RE: donating to animal/environmental organizations

[Guest guest]

Hi Karin and everyone,

I agree with Colleen's and Tammy's comments about donating $. I started off

giving to many different AR and envi groups when I was new to those

movements--mainly because I didn't know very much about many of them; then

started being solicited by many other groups I'd never even heard of, and

eventually found that I had been donating to groups that had anti-animal

policies that I disagreed with and of which I had not been aware.

 

I think the key to donating wisely is to figure out what issues are most

important to you, and also what issues you care about so much that if an

organization has a policy against them you would choose to support an

organization that supports it. For instance, if what you care most about is

promoting vegetarianism/veganism, groups such as HSUS, ASPCA, or other

welfare groups that do not actively promote veg'ism; AR groups (such as my

employer, IDA, and many others) that do not have a strong focus on veg'ism

b/c they're focused on other AR issues; and environmental groups (including

all of the ones that you listed) that (to my knowledge) do not take a stance

promoting vegetarianism, despite the disastrous environmental consequences

of livestock production, are not the best choices. On the other hand, Vegan

Outreach, Viva, Compassion Over Killing, Mercy For Animals (in Ohio), Action

for Animals (in Seattle), and Freedom for Animals (in SF) all focus 90-100%

of their efforts on promoting veg'ism. On the other hand, if fur or

vivisection or some other issue is most important to you, spend a few

minutes investigating groups before you donate so you know their priorities.

 

As for what I was saying about groups that have a policy against things you

might support (or might support something you are against), it is important

to recognize that some groups do not espouse all of the values that you may

hold, even though as animal and environmental groups it would seem

inconsistent for them to do some of the things that they do. For instance,

the World Wildlife Fund was one of the main proponents of a huge program

(the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program) that would involve millions of

toxic chemicals (we already know they are toxic, but the EPA would rather

retest them than ban them, b/c that would cost the companies who produce

them $) to be poured into animals' eyes, down their throats, and on their

skin. As a former donor to WWF, I was shocked to find that my donation went

to an organization that supported animal research.

 

Sorry for the long rant, but, having learned from my mistakes, I now realize

how important it is that we donate wisely. " Wisely " just means figuring out

what is important to you and finding groups that do the same. Because there

are so many animal and environmental problems in the world, and so many

different groups working for them, it is tempting to give a little to

everyone and save yourself the time or effort of doing the research. I

wasted a lot of money donating to groups that I now realize I don't want to

support. I urge people to take the time to ensure that your donations are

being put to good use! Alternatively, let someone familiar with many

organizations know of your priorities, and seek their advice before sending

any money.

 

Nora

Karin Moore [karinmoore]

Friday, August 01, 2003 10:02 AM

[sfBAVeg] animal/environmental organizations

 

 

Howdy folks,

The recent thread about worthy organizations has prompted this email....

Over the years, the list of animal/environmental organizations that I

belong

to has grown quite long (see below). I'm soon to bid good riddance to the

corporate world and return to school. My new Starving Student status will

mean that I've got to pare down this list quite a lot, which I just hate

to

do. I'd appreciate any guidance on which are the most and least

" deserving " .

I admit that I've joined many of them without doing much research, just

because they sounded good. There are a few that are near and dear to my

heart, which I will never cut out, such as Farm Sanctuary, Animal Place,

Best Friends, and Lindsay Wildlife Museum. And after the recent emails,

I'm

thinking I should actually add Freedom for Animals and Tribe of Heart to

the

list!

 

Thanks for any advice/opinions,

karin

 

 

*******

Here's my list:

 

Farm Sanctuary

Animal Place

Best Friends

Lindsay Wildlife Museum

Animal Legal Defense Fund

In Defense of Animals

Delta Society

Performing Animal Welfare Society

Sea Turtle Restoration Project

Bat Conservation International

World Wildlife Fund

National Wildlife Federation

Marine Mammal Center

Alley Cat Allies

Berkeley Humane Society

Oakland SPCA

SF SPCA

ASPCA

HSUS

Environmental Defense Fund

Greenpeace

Nature Conservancy

Earth Island Institute

Sierra Club

 

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