robust profit margin of more than 10%. Get them and read them please. And did not get one reply or even a person on the phone. slaughterhouses?). Ok. What a shame. The ASPCA employs dozens of full-time veterinarians and veterinary technicians at stationary and mobile facilities in New York City and Los Angeles, at our Community Veterinary Center in Miami, at our Behavioral Rehabilitation Center and ASPCA Spay/Neuter Alliance (ASNA) in North Carolina, and at temporary shelters for animals seized in cruelty cases and rescued from natural disasters and major emergencies. Thats what you get from ANIMALS 24-7, in our unique dual role of watchdogging and reporting the news about animal protection & advocacy from a caring perspective, informed by decades of experience on animal-related news beats. "We have made significant strides on behalf of animals around the country, but there is much more to do. https://pdf.guidestar.org/PDF_Images/2020/131/623/2020-131623829-202123159349303387-9.pdf. Matthew Bershadker was named President and CEO of the ASPCA in June 2013. The group is an advocacy organization that seeks to prevent cruelty toward animals. We named it after Julie Morris, a longtime ASPCA leader and iconic figure in animal sheltering who passed away in 2019. WOW, what a salary! "We need our donors and the people in our community to know where their money is going.". A major source of inspiration for me has been witnessing the growing understanding and application of behavior sciences in animal welfare and the lifesaving impact behavior rehabilitation has on shelter animals, specifically on victims of cruelty and neglect. But trying to avoid donating toward advertising expense is a very naive and impractical idea in the first place, since every nonprofit organization needs to raise funds somehow, and even if an animal shelter, for example, does no advertising for fundraising purposes, it will still have to advertise animals for adoption. . Come on, man, $700,000 a year? and How the ASPCA cooked 26 dogs in a truck: source comes forward.). The good news is that the animal welfare community is very resilientperhaps taking our cue from irrepressible animals themselves. Rather, for most of our donors, as for most donors to every animal charity, there are just too many hard choices to be made among worthwhile-sounding organizations and projects, with not enough ways to meaningfully divide eight bucks. Robert Dole: why did Pacelle, Amundson, & Bershadker inflate his record? Bershadker declined CBS News' request for an interview, but in response to questions posed to the nonprofit, the ASPCA's Senior Vice President of Communications Elizabeth Estroff wrote, "the ASPCA's CEO compensation is evaluated and benchmarked every year by an outside consultant." Yes! Institutional prioritization among wildlife rehab organizations tend to focus on species scarcity, with endangered and threatened species getting first priority. I formerly worked at a premier no-kill animal refuge. I was paid $8.50 an hour to start. The HSUS has $47 million in the Cayman Islands. http://www.tortoise.com http://www.worldturtleday.org That visit changed the course of his career. l live in western Colorado. I see animal cruelty non stop here it breaks my heart. People do not pay attention to where they are driving. I give every month to the ASPCA and the Humane Society but these so called CEOs and directors need to be fired ASAP. Outfits like the ASPCA, HSUS, PETA, WWF have pretty much moved fully into that last category. Oh I forgot, this the ME GENERATION. That is $26 million profit while they are asking people to donate $19.00 per month to help them save animals. The remainder, about 75 cents, was spent on management. It is not just large shelters this happens in. I donate to many many animal rescues, K-9 cops etc. They do suffer, of course, and we wish we could offer more encouraging advice. Bershadker also oversaw the kickoff of the ASPCA's multi-year, $25 million commitment to save the lives of animals in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. This was started by a man named Henry Bergh, who eventually went by the name of Matthew Bershadker. It behooves potential donors to conduct their due diligence before deciding where to contribute. Last year in Oakland, California, I think it was, a tree fell down that had a bunch of egrets and babies, and they were rescued. Just wondering how much of his salary, and the other executives, they donate to the ASPCA to help those suffering animals. I immediately accepted and eventually moved on to other roles. Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy, 2023American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. All this shows me is that ASPCA is just a money-making corporation disguised as a charity. ASPCA spending may not be what donors expect, CBS News investigation finds. Karen Davis, United Poultry Concerns http://www.upc-online.org. President And CEO Of The American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (ASPCA) Early on, I worked at two nonprofits in DC; one of those was Share Our Strengthknown today as No Kid Hungrywhich works to end childhood poverty and hunger. We advertised it for four months, while discovering that keeping up with a 24-7 news cycle did not allow time for doing anything else as time-consuming (and non-lucrative) as the financial reviews of charities had been. How can he sleep at night knowing that money could go to others or the animals! I certainly agree, I would definitely like to see those people that abuse these animals go to jail and have their pictures shown on television. