American Heart Association Inc

As I truly believe in disease prevention, I was excited to take such a close up role in this organization. Yet, I have seen time and time again that the management is unwilling to change or budge about new science that could really help people. The management even admitted to me under closed doors that they have to appease the massive corporations who donate to them. I wouldn't trust the AHA as long as they receive money from corporations that contribute to widescale American obesity and chronic disease.

Please create a way for the Facebook Heart Association donate link is able to be edited to connect to the school fundraiser page for the kids heart challange. My daughter has had several donations last year and this year that do not count toward her school goal.

My 6 year old came home from school telling me about an all school assembly where there was a pitch to these elementary school kids to raise money for the American Heart Association through Jump Rope for Heart. He then showed me a pledge sheet and lots of toys you get for signing up online and raising money from friends and family.

After heavy lobbying on his part, I signed up online and gave $5 - which he gave to me from of his own money (about half of all he has). A few weeks later, he got two key chains made in China (by kids in slave conditions?) worth about 25 cents. He wanted more - and wanted to ask family to give so he could get more trinkets.

I wanted to know what we were giving to. So I looked online and saw that we are essentially giving to lavish executive salaries (which is what I feared). We had a good discussion and will not be giving any more.

I OBJECT to AHA using the school system and our children to collect data and donations from our social networks. I OBJECT to roping young kids into fundraising for a big national organization using cheap trinkets made in China under labor conditions that are questionable.

The whole thing feels predatory and invasive.

Nany CEO. Close to $2 million salary per year for CEO ($1000/hr... gives one chest pain and high blood pressure just thinking about the audacity and greed) and millions more for "executive" staff. Takes a lot of families walking on weekends to feed this bloated organization.
Highly successful at announcing programs. Rarely successful at executing their announcements. Will do anything for more $ and little for their proclaimed mission. Front line poorly paid and poorly treated. Intolerant of any dissent. "Balls" to support mega rich non profit executives should be left in the 1980s. We sorely need a need a new advocate for heart disease. "Greed is not a financial issue. It's a heart issue."

Donors need to be very weary of this organization. As a former employee, I was privy to the insider spending, lavish bonuses, all expense-paid trips for docs and wooing potential donors, wasteful and excessive staff travel, and much more. These monies will be buried in the 990 under program expenses. There are much better and ethical npos out there. Donors would be better off supporting their local hospitals and research institutions. AHA does very little in the communities in which they operate. They have mastered the art of branding. Investigate who is benefitting. Big pharma and fat paychecks for senior execs, for example. Do your homework before you take out your checkbook.

I am Roger Potter - I am a Volunteer Social Media Diplomate with the American Heart Association on FaceBook.

In 1952 when I was 5 I underwent Open Heart surgery that was paid for by the American Heart Association.

Now at age 66 I am keeping myself busy and very active - being a social media diplomate with the AHA allows me and the other diplomates to help, encourage, reach out and Pray for those that have either had heart attacks or heart surgery.

Being that I had open heart surgery keeping myself active is paramount - every 3 days I am in the gym progressive strength/weight training in order to keep my body and heart health & strong.,

20.8 % of money raised is spent on research
39.1 is spent on public health education
14 is spent on professional educ/training
05.1 is spent on community service
13 is spent on fundraising
07.9 is spent on salaries.

I am proud to be a member of the AHA that is dedicated to promoting heart health and education on heart health. I am now accomplishing Senior Strength.

This year the AHA won the social media award for promoting having a healthy heart that was done by US diplomates: the link

http://www.prnewsonline.com/awards/2013/03/11/2013-nonprofitprawardssocialmedia/

I've been a nurse for over 20 years. It was not until surfing the web one day did I run across the American Heart Association and saw something astounding. Heart disease is the #1 KILLER of women. I was absolutely flabbergasted!! How did I not know this? Now my family history is as such; I've had 7 uncles and 6 aunts to not reach age 55 who have died from heart disease and 4 dear friends that have some form of cardiovascular disease. My mother-in-law had a massive MI just 2 years ago. I decided immediately that this was a cause that I needed to become a part of.

I did a lot of research before joining because I wanted to be sure that whatever I invest my energy into is one that has positive feedback and a well established background. So here I am. I am amazed by the number of Causes, such as Go Red For Women, My Heart My Life, Power to End Stroke, etc. and sites, that are available to the public. Knowledge is power. Having the mission to build healthier lives, that are free of cardiovascular disease and stroke is simply stated but very profound mission statement.

As an advocate I've written letters to my congressman and representatives letting them know my opinion on upcoming legislature, created videos and write a monthly blog. Everyone has a voice whether it's in Washington, my state's capital or city I have taken on the mindset to what I can to help. Where I decided to give monetarily or with my time and labor it will never go without thanks from all the lives that are touched.

I'm proud and honored to be a part of this association that is doing everything possible, especially for me as a female to silence one of the physical enemies of the heart, cardiovascular disease.

