Executive pay vs. program expenses
Posted by rlueck  |  July 27, 2009 12:25:22 PM

I agree with spivey181. Actually having met non-profit heads has shown me that these individuals usually work very hard for their organization, are generally UNDER-paid, and have made a number of sacrifies in order to commit themselves to helping others have a better life. Even those receiving what some might consider high rates of pay have often taken significant cuts in their earning potential when employed by a non-profit. An organization as large as Feeding America, which is present in EVERY state in the U.S., requires a very skilled and able CEO - this costs money. What it really comes down to is not the arbitrary number that the executive is paid, but rather the percentage of the organization's funds that is used for the implementation of their programs, that is the real meat of an organization. How efficient is an organization at using whatever resources it has to help the people covered by its mission and vision statements? Nearly 97% of Feeding America's funds goes directly towards helping feed the hungry. Take a look at some of the organizations that pay their executives less and you will find that their percentage is often less, sometimes much less. Each organization is different in so many ways and I think that it is irresponsible to use only one factor in the decision process of whether or not to make a grant or donate funds no matter how big or small.

CEO Pay
Posted by spivey181  |  April 23, 2009 9:22:33 AM

I think comments complaining about CEO pay are extremely naive. It is not just how hard you work that determines how much you deserve, but it is how much value you add to the organization. Being a CEO of such a large nonprofit is a taxing job, and an effective CEO can bring many times their salary back to the nonprofit through their speaking abilities, charisma, and by developing contacts and relationships for the nonprofit. Looking at the dollar amount they make and deciding it is too much is silly.

organization activity
Posted by TexasAggie  |  April 13, 2009 5:51:11 AM

I donated to Feeding America in December 2008 and I was unaware that they would sell my name to other organizations.

From that time until March 2009 I was bombarded by solicitations from maybe around a dozen other charities, and I had no idea why they were soliciting me.

After that, Feeding America FINALLY sent me a 'Thank you, now you should give us more money' note. But on that note was the only time I was notified that 1) they were violating my privacy by selling my name to many other organizations ad 2) that I could opt out of their selling my name.

I opted out both by returning their form as well as calling them to discuss this same issue.

The representative said that it would take 4-6 weeks for my name to actually come off of their lists of names that they sell and also that it would take 4-6 weeks before they would stop selling my information to other organizations. And, frankly, I felt that the representative was a little disrespectful, considering that they asked for my help and I complied with their request for a donation.

Now, I believe it is my responsibility to give to all who ask. But I also believe it is the responsibility for professional organizations, such as this non-profit organization, to behave ethically. If they do a good deed on the one hand, but they are basically an unethical organization, that seems to be a wash in the final analysis.

Furthermore, a couple of weeks after I had talked with the Feeding America representative on the phone, I received another solicitation from them, with a handwritten request for more money and supposedly signed by the president of the organization.

I encourage anyone considering this organization to donate to your local food bank instead. All communities should have one and the information would be in the phone book.

Additionally, I agree with the previously made comments regarding the president's salary. $311,000? They should consider how many meals $311,000 could provide.

Total program expenses
Posted by Bill  |  February 25, 2009 8:33:10 AM

While CEO pay is certainly a concern these days, look at the overall program expenses. Feeding America spends almost 98% of all revenue on programs and spends only 1 cent for every dollar raised; that is excellent.

youngchildren
Posted by Shishu  |  January 14, 2009 8:11:16 AM

i think that feeding america's after school program will help a nation of deprived children.

Exec pay
Posted by Lirret  |  December 27, 2008 1:23:59 AM

I wont' donate to an organization that pays their execs this much. It's a charity & I want my $$ going to the cause!

Good concept, but very tactless and greedy
Posted by aspade  |  December 24, 2008 4:22:39 AM

I really liked the concept of this charity, it makes perfect sense to me. Instead of letting food go to waste, it gets reshuffled to the people who need it. Good concept! So we sent them a year-end donation last year. Promptly received a note from them saying "Thank you for your donation. Can you pllease send more money." How rude is that?? If I give somebody a gift and they tell me "yea, that's nice, but it isn't enough" I consider that extremely bad manners. Why should that be any different for a charity? We wrote them back and told them how we felt about that note. Never heard from them.