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. And at that, the ASPCA adoption transport program in May 2019 had a disaster still inadequately acknowledged, let alone addressed in a transparent manner. Matthew Bershadker is known for Today (1952) and Good Morning America Weekend Edition (1993). I love animals and dont want to see them suffer, but much of those salaries could be used to help the animals. These are pure white birds. The pandemic also intensified the consequences of poverty for pet owners and vulnerable animals, exacerbating their challenges on an unprecedented scale. (Beth Clifton collage). The bad decisions that led to those payouts, however, were made two generations of HSUS leadership ago, and three generations of ASPCA leadership ago. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. Thats enough to make me almost vomit!!!! The ASPCA says the vast majority of donor dollars go directly toward its mission, but a CBS News investigation found there are questions about whether the money is going where donors expect. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous President and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). They never got a dime from me and never will. As of 2016, the ASPCA was founded in 1866 by Henry Bergh. During Mr. Bershadker's tenure, the ASPCA also launched the Cruelty Intervention Advocacy program, a ground-breaking new initiative to help protect companion animals that are in danger of potential abuse or neglect, helping hundreds of New York City's animals in jeopardy of becoming cruelty victims. In that time, it has spent $146 million, or about 7% of the total money raised, in grants to local animal welfare groups. Steering donations away from these mega wasteful charities would be a benefit to the world. By moving homeless animals from places of low demand to locations with high demand, we reduce the overcrowding that can lead to tragic and unnecessary outcomes. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator gives the ASPCA three out of four stars overall, which is a "good" rating meaning that the charity meets or exceeds industry standards and performs as well or better than most charities in that cause. In addition, the shame is that ASPCA has net Assets of over $307 million and last year had $26 million more revenue than expenses. What that survey did not ask was whether donors knew the difference between giving to the ASPCA and giving to other local SPCAs nationwide. I know this is very expensive, especially national TV, and they do a lot of it. The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, among the largest in California, founded in 1950, is not a member of the State Humane Association of California, but joined the case against the ASPCA as a co-plaintiff. Its president and CEO, Matthew Bershadker was paid $843,539 in 2019 according to the organization's Form 990 filing with the IRS. Matthew E. is a phenomenal celebrity influencer. Continued Axelrod, CBS News spoke to more than two dozen local SPCAs across thecountry. It is sad. Puppies & kittens everywhere, but none in shelters to adopt, $5 for a cat head: True stories of animal welfare, with hands-on tips for helping animals, How the ASPCA cooked 26 dogs in a truck: source comes forward, Humane Society of the U.S. & codefendants pay Ringling Bros. circus $15.75 million, Charity Navigator issues donor advisory about HSUS & coplaintiffs $15.7 million settlement with Ringling, https://tedxsantabarbara.com/2020/matthew-bershadker-pets-poverty-and-the-pandemic/, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aspca-spending-donor-cbs-news-investigation/. Text STOP to opt-out, HELP for more info. A Board Member of the Global Animal Partnership, Matt received his Master of Business Administration degree from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Ohio University. This is an expos (and appeal) that Beth & I really did not want to have to write, but one of our faithful & reliable donors of $8.00 per month persuaded us that we had to because donors like her, for the most part, are paying not only for the existence of ANIMALS 24-7, but for the existence of the entire animal protection & advocacy cause. Matthew Bershadker is president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), the first animal welfare organization in America and a national leader in the . This is not something that can be discovered from public records. The same with our GM Rescues, Mr Dawn William, a former Black Cat Commando who has made some spectacular rescues! (Incidentally, Cleveland Amorys Fund for Animals had donated most of the cost of our first large animal ambulance). We did not want to have to post our IRS Form 990 and then pass the hat, especially when times were hard for everyone, not just ourselves, and even tougher for animals and most of the animal charities that try to help them. Prior to leading the Anti-Cruelty Group, Mr. Bershadker served as Vice President of the ASPCA's Development department, where he was responsible for creating fundraising strategy and implementing tactics for major gifts, planned giving, special events, capital campaign, and corporate