Defenders of Wildlife
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April 5, 2013
Clear and timely emails. Easy to use way to respond to petition requests. Very passionate about their cause.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Quite well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
February 28, 2013
1 person found this review helpful
I have been a long-time contributor to Defender, especially for their work with wolves. However, I've noticed that Defenders like to use the plight of the wolf as a fund-raising opportunity and they don't do much to help the wolf. I am very disappointed with their reaction to the wolf plight. They need to spend more on programs rather than fundraising.
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Was your donation impactful?
Unlikely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unsure
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unsure
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
January 20, 2013
I have made donations to Defenders for quite a while, and I have met a number of people working there.
There is no doubt in my mind that those that I have spent time with are extremely devoted to the conservation of wildlife. However, I am troubled by the Charity Navigator rating and Ms. Clark's explanation of accounting changes. I understand the concept of a 'membership organization', but I hope that defender's can increase their efficiency and improve their score despite the rating changes. It makes it more difficult for me to recommend this organization when people ask me to explain the two star rating.
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Was your donation impactful?
Likely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Likely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Likely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
January 18, 2013
Dear Defenders of Wildlife,
The $100,000 you are asking us to help raise to defend "wolves under siege" will pay less than a third of your CEO's annual salary, which according to Charity Navigator, is $288,616 plus an additional $19,950 from "Affiliates." This is very disappointing. Are you helping the wolves, or are the wolves helping Rodger Schlickeisen and other well-fed humans?
If Mr. Schlickeisen took a pay cut of $100,000 he could help wolves and people, too, people who are on social security (like myself) who would truly like to help wolves but who are barely able to pay their food bills.
A personal response would be appreciated.
Sincerely Yours,
Sheila Hamanaka
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Will you volunteer or donate to this organization?
No
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Some
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
January 17, 2013
2 people found this review helpful
As a professional fundraiser who used to work at Defenders, I feel confident in recommending Defenders as an organization that makes very good use of its funds toward the mission of wildlife conservation. These rating sites are hugely helpful in making decisions about how charities use their funds, but the ratings are sometimes tricky. Defenders headquarters is in DC and does top-notch advocacy work -- for example, emailing members to inform them of policies that are harmful to wildlife and providing them easy access to information to contact their government representatives. Because these advocacy pieces (also known as Action Alerts), usually contain a link encouraging supporters to make a gift, they are often calculated as fundraising expenses by ratings websites. (Of course, any charity needs funds and would be foolish not to use an email or other communication to provide recipients the opportunity to give. But the larger point of these advocacy pieces is to inform Defenders' many supporters who care deeply about what the U.S. is allowing to happen to wildlife -- and to make it easy to contact their representatives and others to stand up for critters. Politicians listen to their constituents, and Defenders wants to give them the opportunity to be heard. So, please, rest assured from someone who has been at Defenders -- this is a great charity, doing very important work for species, full of committed staff dedicated to making a difference for wildlife. And their funds are spent wisely toward this goal. If you want to make a difference for species in the U.S., funding Defenders is a good investment. Their impact far outweighs their size or budget. This is why I, a former employee who has worked at organizations across conservation, have personally become a Defenders donor!
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How does this organization compare with others in the same sector?
Very Well
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
Life-changing
Will you recommend this organization to others?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
3 people found this review helpful
January 3, 2013
3 people found this review helpful
Hi, Mr. Baker,
First of all, thank you for your ongoing support of America’s wildlife and habitats and for raising your important concerns. Defenders is proud of how carefully we spend our members’ contributions. In fact, our most recent audited financial statement shows that last year we spent 91% of our expenses on programs and support services and only 9% on fundraising (for more information, please see our annual report at http://www.defenders.org/annual-report-and-990s).
While, as an advocacy group, we’ll always have a mix of online and offline supporters, we are working to change our ratio of paper mail to e-mail. I am happy to report that we have made great progress over the last two years in increasing our pool of online supporters by 31%.
