The ASPCA under Bershadker has expanded some aspects of program service, with some success, for example taking over the former Humane Alliance national spay/neuter education outreach program in Asheville, North Carolina, operating it as a subsidiary. The remainder, about 75 cents, was spent on management. Jo Sullivan was an executive vice president at the ASPCA when the commercials came out and was part of the team that created them. What that survey did not ask was whether donors knew the difference between giving to the ASPCA and giving to other local SPCAs nationwide. Harold J. Hovel, author of Helping Animals Means Helping People: From Hunting & Poaching to Climate Change & Nuclear War (2017), is chair of the New York State Humane Association. "I wish that they could do some soul searching within the organization and understand that their massive efforts to draw support from around the country to support their own efforts and the issues that they wish to focus on, does hinder the ability for local organizations like ourselves to do the good work that we do. That increase in interest and activity is very good news for shelters, animals, and communities. No one running either organization now was involved. Please enter valid email address to continue. They seem to exist almost exclusively for promoting pit bulls. It is heartbreaking. Every one of them needs to be fired ASAP.and I pray for for their demise. Bermuda, and Ireland. We did not want to have to post our IRS Form 990 and then pass the hat, especially when times were hard for everyone, not just ourselves, and even tougher for animals and most of the animal charities that try to help them. Data we released in December 2020 revealed that approximately 19.2 million dogs and cats live in households that are not presently current with their rent or mortgage payments. More distinguished predecessors, all of whom ANIMALS 24-7 found lacking in some aspects of leadership, included, besides immediate predecessor Ed Sayres, Larry Hawk, the late Roger Caras, and the late John Kullberg. In 2014, he partnered with the New York City Police Department and established a program . ASPCApro: Do you think the challenges weve seen from the pandemic will affect the future practice of animal sheltering? And we are, arguably, the largest and most active animal protection group in India. Even an ex girlfriend of mine that works for UNICEF should be ashamed, but there is no shame ?? with lot of social media fan he often posts many personal photos and videos to interact with her huge fan base social media plateform. That visit changed the course of his career. Honest national organizations would strive to remediate donor ignorance, not aggressively exploit it. There is no reason they should be making the kind of money they are getting. Thats where I became truly inspired to commit to the social sector. This expansion and diversity is what the animals have needed all along. The group is an advocacy organization that seeks to prevent cruelty toward animals. his net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. He is a 12-year veteran of the nation's first animal welfare organization, serving most recently as senior vice president of the ASPCA Anti-Cruelty Group, the division responsible for programs and initiatives that confront animal cruelty and suffering on all levels across the country. How can he sleep at night knowing that money could go to others or the animals! Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and much more. Maybe that is why the BCI has received GuideStars Platinum rating for transparency since 2013 only the Thane SPCA among thousands of humane groups has a similar rating and that too since 2021. Explained Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA president Ken White, It is not honest to say to people who live in the San Francisco Bay Area that sending the largest gift you can manage to help the ASPCA in Manhattan is the best way for them to help protect an innocent and helpless animal, a particular animal, an animal not far from where that donor lives., Filed Under: Advocacy, Animal organizations, Animal rights & welfare, Culture & Animals, Feature Home Bottom, Humane history, Religion & philosophy, Shelters, Spay/neuter, USA Tagged With: Gary Rogers, Jim Axelrod, Jo Sullivan, Ken White, Matt Bershadker, Megan Towey, Merritt Clifton, Patti Mercer, Rachel Bailey. Get Access to Matt's Email Address & Phone Number. "We receive no money from them at all.". Under Matt's leadership, the ASPCA has established critical programs across the country dedicated to the safety . Unfortunately, though more than 30 million U.S. households give to animal charities, these annual reports never built a readership of more than a few hundred. (See ASPCA spending may not be what donors expect, CBS News investigation finds. I HAD THE NEW YEARS RESOLUTION TO START DONATING AMONG OTHERS TO THE ASPCA. If they truly care about their work, they shouldnt need to live rich while doing it. There must be a way to curb these salaries, more in-line with other animal support organizations. Matts