alternatives to heifer international

In other words, it simply states that the evaluators had a positive view of Heifer. We examine the flaws in concept and practice with animal-gifting groups in general, and with Heifer International in particular (since they are the largest and most well-known). For 76 years, it has invested in more than 36 million smallholder farmers and their families around the world, supporting them to build businesses that are economically and environmentally sustainable. However, 75% of the world is lactose-intolerant, and 90% of Asian and African populations (toward whom dairy programs are aggressively targeted) are lactose intolerant. This measure reflects the percent of its total expenses a charity spends on the programs and services it exists to deliver. We have significant methodological doubts about the Rwanda evaluation (see the Development Impact Blogs writeup. Heifer International is a global development organization on a mission to end hunger and poverty in a sustainable way. Part of our goal in rating the financial performance of charities is to help donors assess the financial capacity and sustainability of a charity. Read our blog or follow us by email, People looking for large compensations should stay in the Private sector. Most of it goes toward their own infrastructure, which means rent, staff, travel and investigation This is cynical exploitation of animals and poor people.. I will be directing people to this site. horizons HEIFER.ORG | 1 For the last couple . As Bill suggested double checking information is a very good idea. Now 14, Lydia has helped . This work is licensed under a Creative Commons, minimize the time spent on opaque or otherwise lackluster ones, GiveWell Board member Tim Ogdens summary of the recent discussion/controversy, have major concerns about supporting any but the most outstanding microfinance institutions, concerns about Kivas due diligence process specifically, general concerns about microfinance charities, rarely even clear about what their value-added is, disappointing (and eye-opening) evaluation of the Village Phone program, concerns about giving livestock specifically, recent removal of the charts we questioned, own explanation of why it is giving grants to other major charities, suspect that this offer is a donor illusion, UNICEF provides almost no information at all about its huge variety of activities and how they are going, CARE coming the closest to meaningful transparency, we see no substantive available information about its track record, is unwilling to share any information about the results of its grantmaking, http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.5647733/?msource=XS2M090001&utm_source=Heifer&utm_medium=Website_Banner&utm_campaign=ImpactStudy, the overhead ratio issue is usually a distraction, http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/salaries.html, http://www.heifer.org/ending-hunger/accomplishments/measure-of-success.html. Seventy percent of all Ethiopias cattle are raised pastorally in the highlands of their country, where less than 100 pounds of meat and a few gallons of milk are produced per acre of land used. Those dollars should be going to where they are most needed. Chicken Behavior: An Overview of Recent Science, Eating Animals: Addressing Our Most Common Justifications, 4 Reasons Why We Don't Advocate for "Humane" Animal Products, Motherhood Led Me to Quit Dairy Farming Forever. Mary, what is your source for the 80% overhead figure? Founded Date 1944. Gifts are deposited into various animal accounts, such as llama/alpaca, tree seedlings or bees. We have different accounts for every type of Heifer International animal. During the holiday gift-giving season, a popular choice for gift-donations are programs that send live farm animals as gifts to help alleviate hunger and poverty in low-income countries. Tax Status . Please refresh the page Only by reviewing a complete study, which is never perfect, can one understand the methodology and its implications and limitations. The global pandemic impacted communities around the world, hitting many of the worlds poorest people hardest. Privacy policies are assigned to one of the following categories: Yes: This charity has a written donor privacy policy published on its website, which states unambiguously that (1) it will not share or sell a donor's personal information with anyone else, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations or (2) it will only share or sell personal information once the donor has given the charity specific permission to do so. Rather than focusing on executive pay, which is more likely to create self-righteousness than anything else, it is more productive to focus on impact and cost-effectiveness. Please consider supporting our Plants-4-Hunger program or choose another favorite! Full set of blog posts on Grameen Foundation, Full set of blog posts on Heifer International, Full set of blog posts on The Robin Hood Foundation. - Fundraising investments performed better than expected throughout the year and year-end giving results exceeded projections. Full set of blog posts on The Carter Center. As the pandemic continued, we began providing cash grants to communities for healthcare and other household needs and worked with local governments to procure supplies for community health clinics. LEARN MORE (photo: Ashraya Initiative for Children - India) . It has declined to share this (basic, in our view) information in repeated exchanges. Dan West (philanthropist) - Wikipedia From these catalogs, well-meaning donors choose which animal they would like to send as their gift-donation. Heifer International 1 World Avenue. Briefly describe a recent change that your organization made in response to feedback from the people you serve. Re: executive compensation. Heifer International and similar organizations spend exorbitant amounts of money on colorful, glossy catalogs depicting cute children hugging and kissing happy, healthy animals (like this HI catalog photo). Compare this with: a) CARE (a similar type organization that is secular and has a more holistic approach) with overhead at 7.9% (according to their 2004 990 filing MRA) As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, your donation is fully tax-deductible as allowed by law. Phone Number (855) 948-6437. By purchasing a Heifer International alternative gift tomorrow for Giving Tuesday, you can help end hunger and poverty among families in dire need. I sent detailed comments on the evaluation back to Heifer representatives. Ethical Vegans Must Reject Donald Trump. Heifer International To Partner With Mastercard To Empower Millions Of Investment Firm Abandons Plans to Build a Mega Slaughterhouse in What about Humanely Raised Milk and Dairy Products? Sources Include: IRS Form 990 and organization's website. Heifer representatives shared the Africa sections with me as part of our grant application process. We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that ones race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization. The local farmers and food producers we work with saw demand disappear overnight, as markets, hotels and restaurants were forced to close, and costs skyrocket, with restrictions on movement making access to animal feed, seeds and farm labor especially difficult. We often hear about those honored by a Heifer International gift. These hunger relief projects provide both immediate assistance and long-term community solutions that feed families without harming animals. No Credit: The charity did not have its audited financials prepared by an independent accountant. 10 Reasons to Say NO to Animal Gifting Hunger Relief Organizations Search . The charitynavigator.org site provides that information about every charity listed. These uses of water are in direct competition with the drinking water needs of local communities, as well as with the supply of water available to grow foods for direct human consumption. We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race. Dont Send One, Either. Heifer International already operates such programs and can quickly and easily shift its focus and resources from animal abuse and meat consumption advocacy to a more compassionate, sustainable and effective initiatives, such as - irrigation systems installations, supplying seeds and farming training, empowering woman small businesses and more. For Every Time Heifer International Calls Me, I Will Take Oxen - Medium Heifer International - Overview, News & Competitors | ZoomInfo.com How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve? This Charitable Organization is headquartered in Little Rock, AR. - We have worked with the government and other stakeholders to increase demand for products since lockdowns have lifted. Even taken at face value, we dont find the Rwanda evaluation particularly informative: we would expect that giving families large assets in the form of animals would lead to moderate improvements in food security. We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. Certainly not every gift goes to provide geographically appropriate animals or plants to families gripped by poverty, but Heifer makes that fact clear in all of its publications, collateral and material. 2009-2023   -   A Well-Fed World  -  EIN: 27-0865905. Presented here are this organizations key compensated staff members as identified by our analysts. Staff continued to provide targeted services including access to animal management services, connections to suppliers of animal feed and medicines, and access to markets, but in-person meetings and trainings were not possible, slowing program spend rates. HEIFER ECUADOR CHOCOLATE FARMERS' BITTERSWEET HARVEST ECO-FRIENDLY LAWN ALTERNATIVES CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF HEIFER INTERNATIONAL WHERE IT ALL BEGAN 44 32 12 WILL VEGANS SAVE THE PLANET? Heifer International distances itself from scandal-hit charity Bothar Yet, organizations such as Heifer International promote inherently water-intensive animal farming, even in areas identified as water-scarce. This organization reported that it is collecting feedback from the constituents and/or communities it serves. http://www.heifer.org/ending-hunger/accomplishments/measure-of-success.html links directly to Got Milk? At Heifer International, we don't just imagine in a better world, we're building one. We recognize that not all metrics and beacons equally predict a charitys success. De-Dollarization: BRICS Currency Would Pose a Threat Unlike Any Other Hold Illinois Governor Pritzker Accountable for his Huge New Investment in Animal Ag. But in reality, donations may not go toward the purchase of the selected animal. Give the page a little longer to finish Dawn Moncrief is the founder and executive director of A Well-Fed World , a hunger relief and animal protection organization working with