Finally, everyone at Defenders was devastated to hear the news about the Yellowstone wolf fondly known as 06, and we have had all hands on deck addressing this horrific situation. In addition to our ongoing delisting lawsuit and proactive work with ranchers, our wolf experts, communications team, and legal team are collaborating with partners to help secure buffers and develop coexistence projects around Yellowstone National Park. We have also raised this issue with the Department of the Interior officials in DC, discussed the killing of wolves from Yellowstone during a lengthy interview on CNN Headline News, sent out a call for action to our more than one million members and supporters to put pressure on the Obama administration and the states to protect wolves around the park, and generated more press on this issue so the public can express their outrage. In fact, we quickly generated nearly 300 thank yous to the Montana Fish and Game Commission for setting up the buffers.
Once again, thank you for your support; we couldn’t protect wildlife and wild places without you!
Don Barry
Executive Vice President
Defenders of Wildlife
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When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2013
December 29, 2012
3 people found this review helpful
There is a very large discrepancy between what Defenders say is spent on the program and what Charity Navigator reports. One very large expense that concerns me is the compensation for the CEO. In my view, this is too high for any charity. Note, that if you want to make a bundle maybe working in banking is the way to go and not for a charity.
I, like many others, am also concerned about the number of mailings soliciting funds. Why can’t Defenders use email as a way to “notice members” and cut down on the cost. Too many of the letters confuse members about their dues. I have long felt this is intentional to “double bill” and overlap memberships.
On the other hand, no other charity that I know of as been a better champion for the wolf. Defenders have done great work in not only the re-introduction but also the protection for the wolf.
I have now written a formal letter to the board asking them to review their mail solicitation policy and to review the executive compensation. My membership and continued support will depend on the action the take. As for now, based on the recent killing of the well-known Alpha female wolf in the Yellowstone pack, I will retain my membership and increase my contribution. This senseless “trophy killing” may have been legal but it is not only deplorable, misguided, and immoral. Let’s stop the hunt!!
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unsure
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unsure
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
December 18, 2012
2 people found this review helpful
As a lifelong animal lover, long-time supporter of Defenders, and Defenders board member for over 10 years, I know personally that pound-for-pound, they are one of the most focused and effective groups out there. I’ve felt privileged to assist Defenders’ campaigns and efforts to protect species like bears and wolves and magnificent habitats like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
On the ground, in the courts, and in the halls of government, Defenders is working to combat the horrendous disappearance of our natural heritage. I’ve heard a wolf’s howl echo through Yellowstone Park, and felt proud to be part of the organization that helped reintroduce them to America.
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When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
December 13, 2012
1 person found this review helpful
As a wildlife biologist, television host, producer, lifelong naturalist, and someone who has been working for the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems around the world for nearly three decades, I am proud to serve on Defenders of Wildlife’s board.
I’ve partnered with Defenders, as their ambassador of climate change and endangered species, to appeal to the public about the impact of climate change on wildlife. I’ve also testified on their behalf to urge lawmakers to ensure that comprehensive climate and energy legislation addresses carbon pollution, and deals with the effects of rising temperatures on wildlife and habitats.
Throughout my career, I have had many exhilarating and challenging experiences: from tracking Kodiak bears and being nearly trampled by moose in Alaska, to releasing a California condor back into the wild after its struggle to recover from lead poisoning. However, I worry deeply about what kind of world awaits my two young daughters if we fail to address the current threats to America’s wildlife and wild places. I am proud to support an organization that is dedicated to ensuring our spectacular wild animals and habitats will be here for the next generation.
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When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
2 people found this review helpful
December 12, 2012
2 people found this review helpful
As a donor, I know you are eager to ensure that the dollars you invest in causes near and dear to your heart are used efficiently and effectively. As president, CEO and board member of Defenders of Wildlife, I too want to make sure that every dollar invested in our organization is used to maximize the impact of our wildlife conservation efforts.
