The same applies to charity organisations. Considering how many talented, experienced and capable people are seeking employment these days, for no fault of their own, it seems to me that it should be possible to find very capable and caring people willing and able to lead these organizations for far less than the hundreds of thousands of dollars that the article you referred to seems to think is reasonable. Read More. 501(c)3. Ian, A goat destroys the fertility of land and [the value of] any milk or dung it may give is very little compared to the havoc it wreaks, within two years, the people who get goats have an even poorer lifestyle. The local farmers and food producers we work with saw demand disappear overnight, as markets, hotels and restaurants were forced to close, and costs skyrocket, with restrictions on movement making access to animal feed, seeds and farm labor especially difficult. Heifer International Reaches Agreement for Sale of Little Rock Campus With micro-irrigation, crops can be grown year round, harvesting rainwater and precisely redistributing it, and supplying families with sources of food as well as income from surplus harvest. But in reality, donations may not go toward the purchase of the selected animal. Operating Status Active. Meeting the needs of hungry families always comes first, but we do our best to accommodate your wishes, too., Every gift to Heifer International represents a gift to our total mission of purchasing and transporting food and income-producing animals, as well as providing intensive training in animal husbandry; environmentally sound, sustainable farming; community development and global education. Heifer International has Appointed Surita Sandosham as President and CEO 10 Reasons to Say NO to Animal Gifting Hunger Relief Organizations Some program participants and staff have been critically ill, and others have lost their lives. GiveWell charity rating organization deemed in their evaluation of Heifer International that the organization lacked sufficient transparency and priority programming to secure GiveWell recommendations or funding. - Heifer Ecuador created a marketing and distribution network with producers and neighborhood collectives in the capital in charge of receiving the orders and delivering them door to door. - In countries that are hardest hit, Heifer is providing emergency cash grants and food supplies to communities. Heifer International believes ending global hunger and poverty begins with agriculture. "It will be ever so much better to help by supporting. Many started to accumulate livestock and other assets, and soon could better afford medical expenses and keep their children in school longer and more consistently (particularly girls). Additionally, in many arid communities, water is only available from a communal well or reservoir, in which case hydrating animals is a labor-intensive process for adults and children who must travel by foot and can only carry so much. Tax Status . These lawn alternatives are great for the - Heifer International We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria. Hold Illinois Governor Pritzker Accountable for his Huge New Investment in Animal Ag. Re: executive compensation. 526 Employees . - We have worked with the government and other stakeholders to increase demand for products since lockdowns have lifted. We encourage you and your readers to visit the Heifer Web site to review this report and its findings. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. This normally would have reduced their star rating. As such, both small- and large-scale dairy programs negatively affect the health, wellbeing, and productivity of people in lactose intolerant populations. During the holiday gift-giving season, a popular choice for gift-donations are programs that send live farm animals as gifts to help alleviate hunger and poverty in low-income countries. As a result, the idea that Nike doesnt turn you into LeBron James is widely recognized. Students must hear alternative views which they disagree with, new UCD president says Free speech on college campuses has become a major international issue amid rise of 'cancel culture' Little Rock, AR 72202. - Many of the communities we work with have been heavily affected. When you imagine a better world, what do you see? We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years. From these catalogs, well-meaning donors choose which animal they would like to send as their gift-donation. Investment Firm Abandons Plans to Build a Mega Slaughterhouse in What about Humanely Raised Milk and Dairy Products? In concept, I strongly agree with Ian. Due to popular demand, A Well-Fed World created a special Plants-4-Hunger gift-giving program to provide a compassionate and highly-effective alternative. The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission. We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets. Given the number of organizations out there with evidence of impact (Im aware of only a small handful), I take issue with the idea that one can find organizations that have both a good record on impact and do not pay its executives excessive amounts. Its hard enough to satisfy the first criterion without adding the second one in. This organization's score of 93 is a passing score. These lessons are about more than livestock as well. Goal Two: Promote and support collective action and the formation of farmer groups and farmer owned cooperatives. Competitor Summary. Re: executive compensation. These uses of water are in direct competition with the drinking water needs of local communities, as well as with the supply of water available to grow foods for direct human consumption. (I believe that Givewell is one of them). But in almost all cases, international aid charities are (a) carrying out complex projects that can fail to do good (or even do harm) in a variety of ways, and (b) not systematically sharing the information that would make it possible to assess how their work is going. We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. Does Not Provide Loan(s) to or Receive Loan(s) From Related Parties, Audited Financial Statements Listed on Website. Thank you! However, there is a crucial piece of information missing: how it allocates its budget between programs (in particular, how much it spends on its stronger and better-documented vs. more questionable programs). We received feedback from participants that are part of Hatching Hope - a collaboration between Heifer International and Cargill to support rural smallholders across the globe with training, technical support and resources to improve income and nutrition through poultry product - in India that their chickens were affected by disease outbreaks in the region. The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organization's mission. Vegetarians and vegans beware: bee and tree gift-donations can support any animal program, fundraising, or overhead. Progress on these projects slowed due to restrictions on movement of people and goods. And finally, the animals are far from happy. Raising animals for food requires up to 10 times more water than growing crops for direct consumption. Heifer International - Wikipedia To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. GiveWell is devoted to finding charities in which we can have more confidence. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. The organization was founded in 1944 and is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. horizons HEIFER.ORG | 1 For the last couple . At Heifer International, we don't . It is drought and heat tolerant, while also being packed with protein and calcium. No Credit: There has been a diversion of assets within the last two years and the charity's explanation on Schedule O is either non-existent or not sufficient. Heifer International Exposed - Sentient This chart displays the trend of revenue and expenses over the past several years for this organization, as reported on their IRS Form 990. Heifer International gives the gift of animals - NBC News If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. Period. Turkey Talk Between Birds and Humans Will Blow Former Meat and Dairy Farmers Who Became Vegan Why Organic Meat, Dairy and Eggs Are Not Biden Must Stand Up To Animal Agriculture! People looking for large compensations should stay in the Private sector. This website uses standard, nonpersonalized cookies for best experience. - Fundraising investments performed better than expected throughout the year and year-end giving results exceeded projections. Heifer International and SEAF Announce Agreement to Expand Impact In 2012, Heifer International spent more than a million dollars on professional fundraising fees. - Staff regularly present at industry-specific conferences and events. Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. Before a project participant ever receives an animal, he or she goes through training to learn how to care for the animal, how to provide safe and secure shelter, how to feed and water the animal in ways that dont conflict with food and water for the family as they pull themselves out of poverty. Im impressed by the intelligent, respectful and thoughtful conversation found here. Dont Send One, Either. Again, gifts that are designated for a particular project or animal are used as requested until that need is fully met. What all of the charities below have in common is that (a) we have major questions and concerns about their activities; (b) the information necessary to see how serious these concerns are does not seem to be available. Company Type Non-profit. The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking and goal setting through sharing their most important strategic goals. ____________________________________________. - Wide range of institutional and corporate partnerships see annual report for more information. Mary, what is your source for the 80% overhead figure? - Research projects regularly published in academic journals. Much of their resource use must be focused on these cattle. See the metrics below for more information. The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. These massive programs were developed despite the fact that 90% of Asian and African populations are lactose intolerant. Click ACCEPT to continue or change your settings to opt-out. Heifer International already operates such programs and can quickly and easily shift its focus and resources from animal abuse and meat consumption advocacy to a more compassionate, sustainable and effective initiatives, such as - irrigation systems installations, supplying seeds and farming training, empowering woman small businesses and more. We compute the average annual growth of program expenses using the following formula: [(Yn/Y0)(1/n)]-1, where Y0 is a charity's program expenses in the first year of the interval analyzed, Yn is the charity's program expenses in the most recent year, and n is the interval of years passed between Y0 and Yn. diets, in particular on the consumption of animal source foods, and on child nutritional status in those households. Certainly not every gift goes to provide geographically appropriate animals or plants to families gripped by poverty, but Heifer makes that fact clear in all of its publications, collateral and material. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. We have concerns about this general area and concerns about giving livestock specifically. Stated Mission . Normally, we focus on identifying outstanding charities, and minimize the time spent on opaque or otherwise lackluster ones. Teffis high in protein, with an excellent amino acid profile, is high in fiber and calcium, (1 cup of teff provides more calcium than a cup of milk), and is a rich source of boron, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and iron. This overall score is calculated from multiple beacon scores, weighted as follows:80% Accountability & Finance, 10% Leadership & Adaptability, 10% Culture & Community. At Heifer International, we don't just imagine in a better world, we're building one. I doubt they use the full donations but instead use them on things which they shouldnt be doing.. they have to improve. If you have to choose between two organizations with slightly different cost effectiveness and far different executive pay, youd still do better to choose the one with higher cost effectiveness. Heifer International reported being impacted by COVID-19 in the following ways: How COVID-19 impacted the organization's operations financially: - We took measures to reduce overhead costs in early 2020 in the face of an uncertain donor landscape and to ensure continued support to programs. I think accountability for charities is really important. We also have a comprehensive, multi-channel marketing strategy. Dan West (philanthropist) - Wikipedia Where group project activities are possible, social distancing is adhered to and masks and hand washing equipment is made available. 