Small donors should fund small upstarts
Posted by tanker  |  November 18, 2009 5:57:02 AM

Without disparaging WWF (or NWF), as a long-time donor to a variety of causes, I'd suggest that one look at total revenues and leave the 50M+ guys to corporate donors and foundations to fund. There are always a number of four-star operators carving out new niches, usually managed by their leading activist at reasonable cost.

In this arena, please check out The Center For Biological Diversity, The Sonoran Institute, WildEarth Guardians, and the Rainforest Action Network. All are scrappy, effective, and still small enough to appreciate ordinary donors.

Spend your $$$ Elsewhere
Posted by Tsee  |  November 2, 2009 5:51:23 AM

I have donated about $150 to WWF in the past year and just found out that WWF's actions don't align with their mission - To Protect and Conserve Wildlife. I will no longer be donating my money to WWF. I do not agree with a CEO making $400K+/year to run this organization.

employee salaries
Posted by dgscanlan  |  October 30, 2009 2:56:19 PM

I have supported WWF for my entire adult life. However, after having spent time in Africa this summer and seeing firsthand how sumptuously WWF employees lived (private schools for their kids, nice homes, stable memberships, etc) I have decided that they do not need my pocket change any more.

Always an Alternative
Posted by Phoebe  |  October 15, 2009 12:41:01 PM

I, too, was having qualms about salary levels for a lot of these charities' top-rung people. Then someone in one of these discussion groups directed my attention to The Center for Biological Diversity. Not only have they had four star ratings for the last four years, not only that, but their management manages somehow to get by on only $74,000 a year --the lowest salary I've seen for any charity thus far. Plus, they're the first environmental group that I've come across that is willing to confront the hugely obvious environmental problem of human over-population. Just that fact alone won this starry-eyed realist over. Research their reputation, it's very impressive.

They Wouldn't take our donation!
Posted by Anehta  |  September 23, 2009 7:04:45 AM

I am in charge of several clubs in my high school that raised money to support the WWF. The money has sat in our account for 2 years because the WWF wont send us the forms we need. We've contacted them 5 seperate times, once by a student, three times by a teacher, and once the principle even sent them an email. I get the feeling that they don't care about our donation because it was only $400. I realize that's mear pocket change to them, but we worked really hard to raise that money.

CEO salary
Posted by Karenn  |  July 14, 2009 9:03:49 AM

I'm very disappointed and shocked to see that the CEO's salary for WWF is $439,000, which I feel is totally unreasonable. I could have lived with seeing $200,000, but not almost a half of million dollars. This guy needs money to pay his bills alright, for the yacht, mansion, lake home, etc. I wonder how much HE donates! I was getting ready to send in a donation to WWF, but it's going to my local humane shelter instead.

Revenue and Expense Growth
Posted by Grace  |  June 11, 2009 6:14:25 AM

Response for Louise - It's hard to compare revenue growth and expense growth next to each other. Often large gifts received and recorded as revenue are actually pledges to be paid over multiple years. In other words, there is a sort of mismatch between when the revenue is recorded and when it is actually spent. The spending is more likely to align with when the cash is received. Also, even when a large amount of revenue is cash in the current year, organizational infrastructure may not support spending that quickly.

You may find the financial statement in the annual report useful as well. It shows how contributions from prior years support current year expenses. http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/financialinfo/2008statementofactivities.html

unused revenue
Posted by GJK  |  June 4, 2009 5:50:29 AM

First time I've looked at this organization. Let's see: for the FYE 06/2007, the organization had a total revenue of $227.9 million, and spent $122.1 million on programs, with an excess after expenses of over $77 million. I sure hope that $77 million wasn't in the stock market!

i agree
Posted by whitetigerluver  |  May 12, 2009 8:35:11 AM

hey guys i just sighned up on this website and i appreciate everything u guys do!!!!!

