Arlington, Va. – Today, the Center for the Environment and Welfare (CEW) launched a new campaign ahead of Giving Tuesday (Dec. 3) to educate animal lovers about the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
The watchdog group kicked off the public education initiative with a new national television commercial debuting on Fox News Channel today. The 60-second ad corrects two common misconceptions about HSUS: First, despite its name, HSUS runs zero pet shelters and is not affiliated with any local humane societies. Second, donations to HSUS don’t trickle down to local humane societies. In fact, the group gives only 1 percent of its budget to local pet shelters throughout the country, according to publicly available tax records.
Watch CEW’s new ad—featuring an HSUS exec facing some tough questions during an elementary school Career Day—here.
The new CEW campaign and commercial come ahead of Thanksgiving and Giving Tuesday—occasions when many Americans make charitable contributions to give back to their communities. CEW is advising donors who want to help homeless pets to give directly to local shelters, not HSUS.
“We regularly hear from people who are furious to discover that their donations to HSUS aren’t going to their local pet shelter,” said Jack Hubbard, executive director of CEW. “Adding insult to injury, HSUS is sitting on $92 million in Caribbean accounts and shelling out over $600,000 in CEO compensation while begging the public for donations.”
CEW is highlighting other lesser-known facts about HSUS as part of its Giving Tuesday education campaign:
- CharityWatch issued HSUS a “D” grade for financial efficiency, accountability, and governance.
- HSUS CEO Kitty Block earns $649,672 in annual compensation.
- 157 HSUS employees earn over $100,000 per year.
- HSUS has a budget of $177 million, with an additional $455 million in assets.
- The group has $92 million in Caribbean holdings and another $8 million in additional offshore accounts.
To learn more about HSUS and other radical activist groups, visit CEW’s website here.