grassroots groups in the U.S. and internationally to focus on sustainable plant-based food production programs. Our multi-level approach provides immediate assistance to people in need and structural change that maximizes personal and planetary health. In October 2020, Heifer International provided anti-racism training to all US staff, as part of a wider, ongoing DEI initiative covering all of the 21 countries it works in. Joedy, thanks for the link. Why Aren't Donated Clothes Always Given Away for Free? And now you can pack all your good feelings in your very own goat tote. Read the IRS policies for compensation reporting. At Heifer International, we don't . Due to popular demand, A Well-Fed World created a special Plants-4-Hunger gift-giving program to provide a compassionate and highly-effective alternative. This charity's score is 86%, earning it a Three-Star rating. Dividing these net available assets in the most recent year by a charity's average total expenses, yields the working capital ratio. Students must hear alternative views which they disagree with, new UCD Re: evidence of impact. Demand That False Claims of Soy Milk Driving Deforestation Be Retracted, Claim That Grass-Fed Cows Milk Is Greener Than Soy Milk Was Consumer Fraud, Plant-Based Food Shift Crucial to Preventing Future Pandemics, Says Report, Adopt A Cow Program is Pure Industry Propaganda. Summaries arent worth much. Milk is very specifically created for infants, not adults. Many started to accumulate livestock and other assets, and soon could better afford medical expenses and keep their children in school longer and more consistently (particularly girls). Operating Status Active. I think the average donor is probably very unaware of what some of these salaries are (I was myself until recently), but, as I indicated earlier, that information is easily obtained. Your monthly donation to Heifer supports the international programs that need it most. - In countries that are hardest hit, Heifer is providing emergency cash grants and food supplies to communities. Innovations the organization intends to continue permanently after the pandemic: - In April 2020, the municipal government of Quito approached Heifer Ecuador to respond to the food security crisis in low-income neighborhoods. Heifer International cannot currently be evaluated by our Impact & Results methodology because either (A) it is eligible, but we have not yet received data; (B) we have not yet developed an algorithm to estimate its programmatic impact; (C) its programs are not direct services; or (D) it is not heavily reliant on contributions from individual donors.Note: The absence of a score does not indicate a positive or negative assessment, it only indicates that we have not yet evaluated the organization. Quoted from the GiveWell website are concerns about animal gifting in general: When examining organizations implementing livestock-distribution programs, we feel it is appropriate to ask the following questions. For greater detail about Heifers impact, I encourage a visit Heifers Web site, http://www.heifer.org, to read the results of five years of evaluations by the Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University. In some cases, these amounts may include compensation from related organizations. Founders Dan West. Your declaration that the gift of a cow or a goat or other livestock to Heifer International is donor illusion is inaccurate. Initiatives such as micro-irrigation (or drip irrigation) projects for growing crops are far more sustainable and ecologically sound, and have helped provide an alternative livelihood to many pastoralists and subsistence farmers. Thank God someone is doing this homework, at last! ", examines the livestock sector as a primary driver of food insecurity and disparities, recalculates greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation from factory farms and grazing, highlights animal agriculture's harmful and interconnected impact on personal and planetary health. Specifically, the reasons below provide details about these concerns. THE MAGAZINE OF HEIFER INTERNATIONAL SPRING 2020 | HEIFER.ORG PLUS What's the Real Cost of Your Coffee Habit? A diversion of assets any unauthorized conversion or use of the organization's assets other than for the organization's authorized purposes, including but not limited to embezzlement or theft can seriously call into question a charity's financial integrity. These alternative choices from Heifer International add a new dimension to giving, especially when the recipient promises to pass on their animal's first female offspring to a neighbor in need, multiplying the impact and the benefit. When you say that a high executive salary is not necessary, you are making a judgment about how an organization can or cannot be run, and I think that is a mistake. Working with rural communities in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, including the United States, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local. Our expert staff worked with community members to develop bio-secure hamlets with improved practices and protocols to prevent the spread of disease. Sign in Support Charity Navigator Discover Charities Best Charities Charities with Perfect Scores Protect the Environment Address Global Poverty End Hunger Autism Awareness Improve Education Reduce Homelessness In the past 12 months, efforts have also been made to strengthen learning circles, with