When I was thinking of a nonprofit that I would like to support, my thought was something along the lines of an animal shelter. I volunteer at an animal shelter and I see that the animals and the people who take care of them would benefit from more help. Help not only in terms of more volunteers, but more money. So I looked into animal nonprofits, and found some interesting information that I would like to share.
As seen from this infographic, the category of environment/animals is the second lowest group given philanthropic dollars. The need for donations in the issue area of animals is strong. The piece of information that I thought was interesting though, and which made me change my mind on what nonprofit I wanted to support, is that the giving for animal issues if disproportionate to the needs of animals. “Of animals used and killed by humans in the United States, over 99.6% are farmed animals...and [only] 0.03% are companion animals. However, about 66% of donations to animal charities in the United States go to companion animal shelters...and just 0.8% of donations go specifically to farmed animal organizations(source)." As you can see, it is farm animals that suffer the most. But over half of the donations go to shelters. While all forms of animal suffering should not be tolerated, the biggest need for help is not for companion animals, but for farm animals.
What I appreciated about Animal Welfare Institute is that they not only aim to alleviate pain and suffering of farm animals, but of animals in laboratories, marine animals, wild animals, and companion animals. As stated before, farm animals suffer from the most pain; but no animals should suffer from any undue pain inflicted by people. AWI seeks to make this true. For the farm animals, they advocate for better, more humane farming practices. The AWI “supports solid enforcement of existing welfare laws, and promotes replacement of cruel practices with compassionate husbandry and humane slaughter methods(source, page 11)." And as stated before, besides aiming to alleviate farm animal suffering, the AWI also helps to alleviate the suffering and pain of all other types of animals. They do this through, for example, aiming to reform brutal methods of capturing and killing wildlife, protecting companion animals from cruelty and violence, and encouraging the development and implementation of alternatives to experimentation on live animals.
Animal Welfare Institute is accountable and transparent. They have a 93 out of 100 rating on Charity Navigator; with a score of 90 in finances and a score of 100 in accountability and transparency. This shows through their website. They put out an annual report every year that summarizes what they have accomplished. In every report there is a section for each of the aspects of animal suffering they help to alleviate, explaining the change that occurred and what the AWI did to help bring about that change. In the report, they also have a list of speeches and meetings that AWI staff participated in or attended. They put out an annual financial statement and share their latest annual information return (Form 990) on file with the IRS on their website.
Their annual reports showcase specific examples of what the AWI has accomplished. The following examples are taken from their 2016 and 2017 annual reports. Due to the testimony and outreach efforts by AWI’s Dr. Naomi Rose, The California Coastal Commission approved of a permit on SeaWorld ending its captive orca breeding program—a move that would inevitably lead to the end of orca exhibition in the state. January 2017 brought in a new Congress. Therefore, the legislative team of the AWI met with all new members of Congress and their staffs in order to introduce them to AWI and discuss animal welfare issues. Among the AWI-supported bills introduced or reintroduced that year include The Humane Cosmetics Act; which is an act that aims to phase out animal-based testing for cosmetic products and sale of such products in the United States. The AWI established an online discussion group, called the Laboratory Animal Refinement and Enrichment Forum, open to animal care personnel and researchers who have first-hand experience in the care of animals kept in laboratories. The forum facilitates the exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences about ways to improve the conditions under which animals in laboratories are housed and handled. Many more examples of what the AWI has done can be found in their annual reports.
Animal Welfare Institute is an accountable and effective nonprofit that aims to alleviate the suffering of animals inflicted by people. Animals are sentient beings and should be treated humanely, with respect and compassion.
Hey Ann,
ReplyDeleteLike Sara, animal welfare is a very important issue to me and is the reason I decided to become a vegan. I come from a rural town in New Jersey and I am surrounded by dairy farms and Angus cattle. Therefore, this made me grow up with an idealistic view of the treatment of farm animals because the small farms near me did not use the inhumane treatment seen in industrialized farming. However, after watching documentaries on the corrupt practices used in these factories, I have realized how extensive this problem really is. If this issue area resonates with anyone or if you would like to learn more about it, I would highly recommend watching the documentary “Food Inc.” The documentary exposes the terrible living conditions that factory, farm animals like cows, pigs, and chickens have to endure. After watching this documentary and many others like it, I began to volunteer at an animal sanctuary near my house that has rescued many animals from slaughterhouses or other farms where they were being mistreated. The main thing I learned from this sanctuary was the lack of awareness surrounding the mistreatment of farm animals. The people running the sanctuary often have a hard time finding volunteers or getting enough donations to support the farm because many people do not realize that farm animal abuse is a prominent issue. Sadly, as you mentioned, most of the money towards improving animal welfare is put towards companion animals because the issue is more personal to a greater amount of people. Many pet owners humanize their companion animal, and some often refer to their pet as part of the family. However, this is much less common with farm animals and creates a wider gap between them and humans. I feel like this is the reason why they do not get as much help as they should and results in the blind acceptance of inhumane farming practices.
Therefore, I really like how AWI takes this into account and focuses on the well-being of animals that are normally forgotten. Because animals do not have the ability to advocate for themselves, I believe it is extremely vital for organizations like AWI to have a voice for them. I am very glad you wrote about this organization because I have never heard about it, but it seems to be very trustworthy and effective. After going through the links and reading about AWI I would be very happy to donate to this organization! Thank you for this post!
