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Where Does $100 to Susan G Komen Go?

When most people think of Susan G Komen and pink ribbons, they think of the organization that works to reduce breast cancer deaths by raising money to fund research and community-based educational, medical, financial, and psychosocial support services for those facing a breast cancer diagnosis.  However, there are actually two Susan G Komen organizations:

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Why The Big Picture Matters

Several years ago I started making donations to sanctuaries specializing in the rescue of animals from slaughter houses and abused “homes.”  The stories were heartbreaking and I knew my dollars were primarily going to the veterinary care of the animals, food, shelter, and the selfless staff devoted to taking care of these animals.

When a cow escapes from a slaughter house in Brooklyn, I cheer for the cow (and curse the people chasing the petrified animal) and often send a donation to the kind person who rescued the terrified animal.  So, before I go further, I want to unequivocally say these charities deserve our support because they spotlight the abuse and horrific way people treat most animals. They make us think twice about our choices.

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Top 10 Executives (MEN) at the NRA Made $10.6 Million

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (4) organization that fights tirelessly for our second amendment rights. Whether or not you believe the second amendment refers to “militia” or “the people” has always been controversial but is even more so in the wake of the near daily occurrence of mass shootings in this country. People are speaking out for gun control because quite frankly, there are too many guns and assault weapons in the hands of the wrong people.

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Where does $100 to St. Jude’s Go?

St. Jude’s is one of the most popular non-profit organizations in the country because the charity’s mission appeals to donors:  they treat and help children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. But, before making donations, donors should understand that St. Jude’s is actually two organizations:

  • St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc. (Hospital)
  • ALSAC – St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Inc. (ALSAC)
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Who To Trust For Nutrition Advice?

Lifestyle choices are one of three aspects (the others being genetics and the environment) that greatly affect our health. We can’t pick our parents and environmental factors are not wholly within our control but we can focus on lifestyle choices that affect our health so who do we turn to for advice?

Everyone has an opinion about diet and nutrition which makes the amount of information to sift through a monumental and often overwhelming task that typically leads to confusion – which is just what the industries who are threatened by the power of nutrition want.

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Recent Articles

27
Apr

Executive Compensation at Columbia (2022)

2022 was a record year for Columbia University (Columbia) and many of its employees with total revenue reaching an all time high:  $7.1 billion while expenses totaled $5.6 billion (not including $329 in depreciation).  Although the university’s expenses were more than $1 billion less than total revenue, $2.3 billion in net unrealized losses on investments (2022 was not a great year in the market) caused net assets to decline from $19.6 billion to $18.4 billion at year-end.

In terms of compensation, 37,144 employees were compensated $3.6 billion, which equates to an average compensation of $79,000. The 20 most highly compensated individuals (listed below) received $39 million which equates to an average compensation package of nearly $2 million each: Read more »

25
Apr

Alice Waters: Put Your Menu Where Your Mouth Is

Recently, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) printed a piece on food and specifically the food of the south of France.  Underlying the story is a question:  Why are we so hungry for the food of the South of France right now?  In trying to answer that question, Alice Waters, the 79-year old founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California said

We need to make our diets healthy by eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, and we need to respond to climate change with farming methods that protect and renew the earth…which is what they’ve been doing in the south of France for centuries.

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23
Apr

Executive Compensation at Dairy Management (2022)

Dairy Management Inc (DMI) is the big organization that most people haven’t heard of because unless you’re a dairy producer, work in the dairy industry, or work in the corporate offices of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Dominoe’s, or KFC, you would have no reason to know that this non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (6) is the most powerful non-profit dairy organization in the country.

Considered a “check-off” program authorized by Congress but responsible to their members, DMI’s mission is to increase consumption of dairy products by finding more ways to get dairy products to the public including assisting fast food companies with menu items. Read more »

21
Apr

How Dairy Management Spends Revenue (2022)

Dairy Management Inc (DMI) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (6) whose purpose is to promote dairy products in order to increase consumption of dairy products.

Funded by a mandate by Congress, DMI is what is referred to as a “check off program” where all producers have to contribute funds for the good of the industry. Dairy producers are required to contribute 15 cents per 100 pounds (foreign dairy producers are required to contribute 7.5 cents per 100 pounds) which equates to about 1.5 cents per gallon of milk, all of which adds up to about $150-$170 million annually (which is then spent on marketing (about 60%), administrative organization expenses (about 30%) and export expenses (about 10%). Read more »

19
Apr

Executive Compensation at Advent Health (2022)

AdventHealth (formerly known as Adventist Health System until 2019 when the 501 (c) (3) “rebranded” itself) is one of the largest non-profit health care providers in the United States with more than 50 hospitals and hundreds of care sites in 9 states. Based in Altamonte Springs, Florida, AdventHealth is a very large system with dozens of separate tax-exempt non-profit and for-profit organizations. 