How quick to judge...
Posted by lorraine3  |  December 15, 2008 6:52:10 AM

I know there are poorly run charities out there, but how quick some of us are to judge what someone is worth in operating a efficient; well-run program touching so many in need. Have we all done our small part in helping others?

ceo salary
Posted by hchang  |  December 8, 2008 6:41:50 AM

If you read the CEO profile on their website, you will see her most recent experience is as an executive at Delta. You might be able to check how much she made there, as that is a public company.

She also brought with her numerous business connections, which has surely helped the profile of Second Harvest/Feeding America.

It's an amazing thing to build a professional career like that and then choose to leverage it for charitable purposes. And bringing a corporate expertise to the running of a charitable organization is often the mindset many of these places need to be really successful. What's interesting is to see that the prior CEO earned so much less. I would assume the Board of Second Harvest/Feeding America made a conscious choice to increase compensation in order to attract someone like Ms. Escarra to get some things going! She started in 2006, so you can see how impactful she has been.

Not everyone's a billionaire like Mayor Bloomberg of NYC who can afford to take a salary of $1/year.

Executive Pay
Posted by WhiteRussian  |  September 12, 2008 7:16:03 AM

Corporate salaries in for profits are ridiculously high. Compensation should be tied to performance for top level executives and they should be the first to feel the pain of mismanagement. Charities are about helping people and getting effective help means rewarding talent. This is America where individual effort and talent should be rewarded. Our hungry are not being denied food because of that $311,000. Rather, they have access to some food security because of it. I worked in Food Banking for over 11 years and if the hungry had to rely only on volunteers, who are a large and very important part of feeding the hungry, and on overworked and underpaid individuals, less food and less help would be available for ameliorating hunger issues.

CEO, President Salary
Posted by vjwebb  |  August 1, 2008 9:40:08 AM

Generally speaking, if he could be making more in the private sector, he probably would be working there. America's corporations have been fleecing the public for years. The corporation can be on the verge of bankruptcy and the executive officers still rake in the money. On the executive level, there is very little correlation between hard work and pay level. Most of the truly hard work is done by others in the organization. I am sorry to see that ASH (one of my favorite charities) is paying their executive officer to much. In fact, anything over $200,000 is too much. The president of the United States makes $400,000 and I think he runs a bigger organization.

CEO Salary
Posted by JeffInCA  |  July 23, 2008 5:51:26 AM

You folks are kidding right? You are upset the President/CEO of a large organization like this was paid a salary of 311K? Get real. Running an organization this large in the private sector would get a person 10X+ in salary, stock options and benefits. It's fummy how some people always want to tell others how to spend their money. Of course, ASH could always hire a CEO for half, and get much less in the results department. Then the folks would complain about not enough being done.

ceo salaries
Posted by peesking  |  April 21, 2008 5:40:08 AM

I agree with "glarsen"- while I understand fully the argument of higher compensation for "top talent" work- I also understand that as a struggling American, I am reaching into pockets that are near empty to give to those that have nothing. I am making donations that severely impact my pocket book- why on earth would I donate to a charity that is run by any individual (not just this organization) that cannot make the same sacrifices? Do not ask me to give, give, give- unless you are willing to do so also. The mind-set of corporate America has got to change- to say that you give it your "all" at work doesn't impress me- most of us work darn hard at our respective jobs AND turn around and donate much of our income. It should be no different in this instance. So, when I choose to give away my hard-earned money-(that I am diverting from my family)- I check the CEO/etc. income very carefully. While the organization may have great ratings- if the salaries seem inflated, I donate elsewhere, it is THAT important to me. Again, I mean this to cover ALL charities- NOT just this example.

President CEO pay
Posted by kmaver  |  February 21, 2008 6:46:34 AM

This is an enormously complex organization, and the President CEO earns every nickel. In order to attract top talent, you have to be willing to pay top talent. He could be making more at a Fortune 500 company. Thank God he chose the nonprofit sector!

Executive pay
Posted by glarsen  |  January 23, 2008 9:38:50 AM

Seems to be a well-run organization. One concern that I have is the President/CEO pay - it is very high, especially for a non-profit. Yes, I know it is a HUGE non-profit organization that he is running and that his salary is 'only' six-hundreths of one percent of their expenses, but at least half of his salary could be going to feed others that are not as fortunate as himself.