Executive Compensation at the Jewish Federations of North America
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) “represents and serves 148 Jewish Federations, 300 independent network Jewish communities across North America and 30 separately incorporated Jewish community foundations.” In more simplistic terms, JFNA raises funds, organizes assistance, training, and leadership to the Jewish Federations and communities in North America.
Of the $261 million raised in 2017, JFNA awarded $214 million (82% of revenue) in grants, most of which went to domestic organizations (primarily to two organizations: $155 million to United Israel Appeal, a subsidiary of JFNA who awarded all the funds to foreign organizations, foreign governments, and foreign individuals, and $50 million to Joint Distribution Committee, a Jewish Humanitarian 501 (c) (3).
JFNA is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) based in New York City with 178 employees who were compensated nearly $24 million, which equates to an average compensation of $135,000. However, only 47 individuals received more than $100,000 in compensation. The 13 most highly compensated individuals were reported to be: Read more 
Executive Salaries at UNICEF (2017)
UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) was established by the United Nations more than 70 years ago and is headquartered in New York City although there are UNICEF offices throughout the world.
In the most simple terms, the United States Fund for UNICEF (USF UNICEF) raised $474 million, of which $370 million ($78 out of every $100) was used for grants and other assistance to foreign organizations, foreign governments, and foreign individuals. The remaining revenue ($104 million) was spent on employee compensation ($31.5 million), payments to affiliates ($29 million), printing, postage, shipping, advertising, promotion, and mailing lists ($23 million), fees for services – fundraising, management, and program – ($13 million), and office-related expenses ($7.5 million).
In 2017, the USF UNICEF employed 320 individuals and spent $31.5 million on compensation which equates to about $98,500 per individual. However, 51 individuals received more than $100,000 in compensation with the 13 most highly compensated listed as follows: Read more
Executive Salaries at the American Red Cross (2017)
The American Red Cross (ARC) is one of the most recognized charities in the world. Based in Washington, DC, ARC works to “prevent and alleviate human suffering” by mobilizing employees and volunteers in emergencies and through the collection and sale of blood (ARC collects, tests, and distributes 40% of the nation’s blood). To do this, ARC relies on it’s 20,602 employees who were compensated $1.5 billion (an average of $74,500 each). 1,249 employees received more than $100,000 in compensation with the 17 most highly compensated employees listed below: Read more
The Unwinding of the Miracle
When serious illness strikes the young, we are often drawn to their story while feeling thankful a different fate awaits us. Such was how I felt when I read The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow, and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi.
In Pausch’s book, the authors focused on big life lessons after Pausch was diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer while Kalanithi’s book focused on how he spent the limited amount of time he had left, which included living in the moment with the people – his wife, daughter, parents, brothers, friends, and colleagues – who made his life meaningful, after being diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer at the age of 37. Read more
Executive Salaries at Dairy Management, Inc.
Unless you’re a dairy farmer or work in the dairy industry, you may never have heard of Dairy Management, Inc. – a 501 (c) (6) – whose tax-exempt status as a “business league” is one of the most powerful dairy organizations in the country.
Funded by America’s 41,000-plus farmers and dairy importers, Dairy Management’s purpose is to increase demand and sales for dairy products. To do this, dairy farmers pay 15 cents (and dairy importers pay 7.5 cents) for every 100 pounds of milk (a gallon of milk weighs 8.6-11.6 pounds so 100 pounds of milk is roughly 10 gallons, meaning US dairy farmers pay Dairy Management about 1.5 cents per gallon for their services). These funds are used to “fund programs and aimed at promoting dairy consumption and protecting the good image of dairy farmer, dairy products, and the dairy industry.” Read more
Executive Salaries at Georgetown
Georgetown University (Georgetown) is one of the top private universities on the east coast and in the USA. At $76,490 a year for tuition, room, and board (an estimate for the undergraduate school year 2019-2020), Georgetown’s fees are right in line with other top private colleges and, yet people may still wonder why a 4-year education at Georgetown costs more than $300,000?
The answer: tuition dollars are supporting a huge education machine where, in the case of Georgetown, more than half of the total expenses ($662 million out of $1.3 billion, not including depreciation) are compensation-related costs for the 14,465 employees in 2016 (an average of $46,000 per employee – compare this to $75,000 at Yale, $68,000 at Penn, $64,000 at Princeton, and $17,000 at Vanderbilt – which is similar in many ways). Read more
Executive Salaries at AIPAC
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a 501 (c) (4) based in Washington, DC whose mission is to “strengthen, protect, and promote the US Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of Israel and the US.” Although AIPAC is exempt from taxes, donations to AIPAC are not tax deductible (although they may be tax deductible as trade or business expenses) because the organization is a social welfare organization that can engage in unlimited lobbying (this is key). Read more
Executive Compensation at the Special Olympics
Rarely is there a disagreement about the importance of funding the Special Olympics but yesterday, Betsy DeVos, the Education Secretary proposed cutting $17.6 million in government assistance to the organization next year, asserting that the non-profit is better supported by philanthropy. Before anyone makes up their mind about this issue, they should know the financial facts about the organization, which include revenue, expenses, executive compensation, and the fund balance (which many refer to as the endowment) and ask if the Special Olympics needs the government contributions? Read more
Where Does $100 to the American Humane Association Go?
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. Read more
Executive Compensation at the American Humane Association (2017)
The American Humane Association (AHA) is a charitable non-profit 501 (c) 3 that paid more than $500,000 in compensation to its Chief Executive Officer, Robin Ganzert AND paid for first class domestic travel for the board members (there are 14) and the Chief Executive Officer in 2017. And, this is an organization that raised $19 million ($13 million in contributions, $4 million from certifications – movie and television sets, farms, slaughterhouses, etc, and $2 million in royalties) in 2017 and $16 million the year before; and whose net fund assets were $17 million at year-end 2017. In other words, AHA is a relatively small non-profit with a modest endowment. Read more
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