SHOCK POLL: 90 Percent of HSUS Donors Are in the Dark

We’ve already established through public polling that the vast majority of Americans—you know, the regular folks who are the targets of HSUS’s disclaimer-less, deceptive TV ads—mistakenly believe that HSUS is a pet shelter umbrella group.

HSUS has replied by trying to draw a distinction between its members and the average American. Wayne Pacelle recently told the Associated Press that “HSUS donors understand its role" (reporter's paraphrase).

It turns out Pacelle could hardly be more wrong.

We conducted an online survey of HSUS supporters and received some shocking results. Here’s the bottom line, from a survey of 1,010 self-identified HSUS donors, who answered "yes" to the question "Have you ever donated to the Humane Society of the United States?":

• Just 1 percent of HSUS's donors list "farm animal protection" as their primary reason for supporting the group.
• Seventy-four percent of donors give to HSUS to either help pet shelters or reduce the number of animals euthanized each year.
• Ninety—yes, 90—percent of HSUS's donors were unaware that it gives just 1 percent of its budget to local pet shelters.
• Knowing HSUS's non-support of shelters, 80 percent of HSUS's own donors think the group “misleads people into thinking that it supports local humane societies and pet shelters.”
• Nearly 50 percent of HSUS's donors say they are less likely to support the group now that they know HSUS gives so little to local pet shelters.

This evidence should leave no doubt that HSUS relies on misconception—the notion that it’s a real “humane society.” Most Americans—and we can now say most HSUS donors—believe that HSUS is mostly about supporting pet shelters.

HSUS needs this false perception to raise the hundreds of millions it collects. The poll clearly shows that half of donors would be less likely to give now that they know how little of their donations goes to local pet shelters. HSUS must hope they stay in the dark.

Wayne Pacelle can no longer claim that HSUS donors “understand” what HSUS is up to. And all the rhetoric about how HSUS is clear about what it does not only seems like a cop-out, but it comes across as blaming the victim. After all, more than 85 percent of the animals in HSUS’s manipulative ads are cats and dogs.

There are a few reform options. HSUS could prominently put a large-print disclaimer on all of its ads that it is independent of local humane societies. (Right now, less than 1 percent of HSUS’s TV ads have a disclaimer—and it’s in small font.) HSUS could stop manipulating viewers with a disproportionate amount of pets. And HSUS could simply change its name, replacing “Humane Society” with something more appropriate. (The “Vegan Lawyers and Lobbyists Society”?)

HSUS won’t, of course. As regular readers already know well, HSUS wants to get rid most human uses of animals—most notably in agriculture. That’s not the goal of a cat-and-dog group—that’s the goal of a PETA-type group. It’s no surprise then that HSUS leaders cut their teeth in radical animal rights/liberation groups.

And that’s certainly not the goal of HSUS’s supporters. Which is why we’re going to make sure they find out the truth.

Full results (PDF):

1. What is the primary reason you support the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)?

• 40%     To help HSUS care for homeless dogs and cats in animal shelters and humane socities.
• 3%       To help HSUS's animal rescue team.
• 15%     To raise awareness about animal cruelty.
• 34%     To reduce the number of animals put down in shelters each year.
• 1%       To support HSUS's farm animal protection programs.
• 6%       To support HSUS's political lobbying for anti-animal cruelty legislation.

2. Were you aware that HSUS gives just 1 percent of its budget to local pet shelters?

• 90%    No
• 10%    Yes

3. Now that you know that HSUS gives just one percent of its budget to local pet shelters, do you think the HSUS misleads people into thinking that it supports local humane societies and pet shelters?

• 6%     Not at all
• 13%   Not really
• 28%   Somewhat
• 52%   Very Much

4. Now that you know that HSUS gives just one percent of its budget to local pet shelters, are you more or less likely to support HSUS?

• 21%    Much Less Likely
• 26%    Less Likely
• 8%      More Likely
• 6%      Much More Likely
• 38%    Neither

Survey Methodology

HumaneWatch conducted a nationally representative online survey of 1,010 Humane Society of the United States donors from April 21 - 25, 2012. The survey's margin of error is ±3.1%.

