NO KILL LEHIGH VALLEY
No animal should die just because it's homeless.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Margaret Mead
Contact us at nokill.lehighvalley@yahoo.com
Charitable Giving
Did you know . . .
Less than 1% of all money donated to charities in the U.S. goes to animal related charities - and that includes environmental groups.
Each dollar donated is, therefore, very precious.
That is why it is so important that the money received by animal service charities is well spent.
Animal People newspaper has developed guidelines to help potential donors make informed decisions about charitable giving. You can search their archives at www.animalpeoplenews.org. We have adopted their principles and present them here.
The standard of the Wise Giving Alliance (formed by a merger of the Philanthropic Advisory Service of the Council of Better Business Bureaus with the National Charities Information Bureau) states that charities should spend 65% of their budgets on programs, excluding direct mail appeals. They and Animal People believe that an ethical animal protection charity should avoid keeping more than twice the annual operating budget of the charity in economic reserves, including investment accounts and reserved assests of subsidies.
Animal People believes that animal protection charities should commit the overwhelming volume of their resources to animal protection work other than fundraising, administration, and maintenance of reserve funds.
Animal people views as inherently unethical the use of legal action to silence criticism. All non profit charities and their officers, directors and management should view themselves as operating under public scrutiny, for the public benefit.
How do you decide to whom to send your money? If you are like most people you have a few favorite charities that seem to be doing the right thing and you respond to well worded direct mail campaigns. Like most people, you probably don't research the fiscal status of the groups to whom you donate. If you did, you might be surprised. Here are some examples.
The ASPCA, located in N.Y.C., but advertising and appealing for funds nationally , runs an adoption center and clinic in Manhatten. It is not associated with any local SPCAs nor does it oversee them or provide them with any funding. It has a budget of $45,429,824.00 and has assets of $72,080,341.
The Humane Society of the U.S., headquartered in Washington, D.C., does not operate any shelters or in any other way care for animals directly. It does do worthy things like, opposing hunting, providing humane education and lobbying. It does not directly contribute to any other Humane Societies, nor does it oversee their operations. It's yearly budget is $70,306,473.00 and its assets total $111,021,299.00, making it the wealthiest animal charity in America.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals opposes the No Kill movement and Trap/Neuter /Return of feral cats. While they fight for the life of farm animals and laboratory rats, they do not support efforts to save the lives of dogs and cats. ( I know this sounds incredible, but I have talked to their representatives personally and it is true.) They not only call for the deaths of dogs and cats in shelters, they kill them themselves - about 2000 a year. In 2005, 2 PETA employees were charged with 30 counts of felony animal cruelty in North Carolina after investigators found that they were killing animals they had taken from vets offices and other sources, supposedly to adopt them out, and then throwing the bodies in a shopping mall dumpster.
Their yearly budget is $26,596,090 and their assets amount to $22,424,824.00.
You can reasearch the financial status of any non-profit with an income of over $25,000.00 a year by going to www.guidestar.org. Log in using nklv@webspawner.com password: animals.
We recommend that charity begins at home and that local groups caring directly for animals in your community should be top priority when it comes to charitable donations.
We also recommend that you get to know your local charities. Who is doing what for the animals in your community? What programs do they offer? How much extra effort do they put into the adoption program? How hard are they working to save lives?
To see our review of local charities and their fiscal situation click on www.webspawner.com/users/nklv, go to the drop down menu at the top and click on Local Animal Charities.
Finally, we highly recommend that you contact Animal People newspaper and request a copy of their Watchdog Report on 126 Animal Protection Charities in America and abroad. You owe it to yourself, and the animals, to be informed.
Less than 1% of all money donated to charities in the U.S. goes to animal related charities - and that includes environmental groups.
Each dollar donated is, therefore, very precious.
That is why it is so important that the money received by animal service charities is well spent.
Animal People newspaper has developed guidelines to help potential donors make informed decisions about charitable giving. You can search their archives at www.animalpeoplenews.org. We have adopted their principles and present them here.
The standard of the Wise Giving Alliance (formed by a merger of the Philanthropic Advisory Service of the Council of Better Business Bureaus with the National Charities Information Bureau) states that charities should spend 65% of their budgets on programs, excluding direct mail appeals. They and Animal People believe that an ethical animal protection charity should avoid keeping more than twice the annual operating budget of the charity in economic reserves, including investment accounts and reserved assests of subsidies.
Animal People believes that animal protection charities should commit the overwhelming volume of their resources to animal protection work other than fundraising, administration, and maintenance of reserve funds.
Animal people views as inherently unethical the use of legal action to silence criticism. All non profit charities and their officers, directors and management should view themselves as operating under public scrutiny, for the public benefit.
How do you decide to whom to send your money? If you are like most people you have a few favorite charities that seem to be doing the right thing and you respond to well worded direct mail campaigns. Like most people, you probably don't research the fiscal status of the groups to whom you donate. If you did, you might be surprised. Here are some examples.
The ASPCA, located in N.Y.C., but advertising and appealing for funds nationally , runs an adoption center and clinic in Manhatten. It is not associated with any local SPCAs nor does it oversee them or provide them with any funding. It has a budget of $45,429,824.00 and has assets of $72,080,341.
The Humane Society of the U.S., headquartered in Washington, D.C., does not operate any shelters or in any other way care for animals directly. It does do worthy things like, opposing hunting, providing humane education and lobbying. It does not directly contribute to any other Humane Societies, nor does it oversee their operations. It's yearly budget is $70,306,473.00 and its assets total $111,021,299.00, making it the wealthiest animal charity in America.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals opposes the No Kill movement and Trap/Neuter /Return of feral cats. While they fight for the life of farm animals and laboratory rats, they do not support efforts to save the lives of dogs and cats. ( I know this sounds incredible, but I have talked to their representatives personally and it is true.) They not only call for the deaths of dogs and cats in shelters, they kill them themselves - about 2000 a year. In 2005, 2 PETA employees were charged with 30 counts of felony animal cruelty in North Carolina after investigators found that they were killing animals they had taken from vets offices and other sources, supposedly to adopt them out, and then throwing the bodies in a shopping mall dumpster.
Their yearly budget is $26,596,090 and their assets amount to $22,424,824.00.
You can reasearch the financial status of any non-profit with an income of over $25,000.00 a year by going to www.guidestar.org. Log in using nklv@webspawner.com password: animals.
We recommend that charity begins at home and that local groups caring directly for animals in your community should be top priority when it comes to charitable donations.
We also recommend that you get to know your local charities. Who is doing what for the animals in your community? What programs do they offer? How much extra effort do they put into the adoption program? How hard are they working to save lives?
To see our review of local charities and their fiscal situation click on www.webspawner.com/users/nklv, go to the drop down menu at the top and click on Local Animal Charities.
Finally, we highly recommend that you contact Animal People newspaper and request a copy of their Watchdog Report on 126 Animal Protection Charities in America and abroad. You owe it to yourself, and the animals, to be informed.
