Woofs & growls
From ANIMAL PEOPLE, November 1994:
The October 6 edition of the Congressional
Record revealed that the Doris Day Animal League and
the Humane Society of the U.S. lined up with the
National Rifle Association and Gun Owners of America
in opposition to S. 349, the Lobbying Disclosure Act of
1994, which was eventually killed by filibuster.
If the American SPCA thought it could
avoid protesters by holding its September 27 annual
meeting in Burbank, California, instead of New York
City, it got a surprise, as members of the New York-
based Henry Bergh Coalition followed the board west
and staged a 20-minute demonstration, joined by repre-
sentatives of several west coast groups. The effort drew
the attention of the Los Angeles Times to the adminis-
trative irregularities that have erupted into headlines in
New York throughout the past year, as the ASPCA
moves to turn over animal control duties to New York
City by January 1, 1995.
The Direct Marketing Association’s 65th
annual International Echo Awards Competition
recently honored the National Canine Defense League
of London, England, for producing the best nonprofit
direct mail fundraising appeal of 1993-1994. Mailed to
82,000 donors, the appeal netted a 13% response on
behalf of 13 affiliated animal shelters, with an average
gift of $21.04. The theme of the appeal was responsible
use of donated funds.
Responding to censure by the Council of
Better Business Bureaus’ Philanthropic Advisory
Service, the International Fund for Animal Welfare has
agreed to include a list of board members in its annual
reports, to change the format of greeting card promo-
tions to indicate how much of the receipts actually ben-
efit the organization, and to clarify that recipients of
sample cards are under no obligation to buy or return
the merchandise.
Having lost 100,000 members since 1991,
suffering a four-year operating loss of $6.8 million
while cash reserves are down by $3 million, the Sierra
Club has cut its 1995 budget by $3.7 million, from $40
million this year, and is curtailing its population stabi-
lization, energy conservation, and international pro-
grams to focus upon wildlife habitat protection and
antipollution work. The leadership continues to resist
pressure from membership to take a forthright stand
agaist hunting. Founded in 1892, the Sierra Club still
has more than 500,000 members, among 63 chapters.
Advocates for Forgotten Wildlife is a new
group formed by Adam Weissman to “work to create
respect for invertebrates and, to a lesser degree, cold-
blooded vertebrates.” As first project, AFW objected
to a fundraising crab dinner held by the Sierra Club’s
Maryland chapter. Contact AFW at 68 Mill Extension,
Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07675; 201-903-9026.
Animal Rights Mobilization-Chicago board
members Susan Koenker and Jacquie Lewis resigned
on October 8, leaving on the board only Barbara
Chadwick and her husband Taber. Koenker also refund-
ed $695 in donations to a special Fur Free Friday fund,
set up for the first time this year, although ARM-
Chicago has held a “March Against Fur” every year
since it became one of two groups to emerge from the
reorganization of Trans-Species Unlimited in 1991. The
other is the Animal Rights Mobilization headed by
Robin Duxbury, based in Colorado. Koenker, who
recently won $90,000 in a civil suit after being roughed
up by security guards at an animal rights protest (see
page 5), objected to ARM-Chicago membership that
Chadwick had paid herself $110 more in 1993 than the
group received in revenues, and allegedly refused to use
other ARM-Chicago receipts to augment the Fur Free
Friday fund. A look at the ARM-Chicago financial
statement showed that Chadwick paid herself $12,000
for fulltime work in 1993, plus $6,000 for providing
office space, after taking just $7,000 in pay in 1991,
donating the office, and $8,000 in pay for 1992, plus
$5,000 for the office space. She began to charge rent
after losing another tenant whose payments had covered
the upkeep. The ratios of salary and rent to other
expenses are normal for small advocacy groups, and the
arrangements were all unanimously approved by the
board, including Koenker and Lewis.
