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
Executive Compensation at the NRA (2018)
The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) is a non-profit 501 (c) (4) organization or what many people refer to as an membership advocacy organization that fights tirelessly for our second amendment rights and pays their executives very well while also paying for first class or charter travel, travel for companions, health or social club dues or initiation fees, gross up payments and tax indemnification, and provides housing allowances or housing for personal use.
The most recent IRS Form 990 (2018) reports the organization employed 816 individuals who were compensated $63.9 million, which equates to an average compensation of $78,300. 122 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation while the 16 most highly compensated key executives received $13.4 million dollars in 2018: Read more
Corona Beer, Jared Kushner, and the Coronavirus
It must really suck to be Corona beer right now. A pale lager loved by beer drinkers, Corona beer has the unfortunate distinction of being associated by name with the worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus. How did this happen?
The word “corona” refers to a crown or the gaseous envelope that looks like a glowing circle of light (a halo) around the sun or stars: a fitting name for a beer bottled in clear glass that would go on to become the top selling imported beer in the United States.
Now owned by Anheiser Busch (a multinational drink and brewing company based in Belgium), the maker of Corona beer, Grupo Modelo has temporarily suspended production of Corona beer in Mexico because the government has ordered nonessential businesses to close in response to the spread of the coronavirus (note: there are those who believe the making of beer is essential even if the government doesn’t agree) but having a product labeled “Corona” when a virus called “coronavirus” is wreaking havoc upon the world doesn’t make for a happy retail situation. Read more
Executive Compensation at Northwell Health
Northwell Health is New York’s largest healthcare provider with 23 hospitals and 750 outpatient facilities with more than 68,000 employees across the network (which includes many organizations).
The focus of this post is on the executive compensation of Northwell Healthcare, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) based in Westbury, New York with 6,929 employees who were compensated $543 million in 2017, which equates to an average compensation of $78,400.
1,302 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation with the 23 most highly compensated employees reported (from the Form 990 submitted to the IRS for 2017) to be: Read more
Executive Compensation at Intermountain Healthcare (2017)
Intermountain Healthcare refers to a large healthcare system (22 hospitals and nearly 200 clinics) based in Salt Lake City, Utah. Although there are numerous non-profits under the Intermountain Healthcare system, the primary entities include IHC Health Services, Inc. and the Intermountain Healthcare Foundation, Inc. – both of whom operate out of the same office.
In short, IHC Health Services, Inc. reported $6 billion in revenue in 2017. Expenses were $5.5 billion (including $277 million in depreciation) which helped the organization (along with nearly $400 million in net unrealized gains on investments) to increase the general fund (or net fund assets) by nearly $1 billion in 2017 from $5.6 billion to $6.5 billion.
In 2017, IHC Health Services, Inc. employed 44,323 individuals who were compensated nearly $2.8 billion, which equates to an average compensation of $63,200.
4,209 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation with the 28 most highly compensated employees listed below: Read more
Executive Compensation at the Greater New York Hospital Association
Listening to Andrew Cuomo, the governor of New York, talk about the logistic nightmare of working with hospitals in the greater New York area made me curious to know more.
At the core of the problem is a hospital system where there are 2 types of hospitals: public (which tend to be more overwhelmed right now) and private. These two separate hospital systems don’t generally work together since public hospitals are tax-exempt while private hospitals are driven by profitability.
Although public hospitals are usually referred to as non-profit hospitals, the words “non-profit” refer to their tax exempt status, not a propensity to avoid making a profit. A non-profit can report a profit; they just don’t pay taxes on the profit. Instead, the profit is treated as an addition to the general fund or what many people refer to as the endowment. In a non-profit, the wealth stays in the organization for the ultimate benefit of those served while in a for-profit, the wealth is shared by the owners or shareholders. Read more
Executive Compensation at Dairy Management Inc (DMI) 2017
Dairy Management Inc (DMI) is the big organization that most people haven’t heard of because unless you’re a dairy farmer, work in the dairy industry, or work in the corporate offices of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, 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
Where Does Revenue to Dairy Management Inc (DMI) Go?
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 farmers are required to contribute 15 cents per 100 pounds (foreign dairy farmers are required to contribute 7.5 cents per 100 pounds) which equates to about 1.5 cents per gallon of milk.
In 2017, DMI reported total revenue of $155 million, most of which came from program and core funding revenue. Expenses were $155 million and were categorized as follows: Read more
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