CEO
Posted by Dreamborn  |  April 24, 2009 6:44:52 AM

This is upsetting me that these people make this kind of money off of donations from our hard earned money. We are just giving these guys their big cars, boats and houses. God. I'm mad.

Pay their bills? Lol. Seriously. This is a CHARITY.

My $$$ are not to furnish CEO's mansion
Posted by zydeco  |  April 3, 2009 6:16:58 AM

I listened all about this guy on a radio talk station last night. Apparently, he has a very pricey home built by inhabitants of this very poor population in some third world area I can't recall. When he (the CEO) responded to questions about his extravagant salary and his home built on "slave labor", he indicated that these people don't want to be helped, they don't want to live differently, and are happy to have the meager existence they have. He sounds like such a wonderful guy! I'm very thankful that I've been providing him with luxuries while all the time I thought my hard earned money was going to help animals. Seriously, I'd better never get another heart-tugging request from this so-called charity for animals. I won't give another dime until this clown is out of office.

WWF Info
Posted by Chris P.  |  April 2, 2009 3:54:38 AM

Hi Ethel,

Calling the WWF directly is the best way to validly confirm these allegations. If this is important to you, it's your right to know. I called on two separate occasions to see what their position was on animal testing and hunting for sport. They seemed very uncomfortable and reluctant to answer my questions but they validated these particular claims. I was polite but firm. Good luck.

WWF Info
Posted by Ethel  |  April 1, 2009 6:32:18 AM

I'm so glad that I found this site. I've been giving $$ willy nilly and now I can make a somewhat more educated donation choice. Can anyone tell me where to go to validly confirm the allegation that this organization supports trophy hunting, etc?

Ratio of Revenue and Expense Growth
Posted by Louise  |  March 30, 2009 6:46:55 AM

As far as CEO salary, NO Charity is more challenging than the job of President of the USA- so Charitable (NOT FOR PROFIT) CEOs should NOT make more than $400,000.

However what concerns me about WWF is that the Revenue Growth was 26% but the Program Expense Growth was only 12.4%. I believe the Program Expenses should increase as the Revenue grows.

I would like to see a response from WWF. I have been a faithful supporter for many years.

CEO/Etc
Posted by ronl11  |  February 9, 2009 9:46:54 AM

WWF is nothing more than a money making scheme that relies on deception to achive its end. I just watched a commercial about how the poor polar bears are dying off. Do a simple check. In 1979 ther wee 5000 polar bears. In 2008 there are 25000 polar bears. The sea ice in 2009 is growing not decreasing. We have had the coldest winter in 540 years, and I live in alaska.

CEO
Posted by mars  |  January 6, 2009 6:51:14 AM

As a percent of expenses, WWF's CEO's salary is .26%, half the percentage of NRDC's CEO, and way below the percentage of many charities. In regard to Doctors Without Borders: DWB isn't a good substitution if you want to help nature or animals. Consider the Nature Conservancy or other equivalent causes.

CEO Compensation
Posted by Mike Winn  |  January 2, 2009 6:40:20 AM

I don't think you should decide whether to contribute to a charity based on the executive compensation so long as their overall administrative costs are in-line or better than comparable charities. You have to understand that the WWF is a $270m organization. It may be a charity but it's still competing for the top talent with similarly large for-profit organizations who offer many more perks (e.g. stock options, golden parachute, corp. jet, etc.).

CEO salary
Posted by Bella  |  December 27, 2008 1:23:28 AM

I have donated to WWF for many years. This year I decided to check out its charity rating and came across this discussion. I agree that WWF CEO salary is excessive and will divert my annual WWF donation to Doctors Without Borders.

CEO Salary
Posted by zephyr1964  |  December 26, 2008 4:00:39 AM

I am a strong supporter of organizations that support animals but I cannot justify contributing to WWF any longer to help pay what I consider a CEO salary that is much higher than necessary. I plan to donate this money to local organizatons that I know give most of their contributions to their mission.