Aug 25, 2010, at age 44, I had a massive heart attack. I had less than a 5% chance for survival! I had what is referred to as "the widow maker" heart attack. Stress and poor eating for many years took it's toll on me and a blood clot got into my LAD. My wife performed fantastically in calling 911 and the first responders knew exactly how to diagnose and begin treating me! All due to the valuable prior research of the AHA!!! The EMTs in the ambulance continued fast action and when I hit the ER and could not feel my arms and legs...and I felt cold all over, I could not have asked for any better care than I received. Again, it was all part of the great research in everyone's fast action and life-saving decisions that night. I'm extremely grateful for the prior research. I am dedicated to helping raise more money for the further research to end heart events for people as I never wish the amount of pain I had that night on anyone. ANYONE! I thought several times I was taking my final breath. My wonderful wife and kids looked on as I struggled for my life. Yes, I am a PROUD volunteer of the AHA! I walked in my first Heart Walk 56 days after my heart attack. I had raised just under $1,000 in that short amount of time. I then helped organize it the next year and I Chair'd the event last year! In all, just three years out of fighting for my next breathe, I have raised over $10,000 for the research that just might save the life of someone close to you. Through the recommendations and the approval of my cardiologist, I have established a sodium intake of the AHA recommended 1,500 mg per day. NOT easy, but so worth it. I am now active. I've cut out stress in my life. I've cut out soda in my choice of drink. I eat sensibly now and am loving life. I have dropped 55 pounds because of my new lifestyle! I am a mentor now for others going through lifestyle changes and recovering from their heart events. And yes, I do this through and for the AHA. Hand-picked to help assist others along with some other very wonderful survivors that have become my heart family. The American Heart Association has a TON of valuable information for heart-healthy living and recovery from heart events. It is both my honor and pleasure to help deliver that information into my little section of the world. I am so thankful for the extra time I have with my children and wife. My children were 9 & 7 at the time of my heart attack - clearly too young to see one of their parents fighting for life. However, both kids and my wife have really stepped up and are helping me in giving back to the AHA and it is our mission as a family to do so. I thank God every day for putting me in some wonderful people's hands that night. People who were aware of the AHA's research which allowed me to survive and have a complete recovery. I just can't say enough about the AHA and the work they do.

My wife and I have donated to the American Heart Association for several years. Upon discovering that over $600,000.00 of donation money is going to pay an exbortinant salary for their current CEO we stopped. For a nonprofit organization that is ABSURD! We now select charities who embrace a greater sense of fiscal responsibility.

As someone with family members struggling with cardiovascular disease, you have been consistently disappointed with the American Heart Association. Specifically,. . .

* Stunned by the inflated salaries, exorbitant incentives and excessive benefits packages given to its executives and high ranking employees across the organization hidden the the costs of "programs" rather than disclosed properly in costs of "administration." Also, the association's compensation ratios and rates exceed those for most for-profit enterprises.

* Saddened that science positions and recommendations are altered or delayed due to the heavy influence of the association's corporate sponsors, donors and conference exhibitors, specifically Campbell Soups and the beef industry.

* Disheartened by the association's overstated claims of its contributions to scientific research and breakthroughs when really government and foundation funding have been the chief financial sources for this work.

* Put off by the association's focus on short-term, splashy events and media coverage driven by highly-compensated celebrity spokespeople.

TO REALLY FIGHT HEART DISEASE, DON'T DONATE TO THE AHA - rather support your local medical school or research hospital where the real work and family support are delivered.

Who has the largest tent at the American Heart Association Heart Walk? The Beef Industry!

What were the AMA volunteers selling as a fundraiser? Transfat loaded donuts and muffins.

CEO salaries are out of control. The AHA is no different.

Every charity's goal should be curing themselves out of a job.

I just received a call from a man who identified himself as a professional donation solicitor for AHA. I asked him the % of each donation that is used for solicitation to which he answered 21%. I told him that I do not donate to nonprofits that use that high of a percentage and ended the call. I looked up the % on http://www.charitynavigator.org and noted that he lied by stating about 1/2 of the amount (38.5% currently). I would not recommend a donation to American Heart Association.

Expenses rising faster than donations. It's not the economy people. Rein in your executive salaries and donations will increase. Please understand that higher paid CEO's don't necessarily yield higher results. Being the CEO of a charity should be a calling and salaries should reflect it.

I used to work for AHA in the late 1990s/early 2000s. I was hired after a restructure, a restructure went on the three years I worked there, and another "restructure" got me booted out the door. I'm assuming the CEO and all the bogus studies/research they do needed the money more than I did. The fact that I myself have high blood pressure and was one of the people who "benefited" from what they do, didn't seem to faze them as they showed me to the door. If you don't walk their walk and talk their talk 100%, then you are expendable. I began having a hard time working to raise money for AHA when I saw where all that money was ending up--and it wasn't in my pocketbook in terms of salary. I also became concerned that, year after year, more and more money was being raised--but heart disease and stroke still weren't stamped out, nor were they going down. Now that I have "gone over" to the alternative healthcare side, I know that NUTRITION is what keeps the body healthy. Organic food, safe water, farm-raised/grass-fed meat, no pesticides, no chemicals, no toxins--THAT is what keeps the body healthy, with no issues or problems. I don't see them teaching anyone about nutrition and how naturally keeping the body healthy will keep everyone from having heart issues. And they won't, because like all of the big money-making and -promoting organizations, it's all about raising money--not finding a cure. I refuse to give money to any of them.

The American Heart Association’s mission is to support research and educational efforts directed toward reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Research is the foundation for identifying interventions that reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease. Emphasis is placed on promoting a healthy life style, by incorporating dietary changes, cholesterol lowering measures, smoking cessation and exercise in the daily routine. The “Get with the Guidelines” initiative is committed to employing national guidelines for the care of cardiovascular disease. “Go Red for Women” directs attention to the importance of risk reduction and early recognition of cardiovascular disease in women. “Mission Lifeline” champions regional cooperation to encourage prompt intervention in the management of acute myocardial infarction.

The success of the Heart Association in achieving its goals is attested to by the decline of 28% in the death rate from cardiovascular disease and a 45% reduction in death rate from stroke over the decade from 1997-2007.

Your support of the American Heart Association is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Dr. Mark Thompson