interviews and broadcast appearances have appeared in national media ranging fromThe New York Times,The Washington Post, andThe Wall Street JournaltoRolling Stonemagazine,The Today Show,andGood Morning America. CEO of HSUS earns about $400,000 and no others much over $200,000. While it does fund projects in California, such expenditure is insignificant in comparison to the amount of money the organization raises in this state, Hughes charged. Arrests of alleged animal abusers also tripled, from circa 40-45 per year under the ASPCA to more than 130 under the NYPC. Thomas Sewid encouraged it. Foster families across the country opened their homes and their hearts to provide temporary care and attention to tens of thousands of dogs, cats, and horses to help their local shelters and rescues cope with reductions in staffing and volunteer levels. Puppies & kittens everywhere, but none in shelters to adopt, $5 for a cat head: True stories of animal welfare, with hands-on tips for helping animals, How the ASPCA cooked 26 dogs in a truck: source comes forward, Humane Society of the U.S. & codefendants pay Ringling Bros. circus $15.75 million, Charity Navigator issues donor advisory about HSUS & coplaintiffs $15.7 million settlement with Ringling, https://tedxsantabarbara.com/2020/matthew-bershadker-pets-poverty-and-the-pandemic/, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aspca-spending-donor-cbs-news-investigation/. I certainly agree, I would definitely like to see those people that abuse these animals go to jail and have their pictures shown on television. We advertised it for four months, while discovering that keeping up with a 24-7 news cycle did not allow time for doing anything else as time-consuming (and non-lucrative) as the financial reviews of charities had been. Their breakdown showed that about 41 cents of each dollar donated to the ASPCA goes toward hands-on help withanimals across the country.. President And CEO Of The American Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals (ASPCA), Nicholas Alexis Wiki, Biography, Age, Family, NetWorth & Know More, President and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). I wanted to make the world a gentler, kinder place, and soon realized I could combine that drive with my love for animals. "We have made significant strides on behalf of animals around the country, but there is much more to do. He received his MBA from Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School and his Bachelor's degree in Communications from Ohio University. Message and data rates may apply. For 2019, when the ASPCA claimed assets of $393 million, Bershadker was paid $762,996, but that was not the slight cut it appeared to be at a glance because Bershadker also collected $80,543 in benefits. 2021 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. While Kaufelts entire comment reeks, I found the above sentence to be particularly deplorable. GEE, I wonder why? It is because people including yourselves and ourselves, legions of eight-dollar-a-month donors and $9.70 an hour workers and volunteers, together built a movement. They can laugh all they want right now, but when they stand before God one day they will have to answer for their greed and will spend eternity in Hell where they belong. Terms & Conditions / Privacy Policy, 2023American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. But Charity Navigator only gave the ASPCA two out of four stars for its financials based on efficiency of fundraising, the percentage of revenue spent on fundraising and the practice of selling donor lists. I donate to many many animal rescues, K-9 cops etc. This means Bershadker's pay is more than 6 times the average nonprofit CEO. In that time, it has spent $146 million, or about 7% of the total money raised, in grants to local animal welfare groups. The ASPCA was established in 1866 by diplomat and animal welfare activist Henry Bergh in New York, where the organization still has its headquarters and offers the majority of its hands-on animal services, including sheltering, assisting with abuse investigations and spay/neuter surgeries. My friends told me not to give a single cent. Matthew Bershadker is known for Today (1952) and Good Morning America Weekend Edition (1993). (Beth Clifton collage). I fully agree with you but then the animals suffer even more! It is not because of anything Matthew Bershadker did, nor because of anything his predecessors did, nor because of anything his counterparts at the other big national animal charities didcertainly not by themselves. It looks like they could save them all by themselves. As electronic social media exploded in use and influence, that project went the way of the dodo and all newsprint media. The focal issue, however, for Axelrod, Towey, and Bailey of CBS, was that ASPCA fundraising pitches allegedly mislead donors into mistakenly believing that the ASPCA is the fundraising umbrella for all 303 U.S. animal charities incorporated as Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Millions of individual donors like her, and like you, contribute eight