Donations
Posted by jj  |  December 8, 2008 6:45:43 AM

The CEO of Doctors Without Borders, another huge organization, makes less than $110,000. The argument given that the CEO of an organization has to make this much to find a good person just doesn't hold water. Could it be that this is because it is not a USA organization?

Donations and mission
Posted by jj  |  December 8, 2008 6:45:34 AM

I, too, disagree with the extremely out of balance salary of the CEO. Their contributions must come from others who make similarly high salaries. None will come from me. I also intend to research the policies. Thanks for the tips.

Who to believe?
Posted by Roxy  |  December 1, 2008 9:29:44 AM

I am an ardent believer in supporting animals in the best way possible for my hard earned buck. To this end I depend on Charity Navigator to aid me in selecting worthy charities from the many mailings that I receive each week. After reading the above comments and going to the website referred to, my question is who do I believe? Would anybody like to help me with this question?

Re: Wildlife Conservation, not Animal "Rights"
Posted by Chris P.  |  October 13, 2008 5:32:20 AM

I think most people understand the difference between Wildlife Conservation and Animal Rights. However, there’s something terribly wrong about the WWF’s conservation plans when it promotes unnecessary cruelty and its supporters shrug it off as nothing more than animal rights foolishness. Most people condemn unnecessary animal testing, hunting for sport, cruel steel jaw leg hold traps, etc. but what do you expect from an organization founded by trophy hunters.

Once people start to justify the mistreatment of animals to fulfill their own selfish desires or to adhere to their own stubborn values, the situation becomes complicated because the sky’s the limit. There’s nothing more dangerous than an attitude that disregards compassion and insight. It’s because of this attitude that dogs and cats are skinned alive in Asia for fashion. It’s because of this attitude that farm animals destined for slaughter are treated mercilessly because any right whatsoever (no matter how small) would increase production costs and cut profits. It’s because of this attitude that millions of mother seals are brutally beaten trying to protect their pups from slaughter. From Gov. Palin’s brutal aerial assault on wolves and bears in Alaska, to heartless poachers around the world, animals suffer greatly just because we have power to do whatever we want to them.

Some people fail miserably to understand that it has absolutely nothing to do with putting animal rights before (or on par with) human rights. Obviously, they live in a world of deception. All beings suffer. That’s reality. Animals do have basic rights free from misery, abuse, and neglect and any argument to the contrary that says by giving such rights it ignores human issues is deeply flawed. It should be very clear to everyone that animals are in our care and as moral human beings it is our responsibility to guard against injustice. When you abuse His Creation, you disrespect God. That is, of course, if you truly believe in Him.

Wildlife Conservation, not Animal "Rights"
Posted by Alf  |  October 10, 2008 5:55:21 AM

There's a difference between being an wildlife conservancy organization and an animal rights organization. Unless you are a vegan who puts animal rights before human rights (or on a par with human rights), the WWF's record and management are impressive and effective. I do think they send out too much junk come-on stuff, but I greatly appreciate their activism and education.

www.wickedwildlifefund.com
Posted by Chris P.  |  September 22, 2008 9:14:01 AM

Srp33, I understand your skepticism regarding the objectivity of these claims against the WWF. I don’t particularly agree with PETA all the time either but they got it right this time. If you click on the tab PETA and WWF you can view ACTUAL documents that clearly show the positions between the two groups. Open them up and read each one for yourself. If you really want to get to the TRUTH, try calling the WWF directly to verify the authenticity of these documents. I spoke with a Representative from the WWF myself and she was extremely evasive and very uncomfortable with my questions. If you really think about it, PETA would get sued if these allegations were false.

opinion
Posted by srp33  |  September 22, 2008 5:46:27 AM

I was concerned when I read the comments about supporting studies on animals and questionable practices, so I looked up www.wickedwildlifefund suggested by Chris P. Note that this website is maintained by PETA (which tends to be a fairly extremist group). I couldn't find anything on the site that justified proof, just opinions and partial quotations. Does anybody have a GOOD, objective source of information to investigate these claims against the World Wildlife Fund?

