Heifer International distances itself from scandal-hit charity Bothar Heifer International main competitors are Open Society Foundations, The Heritage Foundation, and Ford Foundation. These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. As such, both small- and large-scale dairy programs negatively affect the health, wellbeing, and productivity of people in lactose intolerant populations. 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. Following feedback from program participants on the impact of COVID on their operations, we shifted some of our program funding to respond to evolving community needs. - Work is regularly published and shared in traditional media and on social media channels. Charity Navigator believes nonprofit organizations implementing effective equity policies and practices can enhance a nonprofit's decision-making, staff motivation, innovation, and effectiveness. In October 2020, Heifer International provided anti-racism training to all US staff, as part of a wider, ongoing DEI initiative covering all of the 21 countries it works in. We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability. 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. This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us. Company Type Non-profit. Heifer International. Little Rock, AR 72202. In this case, we deduct 15 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve. Would you expect a doctor to recommend a cancer drug based on reading an abstract? 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. 10 Reasons to Say NO to Animal Gifting Hunger Relief Organizations - We kept more than 4,000 families from leaving their homes during the most critical period of the pandemic, with 200 producer families benefiting from the sale of their products, with crops their main source of income. In Food Choice and Sustainability (2013), Dr. Richard Oppenlander writes:In Ethiopia, over 40 percent of the population is considered hungry or starving, yet the country has 50 million cattle (one of the largest herds in the world), as well as almost 50 million sheep and goats, and 35 million chickens, unnecessarily consuming the food, land and water [P]oorly managed cattle grazing has caused severe overgrazing, deforestation, and then subsequent erosion and eventual desertification. In Heifer, you will have the opportunity to work with hundreds of people worldwide to solve universal problems affecting our planet and the food supply chain. In response to criticism that promoting animal agriculture in regions already plagued by desertification and drought is irresponsible, Heifer International and other organizations have zero-grazing requirements. Normally, we focus on identifying outstanding charities, and minimize the time spent on opaque or otherwise lackluster ones. Audited financial statements provide important information about financial accountability and accuracy. There any plenty of organizations who pay short salaries and fail to create any impact. - Prior to the global pandemic, Heifer International had already started to refocus its programs, building a smaller portfolio of larger programs focused on scale, permanence of impact and partnerships. Just as if you have to choose between two investments with slightly different future profit prospects, you should ignore executive pay and choose the one with better prospects. advisory committees, Suggestion box/email. The strategy was to establish short and direct chains between urban areas with poor access to fresh produce and farmers in surrounding provinces. And now you can pack all your good feelings in your very own goat tote. GiveWell is devoted to finding charities in which we can have more confidence. Only by reviewing a complete study, which is never perfect, can one understand the methodology and its implications and limitations. 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. I still try to steer donors away from animal gifts towards less restrictive donations but it is good to see Heifer include this kind of information on their site. It doesnt sound right to me, and I also believe the overhead ratio issue is usually a distraction. Furthermore, there is no need for humans to consume the milk of other animals. Heifer International 1 World Avenue. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. - We have provided food aid, PPE and farming inputs to partner communities. Best Items to Donate to an Animal Shelter, Donors Prefer Charities that Earn All Four Beacons. Click ACCEPT to continue or change your settings to opt-out. Isnt a donor who believes that the success stories they see on a non-profits website are the rule rather than the exception as naive as a consumer who thinks Nike shoes will actually make them play basketball like Lebron James? The Impact of Heifer Internationals Livestock Donation Programs in Rwanda Jan 2013. Heifer International's work in Japan is widely viewed as the start of their modern factory-style dairy industry. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. - COVID information has been shared widely in program communities through existing networks, partners, and the media. Heifer International, a non-profit sustainable community development organization located in Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded an OSWER Innovations grant in June of 2003 to design an environmentally-friendly parking plaza to complement the organization's new headquarters, which is a green building located on a former brownfields site. 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. Phone Number (855) 948-6437. Dont Have a Cow. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. Many gifted animals suffer from confinement, neglect, malnutrition, and lack of protection from weather and temperature extremes. And yes, I think that funders deserve the lions share of the blame charities market the way they do, presumably, because it works. We have not found a livestock-distribution charity that has published either evidence of impact or clear answers to these questions. How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve? 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. The People Department is strengthening development policies across the organization and providing clearer guidance and support to leaders in formal and informal leaderships roles. Thank you for letting us share this information with your readers. It is clear that donations primarily fund charities (salary) overheads to an average of 80% of all funds raised. Some tell better stories than others and some have more disclosure than others. People looking for large compensations should stay in the Private sector. When you imagine a better world, what do you see? Investment Firm Abandons Plans to Build a Mega Slaughterhouse in What about Humanely Raised Milk and Dairy Products? Better to look for the most impactful organizations and assume that they know more than you do about how to allocate expenses and what an appropriate salary is. If a charity has high pay but is also generating demonstrable cost-effective impact, then its worth giving to, no matter how unjust you may feel the salaries are. These hunger relief projects provide both immediate assistance and long-term community solutions that feed families without harming animals. 