The Murky World of Charity Fundraising

A hard-hitting CNN report this week exposes a veterans charity called Disabled Veterans National Foundation for, well, not doing all that much for veterans. According to CNN, DVNF has raised $55.9 million since 2007—yet spent $61 million from 2008 to 2010 with a for-profit fundraising firm called Quadriga Art and one of its subsidiaries. It’s no surprise that DVNF gets an “F” grade from the American Institute of Philanthropy.

And what kind of aid did DVNF provide? Apparently the charity sent useless gifts of 2,600 bags of cough drops and 2,200 little bottles of sanitizer, and 11,520 bags of coconut M&M's to a veterans center in Alabama. Talk about making a difference.

That’s certainly a questionable arrangement—and probably one not made clear to DVNF’s presumably many donors. Apparently, Quadriga owns two subsidiaries that spun off from a different veterans charity called Paralyzed Veterans of America—another F-rated charity. (PVA also has had questionable spending issues.) And it turns out that Quadriga also has provided services to the F-rated charity SPCA International—with 99 percent of SPCAI’s debt owed to Quadriga as of 2010.

And guess who another Quadriga client is? That’s right: The Humane Society of the United States. According to HSUS’s tax returns, it paid Quadriga $8.2 million in 2009 and $9.6 million in 2010.

Of course, considering HSUS’s fundraising track record, we can’t say we’re surprised they’ve shacked up with this firm. We don’t know for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise us if Quadriga is behind a lot of those HSUS doodads, tchotchkes, and other junk HSUS gifts. If HSUS keeps this up, maybe its charity grade will drop from a “D” to an “F.”

To be fair—what does Quadriga have to offer in rebuttal? Why, threat of legal action. From CNN:

When asked about Quadriga's relationship with DVNF, spokesman Ron Torossian told CNN in an e-mail that the company is privately owned and "we do not discuss specific client relationships." But according to IRS filings, Quadriga has been paid for direct-mail services by DVNF since the charity was founded in 2007.

Torossian did say in his e-mail, "At times, Quadriga chooses to invest money in partnerships with non-profit organizations. Sometimes it is a successful business venture, while others it is not."

In a subsequent e-mail, Torossian said Quadriga had lost $7 million investing in veterans nonprofit organizations.

When CNN asked whether that included the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, he said "your facts remain woefully inadequate," but he declined to elaborate in a later e-mail exchange. He also threatened to sue CNN on behalf of Quadriga.

Uh-huh.

Starting to get the picture? The only real question is what’s worse: Using veterans to scam Americans, or using cats and dogs?

Millions of doggie dollars that go to the Humane Society of the United States have wound up with Quadriga. This is just one more reason people who want to help shelter pets should give directly to their local shelters, and not to HSUS.

Penguin Replies to HSUS Concerns

Well, that didn’t take long. Yesterday we reported that book publisher Penguin Group USA is giving $25,000 to HSUS. We asked you to contact Penguin and register your discontent with its funding of a radical, PETA-like animal rights group.

It appears many people took action—and thanks to all who did. Unfortunately, here’s the response a reader received from Penguin USA’s publicity manager:

After much consideration, Penguin USA chose The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) as the charity partner for Read Humane. 

Please know, the funds donated as part of Read Humane are restricted to the Animal Rescue Team.  Funding from Read Humane cannot be used for lobbying purposes or any purpose other than the Animal Rescue Team. The Animal Rescue Team works directly with pets in need in several ways.

The HSUS's Animal Rescue Team works with law enforcement to investigate illegal animal cruelty, targeting the worst cases of animal abuse nationwide. Every year the Team rescues thousands of animals from puppy mills, animal fighting operations, hoarders, and other situations where animals suffer from life-threatening cruelty. They also provide expert animal rescue response at natural disasters.

We recognize there are many worthy organizations dedicated to animal welfare.  At Penguin, we love our pets and by partnering with the Animal Rescue Team, we wanted to make a small contribution to creating a world free of animal cruelty. 

This is woefully inadequate. While Penguin’s heart is in the right place in earmarking the money for the animal rescue team, that still frees up $25,000 for HSUS to use in attacking farmers. Money is fungible; HSUS can just take out $25,000 it had already allocated to the team’s budget.