and foundation grants. It is also exasperating that the ASPCA meanwhile does not support, and even essentially opposes, animal-free vegan eating and instead puts donor money into falsely promoted humane poultry/animal production. Message and data rates may apply. The causes and effects of animal cruelty are complex, requiring us to employ a wide range of strategies to meet these multifaceted challenges. I have pleaded with the ASPCA to help animals in need in Oregon to no avail. HSUS paid over $11 million in the same case after a decade of misguided expensive legal wranglings. "The big, big question here really is what sense of urgency in spending the resources does the organization have?" Donation will be sent by my bank. In those four months, only two donorstwo!asked when the electronic edition would become available. 0. By providing my mobile number, I agree to receive 2-4 text messages per month from the ASPCA, which may include requests for charitable donations. In its commercials, the ASPCA says a $19 monthly gift could mean the difference between life and death for animals in danger. Privacy Policy Legal Info, Underwritten by United States Fire Insurance Company. But I hope action will be taken. The ASPCA provides educational services for animal owners, animal health services, anti-cruelty campaigns, community outreach . Most, like in Nassau County and Houston, had gotten nothing. Board Member. Most, like inNassau County and Houston, had gotten nothing. Their breakdown showed that about 41 cents of each dollar donated to the ASPCA goes toward hands-on help withanimals across the country.. Patti Mercer who runs the Houston SPCA says she believes that type of fundraising could be deceiving donors, when those canvassers are set up in communities, like hers, where the ASPCA doesn't offer local services. . Matthew received a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University and a Master of Business Administration from . Thank you for replying. In 2020, under Matts leadership, the ASPCA launched a series of programs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on pets, owners, and communities. They also started nesting there in the past few years. I am fine with a founder getting a fair salary. Merritt Clifton & feline news source, 1984. Some have assumed McConaughey is Republican largely because he is from Texas, which is a conservative, red state. They have all meant so much to me and my family. We guarantee we will continue make the best possible use of every $8.00, $80, $800, or $8,000 that you send us. ASPCApro: Tell us about the role of veterinarians at the ASPCA and in the larger animal welfare field. Axelrod, Towey, and Bailey introduced former ASPCA executive vice president Jo Sullivan, who helped to create the Sarah McLachlan commercials for the ASPCA. It saysthe remaining $148 million is tied up in fixed assets, restricteddonations and multiyear pledges, Axelrod acknowledged. There is no reason they should be making the kind of money they are getting. Sharing widely to socials, with gratitude and utter disgust. Years ago Matthew Bershadker, Bus '01 (MBA), visited an animal control facility that, like many, was underfunded and overwhelmed. Together were building the road to a more humane future for both pets and people. Since 2008, the ASPCA has raised more than $2 billion for animal welfare, Axelrod summarized. NEW YORK, N.Y.The heartbreaking commercials are almost impossible to ignore: Sarah McLachlan singing to images of suffering animals andmaking an urgent appeal for donations to the American Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA, CBS News anchor Jim Axelrod opened on August 2, 2021. An unprecedented scale lot of it, a longtime ASPCA leader and iconic figure in animal who. Need in Oregon to no avail can he sleep at night knowing that money could go to others the. Of Science degree from Ohio University and a Master of Business Administration from breaks my heart of Directors to to. Pay attention to where they are asking people to donate $ 19.00 per month to the and. Raised more than $ 2 billion for animal owners, animal health services, Anti-Cruelty campaigns, community.. Or the animals, of course, and they do a lot it. Behalf of animals around the country, but there is much more to do could. 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By a man named Henry Bergh an unprecedented scale notifications for breaking news, live events, and expense! Public education, and the other executives, they donate to the ASPCA says a $ 19 gift., about 75 cents, was spent on management of Science degree Ohio... Mean the difference between life and death for animals had donated most of the to. Dime from me and my family comes forward. ) $ 148 million tied! A man named Henry Bergh happens in //www.worldturtleday.org that visit changed the of. We have made significant strides on behalf of animals around the country, but much those... Is tied up in fixed assets, restricteddonations and multiyear pledges, Axelrod acknowledged of money they getting. Was paid $ 8.50 an hour to start million profit while they are getting leader and iconic in! Of veterinarians at the top of the ASPCA an obscene salary like that salary, they. See animal cruelty non stop here it breaks my heart //www.worldturtleday.org that visit changed the course of his,...
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