Executive Compensation at United Way (2018)
United Way may refer to a number of charitable organizations throughout the world but in the United States, United Way generally refers to United Way Worldwide (formerly United Way of America) and/or one of the 1,800 offices in 40 countries and territories.
United Way Worldwide is the leadership and support organization for the whole network which includes approximately 1,200 local offices (approximately 67% of the total number of offices) in the United States (including DC, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands). A non-profit 501 (c) (3), United Way Worldwide is required to submit an IRS Form 990 (a tax return that provides details on revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, and more) annually, as does each of the local offices. Read more 
Where Does $100 to the Heritage Foundation Go?
The Heritage Foundation (Heritage) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization staffed by conservative “experts” who provide advice on political, economic, social, and financial problems in the United States. Based in Washington, DC Heritage raises about $80 million annually, spends about the same amount, but has about $250 million in net fund assets.
In 2018, Heritage raised $81 million, most of which came from contributions, gifts, and grants. Expenses totaled $80 million and can be viewed two ways: by broad general category (program service, management and general, and fundraising) or by specific line item categories (i.e. compensation, office-related, travel and conferences, fees for services, etc). Both ways are beneficial with the latter approach providing more specific detail on how revenue was spent. Read more
Executive Compensation at the Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (Heritage) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization staffed by conservative “experts” who provide advice on political, economic, social, and financial problems in the United States. Based in Washington, DC Heritage raises about $80 million annually, spends about the same amount, but has about $250 million in net fund assets, which is often referred as as an endowment.
In 2018, Heritage reported having 561 employees who were compensated $38 million which equates to an average compensation of $68,000. 91 employees received more than $100,000 with the 22 most highly compensated employees reported to be: Read more
Executive Compensation at ALS (2018)
The ALS Association (ALSA) is a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) based in Washington, DC whose mission is “to lead the fight to cure and treat ALS through research, advocacy, and care services.” Prior to 2014, ALSA raised about $20 million annually, allocated about $7 million to grants, and had about $20 million in net fund assets (which is also referred to as the endowment).
When the Ice Challenge went viral in 2014, ALSA received $115 million, a windfall for the organization that was primarily used to strengthen the endowment but to also increase grants awarded since research grants are key to understanding ALS in hopes of preventing, treating and curing the disease.
Since 2014 and subsequent to the Ice Challenge, ALSA has raised about $25-$30 million annually and allocated about $20 million annually to grants and about $10-$15 million to other expenses. The net result has been the erosion of the endowment from $120 million in 2014 to $90 million in 2018. There has not been significant investment income or gains on the sale of assets to offset the “overspending.” Read more
Where Does $100 to ALS Go (2018)?
The ALS Association (ALSA) was chugging along raising about $20-25 million a year (with a $20 million endowment) when the Ice Challenge video went viral a few years ago (2014) and brought in $115 million in donations to the organization. But before we talk about what ALS did with the revenue windfall, it is important to know that ALS is a progressive disease that effects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Motor neurons from the brain reach muscles through the spinal cord. In patients with ALS, the motor neurons die so the brain cannot send communication to the muscles to move, leading to paralysis and death. Read more
Executive Compensation at the Henry Ford Health System (2017)
The Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit healthcare organization with eight hospitals, numerous medical centers and one of the nation’s largest group practices, the Henry Ford Medical Group with more than 1,200 physicians practicing in over 40 specialties. With more than 30,000 employees, HFHS is one of the largest employers in the Detroit metro area.
The most recent IRS Form 990 (2017) reports HFHS spends less than the organization receives (in 2017, the organization reported $3 billion in revenue but spent just under $2.9 billion in revenue leaving $100 million added to the fund assets, which had a net fund balance at year-end of $918 million, up from $766 million at the beginning of the year). As with most health care systems, there are numerous non-profits (foundations and other organizations) that are affiliated with HFHS. This post addresses the primary organization, HFHS. Read more
Executive Compensation at the American Humane Association (2018)
The American Humane Association (AHA) is a charitable non-profit 501 (c) 3 that paid nearly $600,000 in compensation to its Chief Executive Officer, Robin Ganzert AND paid for first class domestic travel for her and the board members (there are 14) in 2018-2019.
AHA is a tax-exempt organization that raised $19 million ($12 million in contributions, $4 million from certifications – movie and television sets, farms, and slaughterhouses, $2 million in royalties, and $1 million from broadcast rights and event fees) in 2018-2019 and whose net fund assets were $18 million at year-end. Read more
I Want Miguel Almaguer’s House
One of the strangest things about the coronavirus is how the pandemic has allowed the public into the private homes of people whose voices we may have recognized but whose names we were not as familiar with, until their faces were broadcast into everyone’s family room from their very own personal residence.
Allow me to clarify something: I am not interested in celebrities. I don’t follow any of them on social media and probably don’t know who most of them are anyway since I rarely watch television. Instead, I tend to follow friends and family, plant-based restaurants (Vedge, Nix), and restaurants that excel at making nutritious but delicious food (Le Botaniste, Christopher’s Kitchen). I also appreciate organizations that make beautiful things, like Italian dinnerware (Match Pewter) English roses (David Austin), and posh hotels (Firmdale). But, when I started watching the nightly news over the past month, I noticed the backgrounds were different and much more interesting because the newscasters were broadcasting from their homes. Read more
Where Does $100 to the American Humane Association (AHA) Go (2018)?
The American Humane Association (AHA) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit 501 (c) 3 whose “No Animals Were Harmed” certification program in film and television is well-known in the entertainment industry. In addition, AHA certifies zoos, aquariums, conservation centers, and humane treatment in food production (farms, slaughterhouses, etc), awards grants, donates goods, and participates in other program services. How the AHA “ensures the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals” in slaughterhouses is not clear.
A relatively small organization by non-profit standards, AHA raised $19 million in 2018-2019 (the organization’s calendar year is July 1, 2018 – June 30, 2019) which primarily came from four sources:
- Contributions, Gifts, and Grants: $12 million
- Certifications: $4 million
- Royalties: $2 million
- Broadcast Rights and Event Fees: $1 million
However, it is important to point out that the largest contributor to AHA has been the Screen Actor’s Guild, an organization in the very industry that seeks to obtain certifications on the treatment of animals on television and movie sets from AHA. How does this not represent a conflict of interest? Read more
How Membership Dues Are Spent at the NRA (2018)
When most people think of the NRA they think of the National Rifle Association of America and the Second Amendment (“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”) but there are six separate non-profits that comprise the NRA:
- NRA (National Rifle Association of America): 501 (c)(4)
- NRA Foundation, Inc.: 501 (c)(3)
- NRA Freedom Action Foundation: 501 (c)(3)
- NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund: 501 (c)(3)
- NRA Special Contribution Fund: 501 (c) (3)
- NRA Political Victory Fund: PAC Section 527
Paddock Post 