Yellow Tail wines, which also had earmarked money for HSUS’s animal rescue team, had the courage to issue a mea culpa and pledge not to give to HSUS in the future. Even if Penguin is mum on its future plans, hopefully it learned enough so that it won’t make the same mistake twice.

Why is HSUS Charging Shelters Big Bucks?

We noticed a news story recently that HSUS had charged a Virginia shelter $15,000 a few years back for an evaluation. It’s not the only time, and it’s kind of kicking shelters when they’re down: HSUS already deceptively raises money as if it’s a sheltering group, yet donates just 1 percent of the money it raises to shelters. And HSUS also charges shelters for evaluations.

Here’s what really bothers us: HSUS has $200 million in assets. It has $32 million in hedge funds alone. Couldn’t it sell off a few shares of stock and perform this kind of service for free? How many animals would still be alive if these shelters had the extra $15,000 or $25,000 for animal care?

Apparently not. In fact, HSUS announced that it’s doing a “tour” of shelters in South Dakota this week. From a group that puts out several hundred press releases a year, this is just more spin designed to give it PR “cover.” While HSUS claims to provide services for shelters, it often comes at a cost: Humane Society University charges over $1,000 for classes, and HSUS’s Animal Care Expo costs $250 for registration.

We went digging around to see how common this is. We already knew of one or two examples. But the list is a bit longer:

• Dallas Animal Services ($25,000)
• Tulsa Animal Shelter ($15,000)
• San Luis Obispo Animal Services Division ($25,000)
• Danville Humane Society ($15,000)
• Albuquerque Animal Services Division ($25,000)
• Carson City Animal Services ($25,000)
• Riverside City-County Animal Shelter ($24,500)
• Forsyth County Animal Shelter ($16,000)
• Animal Protection Society of Orange County ($18,500)
• Ranch Cucamonga ($12,000)
• Greenville Humane Society ($15,500)

There were also about 20 other shelters that we found in the past 10 years that had an evaluation done by HSUS. We’re not sure how much they paid HSUS, in part because a shelter evaluation isn’t a separate line item on the organizations’ tax returns (like a simple grant would be).

Assuming the average group was charged $20,000 for an evaluation, that cost could be a significant chunk of its operating costs. The Danville Humane Society’s budget was $251,000 in 2004 when it got the evaluation. For government-funded shelters, it’s the taxpayers who foot HSUS’s bill.

It’s interesting to see that the HSUS team audited the Norfolk, Va. animal shelter. We wonder what HSUS would make of another shelter in Norfolk: PETA’s. According to filings with the Commonwealth of Virginia, PETA kills 95 percent of the dogs and cats in its care at its shelter.

But considering that the head of HSUS’s shelter consultation program said, “When I euthanize an animal, I don't believe I am killing it,” we’re guessing PETA might not get any points deducted in that regard. In fact, one North Carolina shelter decreased its holding time for healthy animals before euthanasia upon recommendation from HSUS.

And are the HSUS evaluations worth much, anyway? Not in the experience of one Wisconsin shelter’s vice president:

The Humane Society of the U.S. report is garbage. The report is full of errors. They only talked with us for two hours. The report is based upon money, nothing about animal care.

HSUS? Based upon money? Imagine that.

Won’t You Help These Lawyers?

Despite its name, the Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with your local humane society. HSUS doesn’t run a single pet shelter and gives only 1 percent of its budget to local shelters.

This is news to most Americans. According to public polling, about 70 percent of Americans mistakenly believe that HSUS is a pet shelter “umbrella group” and that HSUS gives most of its money to pet shelters.

Why the massive perception-reality gap? We can certainly thank HSUS’s multimillion-dollar ad campaign. You know the formula: Slow music, B-list celebrity spokeswoman, and pictures of sad-looking dogs and cats. And that fine-print disclaimer that HSUS is independent of local humane societies? It’s on less than 1 percent of the ads. See how the scam works?

Here’s what an honest HSUS TV appeal might look like. There’s no confusion, and no need for a disclaimer. But we’re going to go out on a limb and guess it wouldn’t be quite as lucrative for HSUS.

