My Nonprofit Reviews
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Review for Center for Biological Diversity Inc, Tucson, AZ, USA
CBD gets the job done. They walk the talk, and are a formidable force in court. They're in our estate plan because they use our money wisely.
Review for Center for Biological Diversity Inc, Tucson, AZ, USA
We donate monthly to CBD because they walk the talk. Their influence in the legal arena is second to none. They aren't afraid to take on the big boys, or the big issues such as human overpopulation. The latest example is their opposition to the Newhall Ranch development in SoCal. They fought it even when most other environmental groups had caved, but have been vindicated by the courts. The development is now at a standstill. Thank you, CBD.
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Was your donation impactful?
Definitely
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Definitely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2012
Review for Animal Place, Grass Valley, CA, USA
I used to support them, until they recently decided not to help with an emergency rescue of many animals from a failed local sanctuary. They could have taken in at least a few of the neediest animals, including farm animals. I have heard no valid reason for this refusal.
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Was your donation impactful?
Unsure
How likely is it that you would recommend that a friend donate to this group?
Unlikely
How likely are you to donate to this group again?
Unlikely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
As we are not alerted to comments made here, unfortunately a long time has passed since this comment was made. We offered assistance to Last Chance for Bliss in the form of accepting some animals and assisting in the placement of others. However, it was made clear that the only assistance they wanted was temporary housing. You must understand - we are not a boarding facility and cannot in good conscience take in animals "temporarily" from an organization that may be facing litigation or charges. Our offers of assistance in placement and possible permanent intake were not accepted. No one emailed us asking why we did not accept animals, so I can only presume you did not do so either. We would have happily explained our reasoning for not supporting the failing "sanctuary".
Review for Animal Place, Grass Valley, CA, USA
Still no answer as to why they spend so little of their money on the animals. Their revenue to expenses ratio is startling. Lots of money sitting idle. Why?
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
none
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
spend money on the animals, not hoard it
Review for Placer County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty To Animals, Roseville, CA, USA
We no longer support them, as we choose to support other local groups that don't have the fundraising machine this group has. There are shoestring groups doing as much or more for animals, and they don't turn away animals because they come from outside Roseville. Placer SPCA is very choosy about the animals it takes, meaning many of the least adoptable have no place to go. That's why they can claim such low euthanasia rates. It's really a form of cheating.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
nothing
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
take all animals instead of rejecting all but the perfect ones
We are sorry for your experience and would like to talk with you further. Please contact Matt Green, our Director of Operations, at mattg@placerspca.org if you wish to learn more about our policies and procedures. In summary, the City of Roseville does contract with us to accept all animals including strays and owner surrendered animals from the City of Roseville. This allows us to legally house strays from the City. We are not legally able to accept strays animals from the other cities or the county. We can however legally accept owner surrendered animals from these other cities and the county and we do. Additionally, we transfer animals from Placer County Animal Services after the legally required holding times and as we have space available. We do not select animals based on adoptability. On any day at the Placer SPCA you may see many animals available for adoption from cute puppies and kittens to 15 year old cats and elderly dogs of all breeds and sizes. We also, with the generous support of the community, care for major medical needs from heartworm treatment to repairing broken limbs, dental disease and much more. We provide care and shelter for more animals in Placer County than any other government or private rescue organization and yes, the largest population of animals do come from the City of Roseville for the reasons described earlier. We have a talented staff and over 600 volunteers who share close to 50,000 hours of their time to support the many programs and services we offer to the community. Over 1000 of our animals are housed in volunteer foster homes throughout the year in order to allow us to serve as many animals as we can. Again, we welcome the opportunity to communicate with you further about your experiences as we are always looking for ways to improve our services. Lastly, we would like to emphasize that there are a number of wonderful animal rescue organizations throughout Placer County and encourage our community to support their efforts.
Review for The Humane Society of the United States, Washington, DC, USA
Of course they don't spend their money on shelter animals. They spend it where it most needs to go - factory farming, fur, experimentation...the big guns. Billions of animals die for food, and that is where the focus of the future must be. Those who claim they're being targeted by HSUS must have something they're hiding that they need to change. So change it.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
Prop2 California
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
send less junk
Review for Zionist Organization Of America, New York, NY, USA
This group is a political lobby, not a charity. They do no charitable work whatsoever.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
been exposed to their extreme zealotry
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
take away their tax-exempt status
Review for Sacramento SPCA, Sacramento, CA, USA
Look at these rating details, folks. Sac SPCA has almost 12 million dollars sitting in reserves, and they consistently take in more than they spend on animal care. Why is that? Why do they continue to cry poor when they are anything but?