855.9HUNGER (855.948.6437) Live Chat From these catalogs, well-meaning donors choose which animal they would like to send as their gift-donation. Thank God someone is doing this homework, at last! Biography [ edit] Sputnik/Alexey Nikolsky/Kremlin via Reuters. Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website. In this situation, we deduct 7 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. Heifer International reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as: International Development: Sustainability. The nonprofit organization presents evidence of strategic thinking through articulating the organizations vision. As do organizations in other sectors, charities must be mindful of their management of total liabilites in relation to their total assets. For more than 75 year. Farmers that were on a pathway toward living income regressed, with the income gap widening. This search returns results from both GiveWell's main site and from the GiveWell Blog. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Copyright | Free From Harm | All Rights Reserved. A Well-Fed World is an international hunger relief and food security organization advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a sustainable, nourished, and climate-friendly future. A global shift towards plant-based foods more efficiently uses crops and natural resources to nourish people and cool the climate. Heifer International was founded in 1944 by farmer Dan West, after returning home from feeding fatigued refugees affected by the Spanish Civil War. Staff members personal donations for giving season 2022, The winners of the Change Our Mind Contestand some reflections, Answering some questions about water quality programs, The Maximum Impact Fund is now the Top Charities Fund, Announcing the Change Our Mind Contest for critiques of our cost-effectiveness analyses. About Heifer International | Heifer International See this article from the American Institute of Philanthropy for more on this topic: http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/salaries.html. In short, we explain why animal gifting doesnt necessarily help, and sometimes harms, the recipients, and how these programs may be misleading to donors. Due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic, we give charities such as this one the opportunity to share the story of COVID's impact on them, and doing this pauses our revision of their rating. When the pandemic hit, our field teams provided immediate support to the communities they work with, sharing information on how farmers could protect their families from the virus, as well as masks and hand-washing equipment. Many gifted animals suffer from confinement, neglect, malnutrition, and lack of protection from weather and temperature extremes. Goal Type: New program(s) based on observed changes in needs among our constituencies/communities served. Heifer International has earned a 100% for the Leadership & Adaptability beacon. Our evaluation convinced us of the importance of continuing with this core feature.. Working with rural communities in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, including the United States, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income. Your donation: Provides sustaining support throughout the year to families in need Helps us to plan ahead and respond to urgent needs Creates lasting change for years to come Donation 1 Details 2 Payment 3 Give Monthly Give One Time Continue to Details For example, our top-rated charity (VillageReach) doesnt appear (based on its Form 990) to pay anyone more than $65,000/yr. It doesnt sound right to me, and I also believe the overhead ratio issue is usually a distraction. Heifer is about education and training and building communities as much as it is about the living loan of livestock. We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. James E.D., we may be discussing this topic more in a future post, but briefly , Hey I find UNICEF advertising a lot on websites. Please consider supporting our Plants-4-Hunger program or choose another favorite! to try again. By Dawn Moncrief | December 10, 2013 | Categories Agriculture and Environment. Would you expect a doctor to recommend a cancer drug based on reading an abstract? Cart ID: Not Assigned, Copyright 2023 | EIN 13-4148824 | Bridge ID 3108588923. See other 990s. In other words, it simply states that the evaluators had a positive view of Heifer. Our program staff also help to procure hard to get items. This is in line with Heifer's plan of reaching 6 million smallholder farming households in Africa by 2030. Additionally, dairy production negatively impacts local communities with ripple effect consequences that ultimately disadvantage entire societies. Full set of blog posts on Grameen Foundation, Full set of blog posts on Heifer International, Full set of blog posts on The Robin Hood Foundation. If the world is flat, that opens up many possibilities for doing things differently. For Every Time Heifer International Calls Me, I Will Take Oxen - Medium As communities went into lockdown, farmers found it increasingly difficult to get their products to market and get access to farming inputs. Global Development's Glaring Blind Spot: The Power of - heifer.org In the past 12 months, efforts have also been made to strengthen learning circles, with more tailored support provided based on needs identified by staff and their managers. Cull good intentions of useless self serving operations going round in circles of their own PR importance! Goal Three: Build inclusive and effective value chains, The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development. By working to improve farmer visibility, Heifer International aims to connectsocial entrepreneurs to farmers and farmer data, enabling these innovators to provide tailored solutions to support farmers and co-ops at scale. She has two master's degrees from The George Washington University: one in International Relations, the other in Women's Studies, both focusing on economic development. Working to empower people all over the world and help them to escape poverty, this organization donates livestock and funds programs with similar missions. While animal-giving programs seem to focus on small-scale farming, they have extremely large-scale implications that pave the way for factory farming, and exponentially increase consumption of meat, dairy and eggs throughout entire countries and beyond. This means that already limited freshwater supplies are diverted to animals for their hydration, sanitation, and the cultivation of the forage used to feed them. There is a profound lack of supervision (with teeth) in the charity sector. For greater detail about Heifers impact, I encourage a visit Heifers Web site, http://www.heifer.org, to read the results of five years of evaluations by the Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. Her work highlights the ways in which high levels of meat consumption in the U.S. and globally exacerbate global hunger, especially for women and children. