An Animal-Lover’s Guide to Giving Thoughtfully
#GivingTuesday
Hi friends! Today, let’s talk about a favorite topic of pet parents: Money!
Just kidding.
But hey, we deal with poop (literally) and survive murder mittens every day, so we can be brave and tackle this Big Conversation. Specifically, let’s talk about giving, or as we like to call it here at Junipurr Studio: Felin-thropy!
You might be aware that Giving Tuesday is right around the corner. According to Wikipedia, this Global Generosity Movement was “started in 2012 by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation as a response to consumerism in the post-Thanksgiving season (Black Friday and Cyber Monday).” This year, Giving Tuesday will be on Dec 1.
*woot woot*
If you are also contemplating whether, how much, and to whom to give, we’ll share our framework for giving thoughtfully, in case it sparks an idea or two for you. Of course, we are not going to tell you what to do with your money. After all, personal finance is personal. The goal is simply to empower each of us to allocate resources in a way that aligns with our values (#innerpeace).
One more note before we begin: You don’t have to be rich to practice felin-thropy (also, tickled as we are by this wordplay, we have no expectations that you will give to a cat or animal cause). As author Alan Cohen noted: “Money is but one venue for generosity. Kindness is an even more valuable currency.” Ain’t that the truth.
Let’s dive in!
1. Be Strategic & Proactive
As personal finance superheroine Jean Chatzky wrote in her latest book: “It’s best to be proactive about our giving…We have a spreadsheet of all organizations that we want to support and a set amount of money each year that we are able to donate, which we divide. The goal is to raise the total amount we donate every year and add and subtract organizations from our list all the time.” (Chatkzy, p236)
So, start with a sum of how much you can give. Then, list out all of the entities you might want to support as well as the factors you care about. Take the animal welfare space as an example (again, no pressure). Here are some ways to think about diversifying your giving strategy:
Size
Individuals who take care of stray animals (food and TNR) or foster special needs animals, e.g. Jennifer of Trap Queen, Calvin Tucker of Black Noah, and Barb of KittenFaces
Small bootstrap organizations that focus on a particular population or issue, e.g. Frankie’s Feline Fund which focuses on senior cats who have been abandoned by their families or are on the imminent kill list of overflowing shelters, or Morningside Farm Sanctuary which provides long-term care for abused, injured, and orphaned animals of all species
Medium-sized organizations with a decent amount of press and, potentially, multiple revenue streams (donations, merch, government grants etc.) that does high impact work, e.g. KittenLady’s Orphan Kitten Club or your local animal shelter
Bigger, far-reaching organizations with substantial funds and scope, e.g. WWF and national humane societies
Type of Work
Legal advocacy
Sanctuary, Rescue, Shelter
Education
Adjacencies (e.g. environmental protection/habitat restoration)
Intended Beneficiaries
Factory farmed animals, which account for “more than 99% of all animals with whom humans directly interact” in the US (Foer P73)
Companion animals
Endangered animals
All animals (the Animal Legal Defense Fund’s scope, for example, includes animals used in research, captive animals, companion animals, farmed animals, and wildlife)
You can, of course, also diversify by supporting different types of causes (e.g. voter rights advocacy, environment, girls’ education) or double-down and donate 100% of your available funds to one organization. Junipurr and I decided to focus our giving to three organizations, which felt right for us in terms of manageability and impact.
Pro tip 1 - One of my dearest friends, a fellow cat mama and financial feminist, has a smart strategy for efficient diversification: she gives a certain amount to Kiva every month but changes the recipients.
2. Do Your Research
Now that you’ve defined the guardrails of your giving, it’s time to get Sherlock Holmes with it!
You may already have a Rolodex of non-profit review sources you look through to assess potential giving, e.g. Charity Navigator, GuideStar, CharityWatch, Economic Research Institute, and U Penn’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy. Checking these sites is an excellent first step, but don’t just look at the overall score. Here’s what to look for while researching potential donees (yes, that’s a word!), as well as some sources you may not have thought to check.
Financials
The % of donations that go to programs versus overhead (ratio). As someone who used to work in non-profit impact evaluation, I’d like to do a PSA caveat: this potentially illuminating ratio often presents a catch 22 for donees. For example: Donors want to know that our gift is used well (which many of us define as “allocated to the programs and end recipients, not to overhead”), but to generate meaningful impact reports itself takes resources (i.e. counts as overhead). Nonetheless, this ratio is a good indicator to check, because if a huge % or $ amount of funds are allocated to overhead, then the organization may not be running efficiently. For a much more thorough investigation into how different charity review sites measure and weigh the proxies of impact and efficacy, this episode of the Afford Anything podcast sheds much light.
Key financial data points, e.g. previous year total contributions. I like reading the tax form (990) and financial statement audit reports, which are public in the US for tax-exempt non-profits, to understand how the organization allocates its resources. Mind you, I can barely stay awake looking through my own taxes, but it is oddly fascinating to see where an organization actually puts its money and, by proxy, what it values. (To give you a sense of what these reports look like, I’ve included a few samples in the References section below.)
