While warning bells are often rung over the rampant misuse of donations by major charities, the truth behind the validity of that concern may have never before been as clear as it has been made today.

Results from a recently-released analysis of 2021 publicly available tax returns and 2021 audited financial statements by the Center for the Environment and Welfare have placed two of the top animal-related charitable organizations in the United States in a particularly questionable light. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) both received millions of dollars in funding, yet failed to then disburse those monies in an equitable way.

In 2021, HSUS spent $4.3 million on executive compensation, $56 million on fundraising and $1.2 million on lobbying, while stashing $67 million in offshore accounts. Only one percent of its $138 million budget was given to local pet shelters via financial grants — none of which were received by West Virginia pet shelters. In fact, HSUS did not send a single financial grant to pet shelters in 32 states and Washington, D.C., including the state of West Virginia.

In 2021, ASPCA spent $1 million on its CEO’s salary, $5.5 million on executive compensation and $135 million on fundraising and advertising, while stashing $11 million in offshore accounts. ASPCA did not send a single financial grant to pet shelters in 21 states, including West Virginia, and gave only two percent of its $302 million budget to local shelters via financial grants.

“Each year, hard-working people in West Virginia donate to the ASPCA and HSUS, believing that they are helping shelters in their communities. Donors deserve to know that groups like the ASPCA and HSUS are sitting on millions in investments and paying their executives sky-high salaries,” said CEW Executive Director Jack Hubbard. “Donors who want to support local shelters deserve to know the truth.”

With the arrival of the charitable giving season tomorrow, making a conscientious effort to guarantee donations are being given to organizations that will dedicate a reasonable percentage of funding to donors’ intended purpose — the betterment of a specific societal concern — is essential to ensuring the most good is being done with one’s dollar. Those who would like to make sure their donations are not being wasted, should consider giving to local charitable organizations, whose appropriate use of funding can be easily ascertained by the amount of work they do in the community and the openness of their dialogues on how their funds are distributed. For those who would still prefer to give a donation to a larger charity, they would be wise to double check their preferred charity’s financial practices on one of the charitable organization watchdog websites — Charity Navigator, Charity Watch and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance — before giving.