If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. Opt-out: The charity has a written privacy policy published on its website which enables donors to tell the charity to remove their names and contact information from lists the charity shares or sells. Heifer International was founded in 1944 by farmer Dan West, after returning home from feeding fatigued refugees affected by the Spanish Civil War. Sign in Support Charity Navigator Discover Charities Best Charities Charities with Perfect Scores Protect the Environment Address Global Poverty End Hunger Autism Awareness Improve Education Reduce Homelessness These lawn alternatives are great for the environment, your wallet and your nose | Heifer International Animals Culture Food & Water From The Archives Newsworthy Equality Risk Mitigation & Resilience Insights & Analysis Work & Income Climate 3 Great-Smelling Lawn Alternatives That Will Save You and The Earth By Molly Mitchell October 22, 2019 Poverty and hunger are again on the rise, meaning support from Heifer International is needed to build resilient livelihoods providing protection to farmers in emergency situations, now more than ever. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. Re: donor illusion. We use the term donor illusion to refer to any case where donors are getting something very different from what they imagined, even if the charity in question has fully transparent disclosures. Little Rock, AR 72202. How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve? 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. The nonprofit provides evidence of leadership through focusing externally and mobilizing resources for the mission. 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. Instead of using their food, water, topsoil, and massive amounts of land and energy to raise livestock, Ethiopia, for instance, could grow teff, an ancient and quite nutritious grain grown in that country for the past 20,000 to 30,000 years. How a donor can have themselves removed from a list differs from one charity to the next, but any and all opt-out policies require donors to take specific action to protect their privacy. If the charity does report a diversion, then we check to see if it complied with the Form 990 instructions by describing what happened and its corrective action. The Giving Basket is having some issues. But in reality, donations may not go toward the purchase of the selected animal. - Staff regularly present at industry-specific conferences and events. Since 2009, we've awarded 2800+ grants ($13.5M+) in 94 countries. - Wide range of institutional and corporate partnerships see annual report for more information. We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. As a result, poultry mortality rates have fallen significantly among program participants. Having another mouth to feed can significantly add to a familys burden, and the animals frequently suffer from neglect, malnutrition, dehydration, lack of veterinary care, and lack of shelter from temperature extremes. Can they do without these luxuries, YES. Learn more about the BMF on the IRS website, Gifts or grants to individuals (other than scholarships) (BMF activity code: 561), Foreign organization (BMF activity code: 911), Organization which receives a substantial part of its support from a governmental unit or the general public 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) (BMF foundation code: 15), Independent - the organization is an independent organization or an independent auxiliary (i.e., not affiliated with a National, Regional, or Geographic grouping of organizations). - 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. Dawn has been a social justice advocate for more than 20 years. Our Plants-4-Hunger gift-donation program is a plant-based hunger relief alternative to Heifer International and other live animal campaigns. 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. Former Indian minister for social welfare and animal protection, Maneka Gandhi explains that when goats are allowed or forced by consequences to graze: each goat eats all the grass and shrubbery on two hectares of land a year. - Member of InterAction and other international development platforms. Ive pointed people to this blog post and Joedys comments a few times when Heifer is mentioned. - Technicians and transporters continue to work with farmers to ensure they can deliver quality products to markets with safety protocols in place. We have also invested in transportation so farmers can continue to get their products to market feeding consumers and ensuring a continued source of income for local farmers and food producers. Heifer International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity registered in the US under EIN: 35-1019477. . Heifer International's work in Japan is widely viewed as the start of their modern factory-style dairy industry. We agree that its a positive development, but it doesnt change our overall picture much, for a few reasons: Want to stay updated on GiveWell's research? 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. For example: It has declined to share this (basic, in our view) information in repeated exchanges. As Bill suggested double checking information is a very good idea. Quoting from Heifer Internationals website, monies from any animal fund can be used where needed most.. - Work is regularly published and shared in traditional media and on social media channels. 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. 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. - COVID information has been shared widely in program communities through existing networks, partners, and the media. 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. 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. 