more tailored support provided based on needs identified by staff and their managers. While dairy is a source of calories, the resources used to produce it may be better spent on alternatives that provide a higher quality and quantity of calories, protein and calcium. Many recipients of animal gifting programs struggle to provide even the most basic care to the animals they receive. With Alternative Giving, A Nudge Out Of Poverty For The Poor This Accountability & Finance score represents IRS Form 990 data up until FY 2020, which is the most recent Form 990 currently available to us. To end hunger & poverty and care for the earth. How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship with them or shifted power - over decisions, resources, rules or in other ways - to them? Heifer International Reaches Agreement for Sale of Little Rock Campus Logically, this makes sense but rarely is it fully considered. Ive met quite a few people who lost fingers while trying to kill a goat., *note: photo not shown due to graphic nature. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. I encourage Heifer to make the full study public, as is done with (for example) Poverty Action Lab evaluations. We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions. - In addition to work directly with smallholder farmers to improve production and productivity, we invest alongside farmers and cooperatives in infrastructure to benefit large numbers of farmers. Bill, charitys executive compensation is often high because they must compete for talent with the private sector, where executive compensation is outrageously high. Heifer International has earned a 3/4 Star rating on Charity Navigator. Heifer International, a non-profit sustainable community development organization located in Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded an OSWER Innovations grant in June of 2003 to design an environmentally-friendly parking plaza to complement the organization's new headquarters, which is a green building located on a former brownfields site. Period. USA. We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders. The Charity Navigator rating isnt just less useful than a GiveWell-style analysis its nearly useless if your goal is to actually help people with your donation. If this organization aligns with your passions and values, you can give with confidence. Heifer International will remain at its Little Rock headquarters, but visitors to the campus can expect changes when new management takes over in 2023. Heifer International Reviews - Glassdoor Better to look for the most impactful organizations and assume that they know more than you do about how to allocate expenses and what an appropriate salary is. Before a project participant ever receives an animal, he or she goes through training to learn how to care for the animal, how to provide safe and secure shelter, how to feed and water the animal in ways that dont conflict with food and water for the family as they pull themselves out of poverty. No: This charity either does not have a written donor privacy policy in place to protect their contributors' personal information, or the existing policy does not meet our criteria. Working with rural communities in 21 countries in Africa, Asia, and the Americas, including the United States, Heifer International supports farmers and local food producers to strengthen local economies and build secure livelihoods that provide a living income. The partnership will enable Heifer International's impact investing division - Heifer Impact Capital - and SEAF to build on SEAF's global network and experience raising over $1.2 billion in . The municipal government is expanding agroecological fairs and opening a first permanent agroecological and organic marketplace benefiting consumers and farmers. A few suggestions as alternatives:) http://www.charitywater.org/ http://www.farmafrica.org naturalveg 10 yr. ago also: http://awellfedworld.org/ meatrocket78 10 yr. ago if you want to give money to charity I would look at sites like http://www.givingwhatwecan.org/ and make sure you are making the biggest and best difference possible. You're faster than our page! "How beautiful is a world that is healthy, well-fed, and kind all at the same time. But lately, weve gone into a bit more detail about our take on several of the best-known and most appealing charities out there. advisory committees, Suggestion box/email. We check the charity's Form 990 reporting to see if it meets this criteria. A Well-Fed World is an international hunger relief and food security organization advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a . Together with farmer cooperatives and other partners, we have invested in trucks, motorbikes and other distribution systems so farmers could continue to sell their produce, while working with governments and other local actors to ensure farmers could access medicines, feed, and important support services for their animals. I would go in that order. Determines how long a charity could sustain its level of spending using its net available assets, or working capital, as reported on its most recently filed Form 990. She also draws attention to the negative consequences of increasing livestock production and intensification on climate change and oil scarcity. Dont Have a Cow. In Heifer, you will have the opportunity to work with hundreds of people worldwide to solve universal problems affecting