bucks a month, or many times more, depending on your income and ability, to dozens of animal charities each, around the U.S. and around the world. His compensation from ASPCA subsidiaries alone in 2020, the year the COVID-19 crisis hit, killing a million Americans, putting many millions out of work and bankrupting hundreds of thousands, was more than the top salary paid by the majority of U.S. humane societies and animal care-and-control agencies. Since 2008, the ASPCA has raised more than $2 billion for animal welfare, Axelrod summarized. We are fortunate that even today we have a group of professionals who donate their time and efforts on a purely honorary basis to look after much of the administration and special projects and rescues, thus ensuring that donations received by us go into helping animals without being eroded by administrative expenses. For several years after that an ASPCA flagship program wasand remainscross-country translocation of dogs from southern and rural pounds to northern cities where they might have better chances of adoption. The nonprofit told CBS News it spends 77 cents of every dollar on its mission to rescue, protect and care for animals in need, which, in addition to hands-on services, includes expenditures on mission-related public education and engagement., However, warned Ohio State University professor of accounting Brian Mittendorft, If wejust look at how much of the spending goes toward shelter andveterinary services, and toward grants to local humane societies, its hovering around 40%., Axelrod, Towey, and Bailey affirmed that assessment. Cliftons, Disgraceful!!!!! Text STOP to opt-out, HELP for more info. The State Humane Association of California, founded in 1909, merged with the California Animal Control Directors Association in 2018 to become the California Animal Welfare Association. After 5 years I made $9.50 an hour. . Shelter Medicine has also driven critical shelter strategy innovations, including expanded pet retention efforts, increased access to veterinary care, and new approaches to foster care, kitten nurseries, and community cat programs. For small shelters, unlike the ASPCA, which does intensive image-building advertising that boosts fundraising, advertising animals for adoption is often the most expensive part of rehoming the animals. YouTube: AmericanTortRescue Matthew E. Bershadker was named president and CEO of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in May 2013 and serves on the Global Animal Partnerships Board of Directors. All of our work, including collaborations with local animal welfare organizations, rescue groups, law enforcement agencies, policy makers, and many others, is aimed at rescuing, protecting, and caring for animals in need. We always have. Steve Hindi, arguably the most accomplished animal rights advocate of the past 30 years, has never taken a cent of compensation from his organization, Showing Animals Respect & Kindness [SHARK]. Neither is any local SPCA across the country. Thinking beyond the shelter doesnt mean there isnt a need for sheltering animals in communities, especially when you consider animals seized by law enforcement, lost pets, pets belonging to victims of domestic violence, animals with owners facing illness or housing crises, and animals who need medical or behavioral rehabilitation before they can be adopted. Continued Axelrod, CBS News spoke to more than two dozen local SPCAs across thecountry. I love ANIMALS 24-7 and the great work you do to save animals. THANKFULLY, I DID MY RESEARCH. Then I founded and for 22 years edited a newspaper that took the message globaland, along the way, reached thousands of fellow journalists in hundreds of newsrooms, inspiring many of them to begin doing serious coverage of animal issues too. What Axelrod did not mention is that Bershadkers tenure as president began by turning over the original and most iconic ASPCA mission, doing humane law enforcement in New York City, to the city police department. That means ASPCA's COE is paying more than six times the average non-profit CEO! 2020 990 form shows revenue of about 325 million and revenue minus expenses of 57 million, which is 17.5%. Bershadker has led some of the most innovative programs to help animals all across the country. When I was a little kid, my life was filled with a range of pets, including newts, lizards, birds, gerbils, and turtles. YUCK! If we keep raising our children thinking that non-profits dont pay for experience and education, how else are we going to change the world? Take the donations and doesnt help ALL the animals they say they will?? We named it after Julie Morris, a longtime ASPCA leader and iconic figure in animal sheltering who passed away in 2019. But I hope action will be taken. Matthew E.s income mostly comes from and basic source is being a successful American President and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Matt continues to lead the ASPCA on a variety of other critical animal welfare fronts, including field rescue and care for natural disaster and large-case animal cruelty and animal fighting