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. Our program staff also help to procure hard to get items. 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. 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. Organizations that demonstrate consistent annual growth in program expenses are able to outpace inflation and thus sustain their programs year to year. Investment Firm Abandons Plans to Build a Mega Slaughterhouse in What about Humanely Raised Milk and Dairy Products? The People Department is strengthening development policies across the organization and providing clearer guidance and support to leaders in formal and informal leaderships roles. I have seen the Western Michigan University evaluation you cite. 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. If the problem persists contact us. The model relies heavily on in-person activities including workshops, group sessions and on-farm activities. The Program Expense Ratio is determined by Program Expenses divided by Total Expense (average of most recent three 990s). We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. See how Heifer International compares to its main competitors: Internal Revenue Service has the most employees (74,454). 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). We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria. And I was trying to argue that such compensation is unnecessary and therefore the issue itself need not exist at all. Much of their resource use must be focused on these cattle. Works worldwide with marginalized small-scale farmers, providing livestock, seeds and training in sustainable crop production and animal management . 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. 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. While dairy is a source of calories, the resources used to produce it may be better spent on alternatives that provide a higher quality and quantity of calories, protein and calcium. Biography [ edit] Families who have lost farmed animals to drought are now growing crops and experiencing food security, better nutrition, and access to healthcare and education as a result of a steady income. 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). This measure reflects what a charity spends to raise money. The two giving criteria executive compensation and cost-effective impact are not mutually exclusive. But it does exist, and that is unfortunate. Stated Mission . How COVID-19 impacted the organization's delivery of programs: - Heifer Internationals community-based development model focuses on working with communities to build social capital, prior to investments in agricultural inputs or farming infrastructure. This work has continued during the pandemic. Founded Date 1944. Heifer International reported its three largest programs on its FY 2020 Form 990 as: International Development: Sustainability. Program participants in 21 countries. 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 generous gift will nourish children and communities in need. To learn more about the work of A Well Fed World, visit their website. The Impact of Heifer Internationals Livestock Donation Programs in Rwanda Jan 2013. We think the above charities are fairly representative of average charities in international aid. That isnt the issue I was raising. Please check with the charity directly for any questions you may have. (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.). Demand That False Claims of Soy Milk Driving Deforestation Be Retracted, Claim That Grass-Fed Cows Milk Is Greener Than Soy Milk Was Consumer Fraud, Plant-Based Food Shift Crucial to Preventing Future Pandemics, Says Report, Adopt A Cow Program is Pure Industry Propaganda. For more than 75 year. Animals do not magically produce milk and meat or just live off the land by grazing (details below). Use the tool below to select different beacons to see how the weighting shifts when only one, two, or three beacons are earned. 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. They can be applied together. We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charitys success. You can also follow them on facebook. (I believe that Givewell is one of them). Raising animals for food requires up to 10 times more water than growing crops for direct consumption. 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? We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. Goal One: Support 10 million households to reach a living income by 2030. Heifer International is a non-profit organization that works with communities to end world hunger and poverty. The Buzz on Animal Rights Artist Sue Coe: A New Book and Video. By contrast, donors generally. This compensation data includes salary, cash bonuses and expense accounts and is displayed exactly how it is reported to the IRS. Heifer International is a global development organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. When any animal fund becomes depleted and there is still a need, monies from any other animal fund can be used where needed most. More information is available here: https://www.heifer.org/blog/raising-chickens-and-hatching-hope-odisha-india-heifer-international-.html. Tom thanks for the comment. In this case, we deduct 7 points from the charity's Accountability and Transparency score. This search returns results from both GiveWell's main site and from the GiveWell Blog. 