our planet and the food supply chain. In Food Choice and Sustainability (2013), Dr. Richard Oppenlander writes:In Ethiopia, over 40 percent of the population is considered hungry or starving, yet the country has 50 million cattle (one of the largest herds in the world), as well as almost 50 million sheep and goats, and 35 million chickens, unnecessarily consuming the food, land and water [P]oorly managed cattle grazing has caused severe overgrazing, deforestation, and then subsequent erosion and eventual desertification. However, I signed a nondisclosure agreement with Heifer that requires me not to disclose the contents of the evaluation. This normally would have reduced their star rating. It doesnt sound right to me, and I also believe the overhead ratio issue is usually a distraction. Without citing specific organizations, you would first look at who GiveWell (or whichever rating service you choose to use) recommends, then consider the executive compensation question. Our analysts check the charity's website to see if the organization has a donor privacy policy in place and what it does and does not cover. Full Credit: The charity's audited financials were prepared by an independent accountant with an audit oversight committee. About Heifer International | Heifer International There are village quarrels about community grazing; children are taken out of school to graze the goats; water becomes even scarcer, Two goats can reduce the amount of farmland available to local people and result in villages becoming deserted, while a cow will drink up to 90 liters of water every single day., Some agricultural economists began pointing out flaws in the strategy during the 1970s, notably that many recipients of gift animals were unable to feed them to maturity, let alone able to feed and raise offspring., Environmentalists later added questions about the wisdom of introducing non-native livestock to often fragile habitats, where animals with larger or different appetites from the indigenous strains might overtax the vegetation or simply starve., Heifer International and similar organizations spend exorbitant amounts of money on colorful, glossy catalogs depicting cute children hugging and kissing happy, healthy animals (like this HI catalog photo). You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Is your donation paying for fancy buildings and expensive glossy catalogs that are shipped to tens of thousands people who dont even request or want them? We calculate the charity's average expenses over its three most recent fiscal years. Goal Type: Focus on core programs to achieve mission and scale back on programs not seen as core. We ultimately see a Kiva loan as a gift to a microfinance institution, and we have major concerns about supporting any but the most outstanding microfinance institutions as well as concerns about Kivas due diligence process specifically. - We have provided food aid, PPE and farming inputs to partner communities. This work has continued during the pandemic. Opt-out: The charity has a written privacy policy published on its website which enables donors to tell the charity to remove their names and contact information from lists the charity shares or sells. Is this where your donation is really going? Global Development's Glaring Blind Spot: The Power of - heifer.org A general website policy which references "visitor" or "user" personal information will not suffice. With whom does your organization share the feedback you got from the people you serve? Free from Harm is dedicated to helping end animal exploitation through public education and grassroots action. Mail donations to:P.O. Im impressed by the intelligent, respectful and thoughtful conversation found here. Former Indian minister for social welfare and animal protection, Maneka Gandhi explains that when goats are allowed or forced by consequences to graze: each goat eats all the grass and shrubbery on two hectares of land a year. There is a profound lack of supervision (with teeth) in the charity sector. Dividing a charity's total liabilities by its total assets yields this percentage. Heifer International works in partnership with the communities it serves and implements programs that support entrepreneurs. Heifer International's work in Japan is widely viewed as the start of their modern factory-style dairy industry. To calculate a charity's fundraising efficiency, we divide its average fundraising expenses by the average total contributions it receives. The impact question is certainly complex, but that is why organizations like GiveWell are helpful to individual donors who dont have the time or the expertise to make those judgments. The Dark Side of Animal "Gifts" - A Well-Fed World Quoting from Heifer Internationals website, monies from any animal fund can be used where needed most.. The committee provides an important oversight layer between the management of the organization, which is responsible for the financial information reported, and the independent accountant, who reviews the financials and issues an opinion based on its findings. We encourage you and your readers to visit the Heifer Web site to review this report and its findings. GiveWell charity rating organization deemed in their evaluation of Heifer International that the organization lacked sufficient transparency and priority programming to secure GiveWell recommendations or funding.
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