victims; the establishment of community veterinary clinics in Miami and New York City that provide accessible and affordable services; advocating for stronger state and federal legal protections; helping vulnerable U.S. horses find safe homes and careers; and fighting widespread farm animal cruelty through legislation, industry influence, and consumer advocacy and food label education. In our view, local veterinarians and local animal shelters and rescues are ideally working hand-in-hand, and we want to do everything we can to strengthen that relationship to benefit animals, families, and communities. In recognition of the ASPCA's 155th anniversary and the 20th work anniversary of our President and CEO, Matt Bershadker, we checked in with Matt to hear how he got involved in animal welfare and his thoughts on where the field is headed. Posting the ANIMALS 24-7 filing of IRS Form 990 in our leanest years was an embarrassment. So I goggled what did the CEO of American Red Cross earn/get? What I found was that the most compensated Red Cross executive makes $720,000 a year. Matthew E. Bershadker was named president and CEO of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) in May 2013 [1] and serves on the Global Animal Partnership 's Board of Directors. Again I really appreciate your hard work and support for the animals. This $5 million effort included free pet food for dogs, cats, and horses in New York City, Los Angeles, Miami, and Asheville; grants to struggling animal welfare organizations; emergency pet boarding services; expanded stationary and mobile veterinary care; and other vital resources for animals, people, and shelters coping with this crisis. treatment hotline: Talking with Matt Bershadker, President and CEO of the ASPCA, Julie Morris Shelter Medicine Residency Program, showed that more than 4.2 million pets were at risk of entering poverty, housing crisis resulting from the pandemic, 2021 American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The ASPCA is among the oldest humane organizations in the world, founded in 1866, and has been among the richest right from the beginning, when founder Henry Bergh passed his famously deep top hat among fellow New York City investors, industrialists, and socialites to get it started. Created on April 10, 1866, the ASPCA. That's more than the CEO's of Feeding America and the American Red Cross, charities that have a budget 10 times the size of the ASPCA. The focal issue, that the ASPCA not only competes with local organizations for funds but also misleads donors into believing it supports the locals, has come up many times before. ", "I am thrilled to serve the ASPCA, its members and the many communities around the country where we play a vital role," stated Mr. Bershadker. Frederick Tanne. Text STOP to opt-out, HELP for more info. Alleging unfair and deceptive fundraising practices which harm local humane societies and SPCAs, the State Humane Association of California in May 2011 filed a consumer protection complaint against the ASPCA with the California Office of the Attorney General, then headed by current U.S. vice president Kamala Harris. "If the donors feel that there's an urgent need, and they must donate today so that they can meet that urgent need, and the organization isn't exhibiting that urgency, that's again, where a disconnect can cause a problem.". This is so disgusting! Bershadker also oversaw the kickoff of the ASPCA's multi-year, $25 million commitment to save the lives of animals in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. Doris. Till 1987, we were a volunteer driven group with even our 247 ambulance services driven by off-duty Indian Airlines pilots. In truth, ASPCA fundraising directly benefits only the ASPCA itself. Bershadker has now been at the ASPCA for 21 years. The article, although not critical of the ASPCA, does note how high the groups revenue went through the roof when they started airing the McLachlan ads. A housing crisis resulting from the pandemic is also a significant threat to animals. The IQ of the average American is 90-100. Latest news and commentary on Matthew Bershadker including photos, videos, quotations, and a biography. Thats subjective. Axelrod, Towey, and Bailey introduced former ASPCA executive vice president Jo Sullivan, who helped to create the Sarah McLachlan commercials for the ASPCA. and How the ASPCA cooked 26 dogs in a truck: source comes forward.). . The American SPCA (ASPCA), whose president received $852,000 in 2017, has not done cruelty investigations since 2013, formerly did cruelty investigations only in New York City, and since 1994 has operated only one animal shelter, in Manhattan. The song Arms of an Angel was originally released in the late 1990s and was meant as a tribute to a fellow musician who had died of a drug overdose. 0. The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA, among the largest in California, founded in 1950, is not a member of the State Humane Association of California, but joined the case against the ASPCA as a co-plaintiff. 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