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. Charity Navigator looks to confirm on the Form 990, or for some metrics on the charity's website, that the organization has these policies in place. Dividing a charity's average program expenses by its average total functional expenses yields this percentage. As the pandemic continued, we began providing cash grants to communities for healthcare and other household needs and worked with local governments to procure supplies for community health clinics. See the metrics below for more information. to try again. We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support. Additionally, dairy production negatively impacts local communities with ripple effect consequences that ultimately disadvantage entire societies. Normally, we focus on identifying outstanding charities, and minimize the time spent on opaque or otherwise lackluster ones. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. She also draws attention to the negative consequences of increasing livestock production and intensification on climate change and oil scarcity. Many of these have not been possible in the last year due to restrictions on movement linked to COVID-19. Heifer International is a global development organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. These organizations also supply givers with greater confidence by maintaining broad public support for their programs. Initiatives such as micro-irrigation (or drip irrigation) projects for growing crops are far more sustainable and ecologically sound, and have helped provide an alternative livelihood to many pastoralists and subsistence farmers. So, for example, I would consider an organizations rating by GiveWell, then use Charity Navigator to evaluate what it pays its executives. How much funding does GiveWell expect to raise through 2025? 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.). Donors. 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). 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. There are also organizations that pay substantial salaries and make a difference. The nonprofit has an opportunity to tell the story of how the organization adapted to tremendous external changes in the last year. Ultimately, most of their animal friends will suffer painful deaths due to disease, deprivation, or slaughter. We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured. 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. That figure jumps to more than $22 million when printing, distribution, processing, and other fundraising-related costs are included. 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. And yes, I think that funders deserve the lions share of the blame charities market the way they do, presumably, because it works. Best Items to Donate to an Animal Shelter, Donors Prefer Charities that Earn All Four Beacons. We increased investment in infrastructure - transportation to get products to market, online marketplaces where farmers can sell direct to consumers, storage and cold chain facilities - and issued cash transfers to cooperatives so they can provide more flexible support to farmers, given the evolving situation. Give the page a little longer to finish For example, our top-rated charity (VillageReach) doesnt appear (based on its Form 990) to pay anyone more than $65,000/yr. 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. They should be prepared by an independent accountant with oversight from an audit committee. I wouldnt rely on just one filter (either one). We agree that Heifer International discloses all relevant information, and is not hiding anything the question, though, is what impression donors come away with. In 2012, Heifer International spent more than a million dollars on professional fundraising fees. In addition to the massive number of animals who suffered factory farm and slaughterhouse atrocities, the increased consumption of animal fat led to significant health issues for the Japanese people. The organization envisions a world with communities living together in peace and . Your declaration that the gift of a cow or a goat or other livestock to Heifer International is donor illusion is inaccurate. Logically, this makes sense but rarely is it fully considered. Ethical Vegans Must Reject Donald Trump. Although the impact question is complex and not easily answered, the bottom line is that one can find organizations that have both a good record on impact and do not pay its executives excessive amounts. Donate Now. There are village quarrels about community grazing; children are taken out of school to graze the goats; water becomes even scarcer, Two goats can reduce the amount of farmland available to local people and result in villages becoming deserted, while a cow will drink up to 90 liters of water every single day., Some agricultural economists began pointing out flaws in the strategy during the 1970s, notably that many recipients of gift animals were unable to feed them to maturity, let alone able to feed and raise offspring., Environmentalists later added questions about the wisdom of introducing non-native livestock to often fragile habitats, where animals with larger or different appetites from the indigenous strains might overtax the vegetation or simply starve., 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). For example, Heifer International is largely considered responsible for kick-off of industrialized dairy in Japan after World War II. The Form 990 is a document that nonprofit organizations file with the IRS annually. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage. Some children have even had to sleep in the barn with animals to prevent theft. 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. Operating Status Active. Researchers have found that teff can be grown in those same areas by the same farmers at a yield of 2,000 to 3,000 pounds per acre, with more sustainable growing techniques employed and no water irrigation teff has been shown to grow well in water-stressed areas and it is pest resistant.. Is this where your donation is really going? We check the charity's last two Forms 990 to see if the charity has reported any diversion of assets.
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