Creature Feature: Giving To The Animals

It starts innocently enough. An animal lover sends out a single contribution to an animal-related charity.

But no good deed goes unpunished, and soon the good-hearted donor finds the mailbox filling up with mailings from hundreds of animal-related charities. All of them tell stories that are heartbreaking and contain pictures that are horrifying.

How can a prospective donor tell which organization is the most worthy of consideration?

Research Tools

A first step in investigating a charity is to check with either the National Charity Information Bureau, based in New York City, or the Council of Better Business Philanthropic Advisory Service, based in Arlington, Va. These two groups research and list charities that meet standards of fiscal and organizational responsibility.

However, the Charity Information Bureau and the Philanthropic Advisory Service do not research small local charities, nor do they evaluate the validity of the information that charities distribute in order to raise money.

Merritt Clifton, the founder of Animal People, an animal rights charity that is dedicated to, among other things, informing animal protection donors what their donations go toward supporting, states with customary forthrightness, "The information contained in a charity's mailing is protected by the Freedom of Information Act. Basically, this gives organizations permission to lie."

Donor Beware

Fund-raising mailings are designed to motivate people to donate funds. The information they contain is one-sided at best. "Donor beware," says Mr. Clifton helpfully.

Mr. Clifton and his wife, Kim Bartlett, started Animal People five years ago. Both had spent many years as investigative journalists and activists in the area of animal and environmental protection and had become incensed at the corrupt practices of many national organizations.

At that time, one of the groups that most concerned Mr. Clifton was the National Anti-Vivisection Society, which he alleges was riddled with problems, particularly nepotism and excessively high salaries to board members.

Who's Protecting Whom?

"Animal protection groups have a constituency that is essentially voiceless. The animals can't stand up and protest when they are being misrepresented or funds gathered on their behalf are misused," states Mr. Clifton.

His organization publishes a newspaper, also called Animal People, that covers in quite exhaustive detail the complexities of animal protection issues.

It is not only the issues that are complex within the area of animal protection, but also the philosophies of the various organizations. Prospective donors might be hard-pressed to determine the orientation of a group simply by reading its fund-raising mailings, and they would be well advised to do further research before reaching for their checkbooks -- the money they send to aid animals could well be paying the legal fees of terrorists or paying for nuisance lawsuits against the United States Equestrian Team.

Well-Paid Executives

Each year, in its December issue, Animal People prints out financial data obtained from the Internal Revenue Service pertaining to major animal protection groups.

It would appear that many national animal-related charities pay their employees extremely well. The top executives of the National Wildlife Federation, the North Shore Animal League, and the Humane Society of the United States all earn far more - in the case of the president of the National Wildlife Fund, well over $100,000 more - than what has been identified as the norm in other not-for-profits.

One can only hope that the animals these charities are professing to help are benefiting to the same extent.

Spread It Thick

Mr. Clifton offers the following advice to prospective philanthropists:

"First of all, support charities you can keep an eye on. Your local shelter needs the money far more than the large national organizations. And money you give to them goes directly to benefit animals. If you're going to donate to national groups pick out one or two that seem close to your own philosophy, research them carefully, and keep track of their activities."

"Send large donations to one or two, rather than small donations to several. If you send out $10 contributions in a scattershot manner the money you send will only cover fund-raising mailing costs and won't fund actual programs."

Donate Time

If you're short on cash but long on time, local shelters can always use volunteers. Craig Kitt, director of the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, states, "Volunteers are always welcome." Bide-A-Wee in Westhampton has recently started an outreach and education program and is looking for volunteers as well.

Dog walkers are needed by both groups. "Many of the dogs that come to ARF are very rambunctious and in need of basic training," says Mr. Kitt, "so we have a dog socialization program."

The volunteers are trained to teach basic obedience to their wayward charges and must commit to coming to work with the dog at least three times a week.

Helps Humans, Too

Cats need to learn social skills as well. "We can always use people to socialize the small feral kittens," says Mr. Kitt. And people to help keep the number of feral kittens down by helping out with Operation Cat, ARF's program to spay and neuter feral cats, which has successfully neutered 500 cats in its first year in operation.

A volunteer activity that helps humans as well as animals is the pet therapy program. Bide-A-Wee, ARF, and the Kent Animal Shelter all have pet therapy programs that are open to volunteers.

Animals are brought to nursing homes to visit with the residents. ARF and the Kent Animal Shelter use cats and dogs from their shelters; Bide-A-Wee will allow participants to bring their own pets if they are sufficiently trained and well behaved.

Benefits Of Fostering

Fostering an animal is another volunteer opportunity offered by ARF.

Helena Curtis, who herself has fostered well over 50 ARF animals, says, "It can be enormously helpful to ARF when people foster dogs. People can find out things about the dog that we just can't tell in the kennel environment - like whether the dog gets along with cats, how it behaves around children and if it is housebroken."

Stormy, an extremely pretty Lab cross currently being fostered by Maureen Jones of Sag Harbor, is a case in point. "At the ARF kennel she's very nervous and shy," says Ms. Jones. "But when she's in my home she's completely relaxed. She just comes in and lies right down calmly."

Fostering is a great option for people who can't take an animal on a permanent basis but have the time and space to care for one temporarily.

Further information about volunteer programs is available from the shelters. People who wish to learn more about national animal-related charities should contact Animal People at Post Office Box 960, Clinton, Wash. 98236-0960.