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
What Happened to Character?
Apparently, there is absolutely no way Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the Boston Patriots is going to accept the plea deal in the Florida prostitution case even though the police supposedly have two tapes of Kraft paying for and receiving sexual acts from massage parlor “therapists.”
And, it looks like Felicity Hoffman and Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli may plead “not guilty” to the charges related to illegally helping their children gain entrance to prestigious colleges, even though the FBI has recorded conversations and a money trail that shows they cheated and/or bought their children’s admission. And, then there is Donald Trump trash talking John McCain, who died of brain cancer last year, and Kellyanne Conway’s husband, George Conway, who Trump called “a whack job” and a “stone cold loser and husband from hell” (as if Trump was heaven-sent). Read more
Executive Compensation at World Vision (2017)
World Vision, Inc (World Vision) – a Christian humanitarian organization – based out of Federal Washington – is one of the largest and most recognized non-profits in the country. In 2017, World Vision raised more than $1 billion (as they did in 2016) and awarded $762 million in grants, $706 million of which was to overseas organizations, governments, and individuals. With a $205 million endowment, World Vision has the resources to make a difference.
In 2017, World Vision had 1,133 employees who were compensated $101 million, which equates to an average compensation of $89,000. 202 individuals received more than $100,000 in compensation. The 18 most highly compensated individuals were: Read more
Kale and Mushroom Pita
Kale and Mushroom Pita is a super easy way to get that all important dose of greens and fiber in your diet. Whenever I don’t feel like spending a lot of time cooking, a Kale and Mushroom Pita is on the menu.
With just 4 ingredients: dark green lacinto kale, mushrooms, nutritional yeast, and whole grain pita bread, the Kale and Mushroom Pita takes about 10 minutes to make. The biggest time sap is cleaning and cutting the mushrooms and kale which can be done ahead of time (or buy pre-washed baby kale), covered and refrigerated until later in the day. Read more
Paddock Post 