Opinion
Posted by Chris P.  |  September 16, 2008 5:39:22 AM

Try Google. I did research on issues that were important to me and I expect others to do the same before they draw their own conclusions. I found www.wickedwildlifefund.com to be a very good source of information.

Opinion
Posted by Carol W  |  September 12, 2008 7:15:25 AM

If one has a negative opinion it should be backed up by plausible research and data. I find no validity to some of the comments expressed here; nor are they backed by stated data we can research ourselves, therfore, these comments are to be dismissed.

CEO salary
Posted by MamaBroccoli  |  September 3, 2008 6:28:06 AM

A reasonable salary is necessary; an exorbitant amount would make me select another charity. I don't believe high salaries garner the best people - just the greediest people. I like WWF as is.

WWF inactive?
Posted by Rebeca99  |  August 8, 2008 5:49:42 AM

I saw one documentary in TV sometime before about animal extinction and in the charity list, I saw small charity org like WWC, but no WWF. Do they really care, or they're too polite to put their names in?

Opinion
Posted by Chris P.  |  August 1, 2008 12:15:50 PM

I disagree with those who feel that this is a completely worthy charity. I strongly oppose WWF's unclear mission that embraces trophy hunting and trapping as a means of managing wildlife and it doesn't condemn culling elephants, seals, or the use of steel-jaw leg hold traps which cause tremendous pain, suffering, and lingering deaths to many "innocent" animals. Also, it sickens me that a wildlife conservation group would strongly push for animal poisoning studies on pesticides and other chemicals that will cause even more suffering and death to literally thousands of different animals in labs. In my opinion, a wildlife conservation organization that was founded by wealthy trophy hunters to preserve wildlife (undoubtedly for the love of the sport) is very disingenuous and contradictory. Personally, I think they should be a little more honest in how they word their mission statement!

CEO Salary
Posted by Michelle  |  August 1, 2008 9:41:21 AM

I work for a non-profit organization. Our CEO makes more than this one and we don't have near the amount of money coming in as WWF. An organization of this size needs a highly trained executive running the ship, and you won't find someone at that level that will take less than this. I'm actually shocked he isn't making over $400K. I think their records show that their money is going to many good causes, and the percentage of his salary vs. the amount of money they have come in is very minimal. You have to spend a little money to make money.

Glad
Posted by Sadie  |  July 31, 2008 9:02:03 AM

I just recently joined and am so happy I did. I certainly have not been flooded with mail from WWF. I highly recommend this charity.

conflict of interest/tainted mission?
Posted by Chris P.  |  July 29, 2008 10:38:25 AM

Based on what I read the WWF was founded by wealthy trophy hunters who don't oppose killing animals ?for sport? or culling elephants and seals. Also, I've read they?re putting a lot of their resources together to push for animal poisoning studies for pesticides and other chemicals that will cause death to thousands of animals. This goes to show that you need to research every organization before you give your hard earned money away!

excessive requests
Posted by Yvette  |  June 16, 2008 7:49:48 AM

I had to stop supporting this group because they kept flooding my mailbox with more and more requests. I don't want my donations spent on all that postage and printing.

CEO salary
Posted by wildduck  |  May 14, 2008 8:19:35 AM

The salary is too high for the CEO. All our charitable institutions, as well as most of our public companies, should reign in these drains on the mission of the institutions.

RE: CEO
Posted by Kev L  |  May 8, 2008 5:47:27 AM

The ceo is managing and running the entire organization with a budget of 200+ million dollars.... i dont think its unfair to be compensated like so... people still gotta pay their bills.

CEO
Posted by Janet Kalter  |  April 2, 2008 5:42:14 AM

Is it really necessary to pay your CEO such a high salary?