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. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. Im impressed by the intelligent, respectful and thoughtful conversation found here. This normally would have reduced their star rating. This search returns results from both GiveWell's main site and from the GiveWell Blog. Re: executive compensation. Holiday Gifting Got Your Goat? Heifer International and SEAF Announce Agreement to Expand Impact This beacon provides an assessment of the organization's culture and connectedness to the community it serves. No Credit: The charity did not have its audited financials prepared by an independent accountant. Sustainable agriculture, which includes animals, is at the heart of everything Heifer does with project participants and families. Goal Three: Build inclusive and effective value chains, The nonprofit provides evidence of investment in leadership development. Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website. The existence of a privacy policy of any type does not prohibit the charity itself from contacting the donor for informational, educational, or solicitation purposes. Heifer International has earned a 84% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. Together with farmer cooperatives and other partners, we have invested in trucks, motorbikes and other distribution systems so farmers could continue to sell their produce, while working with governments and other local actors to ensure farmers could access medicines, feed, and important support services for their animals. The Liabilities to Assets Ratio is determined by Total Liabilities divided by Total Assets (most recent 990). 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. Im not saying that salaries are justified in every case. http://www.heifer.org/ending-hunger/accomplishments/measure-of-success.html links directly to Got Milk? The article goes to great lengths to try to justify these salaries but I would rather see greater moral imagination applied to solving these problems a different way. Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization makes this information easily accessible. Click here to search for this organization's Forms 990 on the IRS website (if any are available). The promise evident in animal donation programs is apparent, even if the impacts remain difficult to estimate precisely in small, observational studies such as ours. Heifer International and similar organizations spend exorbitant amounts of money on colorful, glossy catalogs depicting cute children hugging and kissing happy, healthy animals (like this HI catalog photo). These alternative choices from Heifer International add a new dimension to giving, especially when the recipient promises to pass on their animal's first female offspring to a neighbor in need, multiplying the impact and the benefit. The IRS is significantly delayed in processing nonprofits' annual tax filings (Forms 990). Learn more about our criteria and methodology. Where group project activities are possible, social distancing is adhered to and masks and hand washing equipment is made available. Heifer International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity registered in the US under EIN: 35-1019477. . (In most cases our assessment is based on significant back-and-forth with the charities themselves, though in some cases we are going off their website.). Students must hear alternative views which they disagree with, new UCD With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve? Full set of blog posts on The Carter Center. I think it is essential to judge charities by their impact and not by their inputs. And I was trying to argue that such compensation is unnecessary and therefore the issue itself need not exist at all. When any animal fund becomes depleted and there is still a need, monies from any other animal fund can be used where needed most. I would go in that order. Helping people is something to feel good about. 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. Heifer International works in partnership with the communities it serves and implements programs that support entrepreneurs. 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. A diversion of assets any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. Alternative Giving on Giving Tuesday | HuffPost Impact Teff, for example, is one of Ethiopias oldest grains. Heifer International Exposed - Sentient We have continued education in diverse market systems, emerging technologies and impact capital, and are planning for belonging labs focusing on employee engagement and inclusion. Dan West (philanthropist) - Wikipedia Program participants in 21 countries. Staff continued to provide targeted services including access to animal management services, connections to suppliers of animal feed and medicines, and access to markets, but in-person meetings and trainings were not possible, slowing program spend rates. I am saying that its not a very useful question to ask. Bill, charitys executive compensation is often high because they must compete for talent with the private sector, where executive compensation is outrageously high. For example: The amounts do not include nontaxable benefits, deferred compensation, or other amounts not reported on Form W-2. For 76 years, it has invested in more than 36 million smallholder farmers and their families around the world, supporting them to build businesses that are economically and environmentally sustainable. The Charity Navigator rating isnt just less useful than a GiveWell-style analysis its nearly useless if your goal is to actually help people with your donation. Dawn Moncrief is the founder and executive director of A Well-Fed World , a hunger relief and animal protection organization working with grassroots groups in the U.S. and internationally to focus on sustainable plant-based food production programs. How this organization adapted to changing conditions caused by COVID-19: - Field activities continue to follow local and national safety guidance. Heifer International | Ending Poverty and Caring for the Earth There are also organizations that pay substantial salaries and make a difference. This is wholly unacceptable if not pernicious. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. They include enhanced farming techniques, animal well being, agro-ecology and gender equityensuring that all project participants, especially women who throughout much of the world are denied many opportunities that men take for granted, such as land ownership. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories: Yes: This charity has a written donor privacy policy published on its website, which states unambiguously that (1) it will not share or sell a donor's personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations or (2) it will only share or sell personal information once the donor has given the charity specific permission to do so. This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. 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. Heifer International Foundation | Charity Navigator Profile As members are geographically diverse and large, others . Your donation attempt encountered a problem. The organization reported that it is implementing 8 Equity Practices. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting. 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Heifer International believes ending global hunger and poverty begins with agriculture. Contact Email info@heifer.org. These massive programs were developed despite the fact that 90% of Asian and African populations are lactose intolerant. I donate my hard earned money to make change for the better not to make the well-off even richer. I was led to your web site by an article in Whole Living magazine. Stated Mission . This metric will be assigned to one of the following categories: Full Credit: There has been no diversion of assets within the last two years. If you believe that the Western Michigan University evaluation represents good outward-facing evidence of Heifers impact, I encourage you to make it publicly available. Now 14, Lydia has helped . 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. This independent review, led by Dr. Michael Scriven, found that, It is beyond doubt that in all 20 of the countries we have examined, Heifer has brought large overall benefits to very large numbers of low income rural families., Evaluators cited, The Heifer edge in the organizations cost-effective crusade against poverty has always been the built-in sustainability of the commitment to Passing on the Gift of livestock, and of skills in (i) their care, and in (ii) respect for the Twelve Cornerstone Values (guiding principles of all the organizations programs), evaluators noted. Ethical Vegans Must Reject Donald Trump. Committed as Heifer is to transparency, potential donors are informed that: As a donor, you are given the opportunity to designate gifts to specific country programs or for specific animals. A policy that refers to donor information collected on the website is also not sufficient as the policy must be comprehensive and applicable to both online and offline donors. Read More. I wouldnt rely on just one filter (either one). The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year. De-Dollarization: BRICS Currency Would Pose a Threat Unlike Any Other From my perspective, I think we have to be careful about blaming the non-profits here and place more responsibility on the funders (especially large funders, since smaller funders often follow their lead). The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners. Even taken at face value, we dont find the Rwanda evaluation particularly informative: we would expect that giving families large assets in the form of animals would lead to moderate improvements in food security. The much larger 2005 Western Michigan University evaluation is still not public as far as we know. 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). Our Plants-4-Hunger gift-donation program is a plant-based hunger relief alternative to Heifer International and other live animal campaigns. You run it through both filters. Some children have even had to sleep in the barn with animals to prevent theft. Specifically, the reasons below provide details about these concerns. 2009-2023 - A Well-Fed World - EIN: 27-0865905. Ive pointed people to this blog post and Joedys comments a few times when Heifer is mentioned. As communities went into lockdown, farmers found it increasingly difficult to get their products to market and get access to farming inputs. Read our blog or follow us by email, to try again. Heifer International: commonly perceived as a way to "give a cow to a poor family as a gift," but this is in fact a donor illusion -donations support Heifer International's general "agricultural assistance" activities. They can be applied together. ), Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Paper surveys, Case management notes, Community meetings or town halls, Constituent (client or resident, etc.) Heifer International gives the gift of animals - NBC News Heifer International Reviews - Glassdoor In 2009, Lydia and her mother traveled to Vietnam on a Heifer International study tour to meet families that are recipients of Heifer gifts. Many recipients of animal gifting programs struggle to provide even the most basic care to the animals they receive. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. By Dawn Moncrief | December 10, 2013 | Categories Agriculture and Environment. Increased dairy production is frequently touted as one of the greatest successes of animal-gifting programs. 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. Sign up below for our monthly e-newsletter to receive your free PDF and advance notice when the print copies are available. - In addition to work directly with smallholder farmers to improve production and productivity, we invest alongside farmers and cooperatives in infrastructure to benefit large numbers of farmers. We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. Biography [ edit] Full Credit: The charity's audited financials were prepared by an independent accountant with an audit oversight committee. I will be directing people to this site. Joedy, thanks for the link. The Giving Basket is having some issues. See how Heifer International compares to its main competitors: Internal Revenue Service has the most employees (74,454). Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc. We calculate the charity's average expenses and average contributions over its three most recent fiscal years. Why Aren't Donated Clothes Always Given Away for Free? Ending Hunger and Poverty While Caring for the Earth | Heifer International These cookies do not store any personal information. Heifer International gives the gift of animals Instead of waiting in line with hundreds of others for a chance at nabbing the year's hottest Christmas gifts, Food Network chef Alton Brown.
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