That’s why I was alarmed to recently learn that we had been downgraded on Charity Navigator’s site. The lower rating occurred despite the fact that there had been no change in our financial or operating status. We are proud to receive clean audits and financial reports every year, and we had achieved a three star Charity Navigator (CN) rating based on our most recent audit.
Donations to Defenders of Wildlife are put to good use, with 73 cents of every dollar going directly into our core mission to conserve wildlife and habitat, 18 cents going to management and general expenses and 9 cents going to fundraising.
Upon investigation of this unexpected downgrade, we learned that CN had unilaterally changed its rating methodology to a system that, we believe, unfairly penalizes membership organizations like Defenders. As a membership non-profit, individuals who care deeply about wildlife can join Defenders and become part of our strong voice for wildlife. We are effective in large part because our 440,000 members and donors, as well as an additional 700,000 on-line supporters, serve as advocates for wildlife throughout North America.
To educate our members about timely and important wildlife issues and call on them to take action, such as writing to Congress, contacting federal agencies, or submitting opinion pieces to newspapers, we send frequent email and print mail outreach materials. Part of the purpose of these mailings is fundraising, but a much larger part is education and/or advocacy. Under SOP 98-2, a well established accounting standard set forth by the independent Financial Accounting Standards Board, non-profit organizations are permitted to allocate part of the costs for these mailings to core program expenses and part to fundraising expenses. These standards, which have stringent criterion, have been in place and supported by the accounting profession and the Internal Revenue Service for the past 15 years. Despite this history, CN has now unilaterally decided to disallow these “joint allocations,” and has made adjustments to Defenders’ audited numbers. We strongly disagree. Organizations that are not member-based are not affected by this change as they are not conducting mailings to their members or the public and therefore do not have these types of costs.
Their adjustment puts all of the costs for member outreach into the fundraising category. Because of this change in CN’s rating system, they now have inflated our overall fundraising costs to 30%, rather than the 9% that had been properly recognized under the federally accepted joint allocation standards. This has subsequently created a misconception that Defenders is spending an inordinate amount of donor funds on fundraising compared with other organizations and a corresponding low amount on our mission-driven programs.
Charity Navigator told us that they are implementing the changes resulting from their new methodology on a rolling basis, and therefore there are quite a few non-profit ratings on their site that have not yet been changed. This may result in inconsistencies when donors utilize a feature on the site to compare what they consider to be similar organizations.
Defenders of Wildlife is a voice for imperiled wildlife in the halls of Congress, in the administration, in the courts and on-the-ground in vital ecosystems around the nation. Wildlife has a powerful voice when I can stand up and advocate with more than one million members and supporters behind me. The reality of having a powerful advocacy voice is that we must spend money to continue to grow, educate and engage that constituency.
Charity Navigator is now applying a one-size-fits-all yardstick for evaluating all charities, regardless of the wide differences on how they are organized, whether they operate on a membership model, how effective they are in achieving results, and whether they engage in public advocacy. Dan Pallotta laid out quite well the downside to this rigid approach in his post on HarvardBusiness.org (http://blogs.hbr.org/pallotta/2009/06/efficiency-measures-miss-the-p.html). He notes that in 1997, Physicians for Human Rights had a 2 star rating from Charity Navigator, yet their effectiveness was such that they received the Nobel Peace Prize that same year.
I am deeply concerned about this situation. Effective and necessary membership or advocacy organizations should not be unfairly penalized by an arbitrary star rating system that discards years of well established accounting standards. We believe that donors are not being well served by this rating system, and the charities that help our environment, wildlife, children, the elderly and others in need will be hurt as well.
Thank you for considering a donation to Defenders of Wildlife. I hope this explanation provides you with confidence that we value every dollar that donors like you give us and will use these funds effectively to conserve wildlife. If you have further questions on this issue, please don’t hesitate to call as at 1-800-385-9712 or defenders@mail.defenders.org. Jamie Rappaport Clark
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Will you volunteer or donate to this organization beyond what is required of board members?
Definitely
How much of an impact do you think this organization has?
A lot
Will you tell others about this organization?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
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