Mar 16 2011
It’s Raining Cats and Dogs (in HSUS Fundraising Appeals)
According to polling we commissioned from Opinion Research Corporation, most Americans think the Humane Society of the United States is a pet shelter umbrella group. If you've spent much time on this website, you already know it isn't. And most Americans think the Humane Society of the United States gives most of its money to pet shelters. Also not true. The Humane Society of the United States is not affiliated with local humane societies; again, this flies in the face of popular belief.
Why do so many Americans have the wrong idea? In large part because the Humane Society of the United States knows that images of cats and dogs raise money better than pictures of pigs and chickens. HSUS’s new TV ad featuring Jenna Elfman (of “Dharma and Greg”) shows 44 live animals—and 95 percent of them are dogs and cats.
It’s no wonder many Americans confuse the Humane Society of the United States with their local humane society.
HSUS responds that it looks out for all animals—including prairie dogs, snakes, and wolves. That’s fine, but is it too much to ask that HSUS’s ads reflect its aims?
If you’re skeptical, the proof is in the pudding. Thanks to helpful HumaneWatch readers, we have examples of HSUS fundraising letters from the last two years showing the group’s bait-and-switch approach to fundraising.
Is HSUS taking advantage of Americans’ goodwill toward cats and dogs? You be the judge.
“Exhibit A” is a membership renewal mailing that the Humane Society of the United States sent out in September 2009. It included 10 reasons why the recipient should renew his membership.
The number one reason?
Your renewed membership helps The HSUS assist local shelters to become better through improving management and adoption practices.
From reading that, you might think a significant portion of HSUS’s budget funds local shelters. But according to its tax returns, the Humane Society ofthe United States shares less than one percent of its money with hands-on pet shelters.
In fact, HSUS charges shelters up to $25,000 to perform a shelter evaluation and suggest management improvements. So it’s hard to see how renewing an HSUS membership will help the group “assist local shelters.”
And none of those 10 reasons mentions farm animals, even though HSUS spends millions of dollars every year trying to end livestock farming and convert people to an animal rights-approved diet (no meat, dairy, eggs, or any animal product permitted on your plate).
An accompanying letter, signed by Humane Society of the United States CEO Wayne Pacelle, includes this line:
[T]he only way we can make these critical life-saving programs work and help save the lives of puppies and kittens in peril is with the continued support of our very best members such as you.
Again, HSUS's tax records show that less than a penny of every dollar you give will filter down to dog and cat shelters at the local level.
A second letter promises:
The HSUS will … use [your gift] where it is most urgently needed and can do the most good for the animals.
HSUS and its affiliated groups have $191 million dollars in assets stuffed away. Can’t they use some of that right now?
A third letter notes that up to 4 million pets are euthanized every year, asking:
How can we save these innocent puppies and kittens and find them good, loving homes?
Since HSUS is not a pet adoption agency, the answer seems pretty clear: If you want your donations to be used immediately to care for cats and dogs like those in HSUS’s TV commercials, you should donate to the shelter in your community—not to the Humane Society of the United States.
Related Documents
Comments
Thank you for this article… It really opens the eyes of those that didn’t know. ALL my donations go to our local SPCA… All of our cats go to the SPCA for any vet needs or whatnot… I can’t stand companies that try to deceive the people.
This is exactly the reason I can’t stand this organization. It’s one thing to have an agenda and try to put it across, but it’s another thing entirely to intentionally deceive people in order to do so.
Also—page 8 of the PDF states there were “only 1,500,000 members” of HSUS—far below the “11 million” number tossed around so often. But, that has been already covered on this site.
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/regarding_those_11_million_HSUS_supporters/
http://www.humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/how_many_hsus_members/
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/paul_shapiro_has_11_million_problems/
http://humanewatch.org/index.php/site/post/11_million_members_and_other_fairy_tales/
This is what gets me. Can’t they be charged with something? They are deliberately misleading the public with false ads and words. I’m pretty they aren’t allowed to do that. It sickens me greatly that they exploit these animals to tug on our heartstrings the take our money and put it towards their pension plans and lobbying against agricultural farming. They need to lose their tax exempt status or come out publicly saying ‘This is what we do. This is what we want.’ Instead making tiny disclaimers that the public usually doesn’t see. This is the reason I donate locally.
They sure don’t love reptiles, that’s for certain! Banning something, an act which inevitably results in huge numbers of once-legally-owned pets and breeding stock being either dumped on shelters or abandoned by owners now fearing legal prosecution, is hardly what I’d call a show of “love”. And yet, that’s exactly what HSUS is trying to do-ban reptiles in captivity, rendering some estimated 38 MILLION (conservatively speaking)animal owners criminals overnight and destroying the fastest-growing segment of the overal l pet industry in America. As one of those 38 million reptile owners/breeders, neither I, nor my animals, need that sort of “love”.
Actually the H$U$ has launched a feeble campaign for Japan’s animals, through their international arm:
But if you check out Humane Society Intl at Charity Navigator, you’ll see they have a ONE star rating. Seems they are in “deep financial trouble” among other things.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=5456
Which makes me wonder: Why doesn’t the H$U$ bail them out?
My company matched $1,150.00 in donations to HSUS last year. In a corporate feedback forum, I let others know that of that amount, only $11.50 (I was being generous) was used to help the sad-eyed abused puppies and kittens in those heart-wrenching commercials.
I know I’m trying to use reason to defeat what is essentially an emotional response, so I don’t know how far I’ll get; one of the corporate higher-ups is obviously stoned on the HSUS kool-aid. I’ve complained about the gifts to HSUS several times before. Some people just don’t want to hear it, they would rather believe the lies.
SPCA and HSUS have joined forces here in Texas. I would be careful about supporting any big groups. Local and locally owned shelters/rescues and vets are the best way to go.
Other advetisers have been prosecuted for false and/or misleading advertising. I don’t see why HSUS escapes prosecution. Somebody needs to push it.
interesting. i had no idea…
i’ve never heard of the HSUS. if they use the very sad sarah mclachlan song, it’s because i mute it or change the channel.
but what they are supporting is good, too, (and not popular with non vegan/vegetarians).
i would also have assumed they were umbrella to locals. sounds more like an arm of PETA, but they don’t want to use that word.
If the H$U$ is supposed to be a non-profit, then WHY is there such a large amount of money in the bank? Money in the bank, that sits and does nothing other than collect interest, is PROFIT—How many volunteers are doing the grunt work, while administration is getting paid well and living a cushy lifestyle?
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I’m surprised H$U$ hasn’t launched an appeal to “help” animals in the earthquake zone in Japan.