Top salaries and salary delta, if available. When I was looking at a large national animal welfare organization’s stats, I ‘bout fell out of my chair when I saw the CEO’s compensation. I personally think there should be a ceiling to executive compensation (ahem, Jeff Bezos) and, perhaps even more importantly, a reasonable ratio between the highest and lowest earning employees of an organization. If this is a viewpoint you share, keep an eye on the salary data of organizations to whom you may donate.
Programs & Operations
Annual reports. An organization’s recent annual reports are your best friend. It’s like reading the prospectus of an investment fund (Hey ma! Look at me flexin’ my $ knowledge) in that the annual report will reveal how that organization defines its own mission and metrics of success. For example: The Pasadena Humane, which is an open admission shelter, aims to “achieve a 100% adoption rate in healthy, adoptable dogs and cats.” Beyond the mission and vision, annual reports also give you a sense of its programs and who they serve.
Third-party certifications. Certifications from organizations like B Corps, LEED etc. serve as a window into an organization’s commitment to operational integrity. So, I like to check whether a potential donee has a third-party scoring of its governance, workers, community, environment etc. However, earning these accreditations usually requires a certain level of commitment and resources. Some worthy organizations may not have the funds or may decide to not allocate their funds to pursuing these types of certifications (which counts as overhead).
Glassdoor review. How would you feel, for example, if you were donating to a women’s health NGO that fostered a discriminatory work environment? Probably not too fabulous. This hypothetical may sound ludicrous, except it’s an actual example from my own life. So, I’ve learned to take into consideration employee reviews on sites like glassdoor.com. Sometimes, you discover disheartening info about inefficiency and inequity -- to quote the singer-flutist Lizzo, truth hurts! -- and sometimes you discover that an organization operates with the integrity and fairness you’d hope it would.
Gut Check
As you do your research, continually check in with your intuition. Do you feel that your potential donee is creating the kind of future you dream? Consider: Your observation of the organization on social media. What do they talk about, and does their voice/values resonate with you?
Finally, do not be afraid to reach out directly and engage! If you have specific questions you can’t find answers to online, start a conversation. Many non-profits have an official communications or public relations team, or at least (hopefully) some passionate employees who are happy to share more about the organization.
Pro tip 2 - Many of us do lump sum (or reactive) giving, but for most organizations, monthly or annual giving is significantly better for planning and stability for the recipient. Learn more about this here. With online giving, this has become super simple to set up.
3. Celebrate & Connect
The moment you click confirm or send in your check, go ahead and play that Cardi song cuz you makin’ MONEY MOVES ;) Know that you are making a difference, no matter if you are giving 50 cents per month right now or $1000. Generosity starts with intentionality. Finally, stay connected with your donees (give ‘em a follow on social media!) and review your philanthropy game on a routine basis.
Pro tip 3 - To amplify your impact, make use of employer donation match programs and/or share your research & analysis with your peeps!
There you have it, friends! We’d love to hear any best practices and pro tips you have, too. Please share in the comments below.
Happy Giving!
REFERENCES
“Giving Tuesday.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giving_Tuesday. Accessed 18 November 2020.
Giving Tuesday. https://www.givingtuesday.org/. Accessed 18 November 2020.
Chatkzy, Jean. Women with Money: The Judgement-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and, Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2019.
Foer, Jonathan Safran. Eating Animals. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
“PSA Thursday Your Guide to Giving: How to donate, volunteer, and practice spontaneous kindness.” Afford Anything, 29 May 2020, https://affordanything.com/psa-thursday-your-guide-to-giving-how-to-donate-volunteer-and-practice-spontaneous-kindness/
“Public Inspection and Disclosure of Form 990-T.” IRS, US Gov, 13 Feb 2020, https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/charitable-organizations/public-inspection-and-disclosure-of-form-990-t. Accessed 18 November 2020.
“Where can I find an organization's Form 990 or 990-PF?” Candid Learning, Candid. https://learning.candid.org/resources/knowledge-base/finding-990-990-pfs/. Accessed 18 November 2020.
“Sustaining Gifts: The Benefits for You and Your Favorite Charity.” Charity Navigator Blog, Charity Navigator, 20 June 2019, https://blog.charitynavigator.org/2019/06/sustaining-gifts-benefits-for-you-and.html. Accessed 1 November 2020.
SAMPLE ANNUAL & FINANCIAL REPORTS
Pasadena Humane
2019 Annual Report https://pasadenahumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/PHS-Annual-Scoop_2019_FINAL.pdf
2020 Financial Statement https://pasadenahumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/PHS-Financial-Statements-12.31.2018.pdf
2018 Form 990 Tax Return https://pasadenahumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Redacted-2018-Amended-990-Tax-Return_Final.pdf
Animal Legal Defense Fund