HSUS Earns Some Detention

The April/May charity guide of the American Institute of Philanthropy/CharityWatch is out—and HSUS once again earns an “unsatisfactory" grade of “D.” Even PETA isn’t that low (C+). HSUS has now earned a “D” grade for almost two years.

CharityWatch finds that HSUS spends as little as 50 percent of its budget on actual programs—meaning up to half of HSUS’s budget is reserved for overhead costs like tens of millions spent on fundraising.

CharityWatch also finds that it takes HSUS up to 48 cents to raise every dollar in contributions—a grossly inefficient figure. (Click the image to enlarge.)

These findings are slightly different than those in the December 2011 CharityWatch guide. At that time, CharityWatch found HSUS spent as little 49 percent of its budget on programs. So we have newer data, and it’s more of the same. At this rate, it’ll be a decade before HSUS ventures up to the “C” range (spending 60 percent of its budget on programs).

That’s assuming HSUS is interested in getting its act into shape. We suspect it will just rely on weaker charity-rating assessments and subjective popularity measures instead of spending its donors’ dollars in a more appropriate way. And it’ll keep misleading people by claiming it spends 78 percent of its budget on programs—a laughable statement.

Maybe there’s a reason for all those sad-looking, abandoned dogs and cats in HSUS’s ads. They know that after HSUS scams Americans out of their doggie dollars, local shelters will hardly see a dime.

Some Observations about “Spay Day”

It’s February again, and HSUS yesterday held another “Spay Day” event. The event involves spay/neuter promotion and a user-submitted photo contest, with visitors able to vote on which photo they think is the best.

Many of them are quite cute. But HSUS’s Spay Day ploy is not.

Quick background: Spay Day was started by the Doris Day Animal League back in the 1990s, but HSUS took it over after it merged with DDAL in 2006.

Here’s how it works this year (under the banner “World Spay Day”): Contestants submit a cute picture of your pet, give their contact info to HSUS (probably to be counted as a “constituent” of HSUS), and then encourage their friends and family and others to “vote” for their photo. 

But voting isn’t free, no siree. Votes cost $1 each, with a minimum purchase of 5 votes. Now, to HSUS’s credit, the money gets passed through to an organization designated by the photo contestant:

After the Contest ends, The HSUS/HSI will disburse the funds in the form of grants to the organizations designated by the contestants—with 100% of your donation going directly to the organization(s) designated by the contestant(s) whose pet photo(s) you voted for.

So is HSUS giving any of its own money? Hard to say. But because it is taking custody of the money from the photo contest voters, its tax return should show HSUS making the grant to the local shelters (even though HSUS is really just a pass-through). In effect, that would boost how much HSUS is giving to local shelters, which already is just 1 percent of its budget.

And there’s another catch. HSUS CEO Wayne Pacelle recently claimed that there are “more than 100,000 animals of all kinds HSUS staff provide direct care to every year.” That’s a figure for 2010, in which HSUS counted 68,000 spay/neuter surgeries that occurred during Spay Day.

However, here’s what it says on HSUS’s 2010 tax return, filed under penalty of perjury:

The HSUS and its affiliate Humane Society International launched an online pet photo contest. Entrants in the contest could fundraise on behalf of nearly 300 eligible spay day event organizers. Overall, more than 500 local organization, veterinary clinics, and individuals hosted Spay Day events in 49 states, the District of Columbia, four US territories, and 39 other countries, resulting in more than 68,000 spay/neuter surgeries worldwide.

So HSUS staff didn’t truly provide the direct care itself—it just hosted an event which “result[ed] in” spay/neuter surgeries—the actual work basically being done by other people. HSUS essentially ran a PR campaign and a photo contest. It's not that promoting spay/neuter is bad—but the way HSUS phrases it, you’d think Wayne Pacelle himself was out sterilizing pets.

You may recall that we obtained a Spay Day Memorandum of Understanding for last year’s event. The contract, between HSUS and a local group, shows what a great PR deal this is for HSUS. In exchange for (in this case) $2,000, the group receiving the money had to provide two glowing testimonials and two photographs for HSUS’s use.

Here’s our advice: Admire the cute pics that people submit, but bypass the big charade and just donate to your local shelter directly. If they have a spay/neuter subsidy fund, perfect.