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve? The organization donates livestock such as chickens, cows, and goats and provides mentorship to help local farmers build a business and gain access to market chains. Heifer International To Partner With Mastercard To Empower Millions Of Heifer International cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization. LEARN MORE (photo: Ashraya Initiative for Children - India) . Seventy percent of all Ethiopias cattle are raised pastorally in the highlands of their country, where less than 100 pounds of meat and a few gallons of milk are produced per acre of land used. (BMF affiliation code: 3). Heifer International is a non-profit organization that works with communities to end world hunger and poverty. We ultimately see a Kiva loan as a gift to a microfinance institution, and we have major concerns about supporting any but the most outstanding microfinance institutions as well as concerns about Kivas due diligence process specifically. I encourage Heifer to make the full study public, as is done with (for example) Poverty Action Lab evaluations. This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. Twitter, Describe briefly. This ratio is an indicator of an organizations solvency and or long term sustainability. 15 Charities That Fight Hunger Around The World - Delish We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that ones race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. Heifer International - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding So, for example, I would consider an organizations rating by GiveWell, then use Charity Navigator to evaluate what it pays its executives. The salary information given is very revealing and, in some cases, seemingly incongruous with the organizations stated missions and the dire needs that they are addressing. She also draws attention to the negative consequences of increasing livestock production and intensification on climate change and oil scarcity. Chicken Behavior: An Overview of Recent Science, Eating Animals: Addressing Our Most Common Justifications, 4 Reasons Why We Don't Advocate for "Humane" Animal Products, Motherhood Led Me to Quit Dairy Farming Forever. PDF CHOCOLATE FARMERS' BITTERSWEET HARVEST - media.heifer.org To end hunger & poverty and care for the earth. The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year. Our Global Grants strengthen plant-based feeding and farming programs, education, and advocacy. Dividing a charity's average fundraising expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. There are also organizations that pay substantial salaries and make a difference. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons, minimize the time spent on opaque or otherwise lackluster ones, GiveWell Board member Tim Ogdens summary of the recent discussion/controversy, have major concerns about supporting any but the most outstanding microfinance institutions, concerns about Kivas due diligence process specifically, general concerns about microfinance charities, rarely even clear about what their value-added is, disappointing (and eye-opening) evaluation of the Village Phone program, concerns about giving livestock specifically, recent removal of the charts we questioned, own explanation of why it is giving grants to other major charities, suspect that this offer is a donor illusion, UNICEF provides almost no information at all about its huge variety of activities and how they are going, CARE coming the closest to meaningful transparency, we see no substantive available information about its track record, is unwilling to share any information about the results of its grantmaking, http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.5647733/?msource=XS2M090001&utm_source=Heifer&utm_medium=Website_Banner&utm_campaign=ImpactStudy, the overhead ratio issue is usually a distraction, http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/salaries.html, http://www.heifer.org/ending-hunger/accomplishments/measure-of-success.html. Read our blog or follow us by email, Animal Law 101: What Is Necessary Animal 12 Reasons You May Never Want To Eat Turkeys Again, 10 Facts About Koch Foods and Joseph Grendys. We examine the flaws in concept and practice with animal-gifting groups in general, and with Heifer International in particular (since they are the largest and most well-known). The amount spent to raise $1 in charitable contributions. The conclusion states in part Animal donations appear to have a favorable effect on recipient households? The key question we have is whether animal donations compare favorably with other forms of asset transfers in terms of cost-effectiveness, and the Rwanda evaluation is generally silent on that question (though it notes that Given that animal donations are expensive Heifer (personal communication) reports that the average full cost of a pregnant cow, delivered to the Rwandan beneficiary households we study, is roughly $3000 solid evidence of impact is arguably long overdue.). Should I stop giving to Heifer International? : r/vegan - Reddit Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. loading and try your donation again. Increased dairy production is frequently touted as one of the greatest successes of animal-gifting programs. I donate my hard earned money to make change for the better not to make the well-off even richer. This food and water can be in direct competition with human consumption. Alternative Giving on Giving Tuesday | HuffPost Impact