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
have talked to ex-volunteers who also question where the money is going
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
spend more of their substantial largesse on animals, not salaries and their fancy building
Review for Land Trust Alliance Incorporated, Washington, DC, USA
What exactly do they do to monitor trusts? How do they ensure compliance with all standards? How often do they audit trusts? I want more facts on the nitty gritty of how to ensure these trusts are putting their money where their mouth is.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
have tried to find out whether a trust is high quality but got nowhere
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Ensure rigorous standards and demand compliance with regular inspections.
Review for Animal Place, Grass Valley, CA, USA
I too think they're doing great work. My concern is that they still haven't raised their rating from 3 stars. Look at the revenue/expense graph. Why such consistently higher revenues than expenses? Why are they constantly asking for more money? Where is it going if not into the animals?
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
have seen the animals - well cared for
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
explain their revenue/expense ratio
Review for Defenders of Wildlife, Washington, DC, USA
I used to donate, until I learned more about the high salaries obscenely out of line for a charity. And their sellout of the wolves. And their constant appeals for yet more money. Where exactly is it going? Why can CN only give 2 stars? That's a huge red flag.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
I saw their work locally on one small project, but it's not enough to overcome the bloated national corporate practices.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Clean up their financial act and stop paying such exorbitant salaries. Do more grassroots work on the ground.
Review for Born Free USA , Silver Spring, MD, USA
I've met some of the principal people, but always have to respect the CN rating. Two stars should be a huge red flag for anyone. What are they doing wrong financially? Until they get their rating up, I won't donate again. There are plenty of highly-rated charities that need every dollar.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
N/A
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
improve their financial affairs
Born Free USA is annually audited by an independent audit firm. Not once in our history has there been a qualified audit of our financial statements nor any question of our fiscal responsibility. Our financial statements are posted on our website and are available on Guidestar, and we are happy to answer any questions about our revenue and expenditures. Charity Navigator has a complex system of rating non-profit organizations. One criteria is a balance of income over expenses. The past few years have been difficult for many charitable organizations, and we have not cut back on our program expenses despite diminishing contributions. We take on the problem of making ends meet and do not sacrifice our work to save the lives of animals just to show a surplus on a tax return. While Charity Navigator would view this as a sign of weakness, we view this as being supremely responsible to our mission, to the public who want us to do this work, and to the animals who need us to continue the fight to secure a safe world for them.
Review for RedRover, Sacramento, CA, USA
I fail to understand the glowing reviews here. If CN gives a charity only 2 stars, that should be a big red warning sign. Something is very wrong. The group may be good to volunteers, and may do one thing well, but there is something wrong financially when CN can only give 2 stars. Animal Nations, what are you doing about this?
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
none
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Clean up their financial act.
As UAN’s CFO, I would like to address concerns about our 2009 Charity Navigator (CN) Rating. Our Efficiency score, which rates how we spend resources, was 3-stars, which means UAN “exceeds or meets industry standards and performs as well or better than most charities in its Cause.” Our Capacity score was lower, as our income and program expense did not grow over previous years. UAN scored well in past years with 4-star ratings in 2005 and 2006, particularly after a spike in donations and program expenses from Hurricane Katrina. This raised the bar for our CN rating score going forward, since CN gives high scores for increases in income and program expense. Unfortunately, 2008 and 2009 income and expenses retracted due to the economy and can’t easily be compared to those previous years. When an organization shows no growth in income and expense, it scores zero in two important categories, bringing the overall score down. Our income in 2010 grew slightly from 2009, but was still well short of Hurricane Katrina levels. To increase our name recognition and expand our programs, UAN took a bold step to re-brand the organization as RedRover, connect all of its programs with its new name and develop aggressive new goals for its programs and income growth in the coming years.
Review for GREYHOUND FRIENDS FOR LIFE, Kensington, CA, USA
We've adopted several greyhounds through GFFL over the last decade, and would not hesitate to recommend them to other potential adopters. They have a marvelous facility in Auburn where people can meet available dogs. Greyhounds are absolutely amazing family members!
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
the great dogs we've had
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
n/a
Review for Center for Biological Diversity Inc, Tucson, AZ, USA
CBD is hands down the best bang for your environmental buck. They quietly go about the business of calling truth to power, and they are very successful. They don't waste a lot of money on fancy mailers or mahogany office furniture. They're the major beneficiary in our wills because they get the job done. When other enviro groups are afraid to buck the tide, CBD will be jumping right in.
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If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...
save huge amounts of habitat for many, many animals.
How frequently have you been involved with the organization?
About every month
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2010