If anyone wants to check out the Animal Sanctuary’s website in NJ and possibly sponsor an animal, here is the link -(http://skylandssanctuary.org/meet-the-animals/)!
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for bringing to light an issue that we have not touched upon much as a class. I have always had a soft heart for animals and you would find me reading animal books everyday throughout elementary school. The organization presented looks extremely good and effective.
I would like to bring to light an aspect of their financials that I found rather interesting. Looking at their expenses chart from their 2017 annual report, it says that they only pay $77,365 in salaries for all of their management (MGMT & General column). For an organization that deals with multi-million dollar budgets, how is it possible that their management salary is below the cost of what could be 1 or 2 person's annual salary? This could be an area to look into, as its primary cost under "program services" is to salaries--to which I initially thought was suspicious, but would understand if their primary employees are veterinarians and animal specialists who provide a costly service. However, the extremely low cost of management salary still is quite surprising to me. I hope that this organization is being managed by persons who take a very small check (perhaps being very rich already) or that they are spectacular at cost-cutting in their management division. The other option is that they may have a gray area when it comes to salaries for "management" and salaries for actual "program services." Food for thought.
Hi Ann
ReplyDeleteI was happy to see that someone chose a charity that supports animal welfare because it is a cause that often gets overlooked. While I am sure many people do care about the well-being of animals, organizations that fight and advocate for more humane practices for animals do not receive the same donations that other organizations do. I think this may be for a number of reasons. First, I have always been an advocate for animal welfare but, until reading your post, I had no idea that it was farm animals that receive significant neglect with not a lot of advocacy for donations. Most of my donations and support for animals has been for local animal shelters or as you said, companion animals. For many of us when we think animal abuse, we think about our own cats and dogs suffering, rather than a cow or pig in an industrial farm factory. As a result, if people are inclined to support animal welfare, they are most likely putting their donation towards companion animals when more harsher abuses exist in agriculture. Second, in the United States, it is reported that only about 2% of Americans are vegetarian(http://veganbits.com/vegan-demographics-2017/). Because much of the country’s population consumes pork, beef, chicken, eggs, and other dairy products, maybe it can be assumed that most Americans are interested in animal welfare in theory, but not in practice, since it’s part of the status-quo of our society to consume meat. Finally, when choosing an organization to donate to, many people put their money towards other significant causes such as medical research, education, poverty, etc. Issue areas such as these are very important to help people while animal welfare focuses on animals. Even though humans are animals too, people, such as myself, are probably more likely to donate to causes such as these because it may be more in touch with their values and they feel like they are making more of a difference.
What many people don't realize is that the inhumane practices of farm animals impacts us more than we know. On AWI’s Annual Report they discuss a demand for truth in labeling. More and more producers of meat and dairy products are labeling their packages with words such as “natural”, “free-range, “hormone-free”, “cage-free” and other generalized, non-specific terms. This can be very misleading for consumers, especially if they are paying higher prices for these supposed “healthier” products. Hopefully, donations to AWI can fund more lawsuits to companies that use phrases such as these and by doing so can save money for consumers across the country as well as ensure they are eating nutritious foods. Additionally, the increase of industrial farm factories are bad for the environment. According to the Humane Farming Association, these factories are a significant contributor to pollution with the use and production of fossil fuels as well as the creation of indoor pollution with toxic chemicals(https://www.hfa.org). The AWI aims to end the system of factory farms in order to achieve high animal welfare for farm animals across the country. Not only would a donation help these animals but it would also help the environment.
Of course everyone has their own values and for others, donating to different organizations is what they choose to do with their money. However, animal welfare is an important topic because it affects our health and environment. From your research, it seems that AWI is a reliable and transparent organization that is effective in its philanthropy. Thanks for sharing this issue area and organization with the class!
Hi Ann,
ReplyDeleteAs an avid animal lover (especially dogs), I very much like the fact that you are advocating for a charity that supports a cause that is effective, yet oft-overlooked by the average person. The statistics which you brought up regarding the relationships between the ratio of domestic animal abuse (0.3%) to all other forms of animal cruelty (99.7%) particularly caught my eye. I have personally never seen these numbers before; after looking at the source of these statistics, it seems that they are legitimate. As always, however, you must find a "true balance between heart and brain" when it comes to looking into an organization to donate to, and it looks like you have found a decent balance. Animal Welfare is a huge issue area which is crucial to our progression as a society. What many people do not understand, however, is that animals are alive too; in the case of a farm, for instance, until their time has come to be slaughtered, they deserve to be treated with the utmost care so that they may at the very least live a life without abuse. In the case of the "brain," the Animal Welfare Institute seems to be legitimate in both their cause and within their operations. One thing that concerns me, however, is that you did not provide any account of where exactly any donations that they receive go toward. Yes, they do give a general sense of it in their mission statement, but what are a few examples of any past initiatives which they have taken to support or aid their cause?
All in all, you did a very good job at finding an organization that you care about, yet is reliable and has a great reputation. However, I still think that you could have spent a bit more time to try and find any past examples of what they have done with their money. Animal welfare is a huge, yet oft-overlooked cause, that deserves more attention, and I think you did a fantastic job of bringing this to our attention.