This post looks at the executive compensation at  Adventist Health System Sunbelt Healthcare Corporation (AHSSHC), the tax-exempt, non profit organization that provides management, leadership, and oversight to the affiliates.  It is important to note there are dozens of other related and affiliated non-profits and for profit organizations  related to AdventHealth that are not covered in this post. Read more »

17
Apr

Executive Compensation at the American Bankers Association (ABA) 2022

The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (6) organization – “a business league that pushes advocacy, provides education, products, and solutions to its membership and the financial services industry.” In other words, the ABA is a tax-exempt association for banks, savings and loans, and trust companies. Based in Washington, DC the ABA engages in lobbying, works to establish banking standards, and educates the public and its members.

While some people think of non-profits as almost an afterthought, the ABA is anything but insignificant. The ABA raises more than $140 million annually, typically spends less than it brings in, and has accumulated$ 573 million in net assets – a $450 million increase over the previous year due to a windfall on the income statement in 2022 referred to as “transaction fees.”   Read more »

15
Apr

Executive Compensation at the American Bankers Association (ABA) 2021

The American Bankers Association (ABA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (6) organization – “a business league that pushes advocacy, provides education, products, and solutions to its membership and the financial services industry.” In other words, the ABA is a tax-exempt association for banks, savings and loans, and trust companies. Based in Washington, DC the ABA engages in lobbying, works to establish banking standards, and educates the public and its members.

While some people think of non-profits as almost an afterthought, the ABA is anything but insignificant. The ABA raises more than $140 million annually, typically spends less than it brings in, and has accumulated $121 million in net assets. Read more »

13
Apr

Executive Compensation at Americans For Prosperity (2022)

Americans For Prosperity (AFP) is a conservative political advocacy committee (PAC) founded in 2004 that is actually two organizations:  AFP, the social welfare organization and therefore a 501 (c) (4), and the Americans For Prosperity Foundation (AFPF), an “educational” organization, a 501 (c) (3).

Both organizations are tax-exempt non-profits with two major differences between them:  donations to AFP are not tax deductible while donations to AFPF are tax deductible; and, as a 501 (c) (4), AFP can engage in more lobbying (businesses and unions can donate unlimited amounts of funds) while AFPF, as a 501 (c) (3) can only engage in a limited amount of lobbying because the organization is considered an educational organization. Read more »

11
Apr

How Americans For Prosperity Spends Revenue (2022)

Americans for Prosperity is actually two organizations:  Americans For Prosperity (AFP) and Americans For Prosperity Foundation (AFPF). Both organizations are tax-exempt non-profit organizations but AFP is a 501 (c) (4) while AFPF is a 501 (c) (3). The primary difference between the two organizations is that donations to AFPF are tax deductible while donations made to AFP are not. In addition, AFP is considered a social welfare organization so they can engage in more lobbying while AFPF is considered an educational organization and is therefore limited in how much they spend on lobbying.

Although both organizations operate out of the same office in Arlington, Virginia and share employees, how a donation was spent depends on which organization received the donation. Read more »

9
Apr

Executive Compensation at Northwell Health (2022)

Northwell Health is New York’s largest healthcare provider with 21 hospitals and nearly 900 outpatient facilities with more than 90,000 employees across the network (which includes 135 tax-exempt organizations, 27 taxable partnerships, and 41 organizations taxable as a corporation or trust).

The focus of this post is on the executive compensation of Northwell Healthcare, Inc. (NHI), a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) that provides advisory and administrative support services to the affiliated healthcare organizations that comprise Northwell Health.  This means the primary source of income for NHI is the revenue the affiliated organizations give, which amounted to $1.8 billion in 2022 (out of $2 billion in total revenue).  In other words, the organizations that make up Northwell Healthcare paid $1.8 billion to a related organization to manage themselves.

Expenses for NHI totaled $1.8 billion (not including $214 million in depreciation) with the largest expenses reported to be compensation ($958 million), office-related expenses ($364 million), purchased services and fees for services ($336 million), and interest ($95 million). Read more »