Earthtrust is often asked, "Where does my donated money
go?" This is a good question, because there is no agency
which controls the "program accountability" of nonprofit
organizations. If a group wants to hang up a "Save the Muskrats"
sign and raise money for muskrat saving, they generally make up
their own program and set their own standards. Their program might
well be just to provide a salary for themselves, and their approach
to muskrat saving could be questionable.
Earthtrust is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization which was incorporated
in 1976, specifically to address problems like this. The name
spells it out: Earthtrust accepts funds "in trust" for
programs which benefit the creatures of the earth. The programs,
such as "Saving Whales with DNA," are concise, and the
books are open.
One of the main reasons Earthtrust was created was to provide
an effective tool for donors who wanted to save endangered species
from extinction and who wanted a large percentage of their donation
to go directly into "program" rather than "overhead."
Earthtrust has a commitment to such efficiency and effectiveness.
Part of this commitment is the annual completion of an external
audit, so there is no uncertainty about where the money goes.
We are extremely proud of the level of international work Earthtrust
is able to sustain on a comparatively modest budget. This is due
to the corporate decision not to hire large numbers of permanent
salaried personnel, and the organizational philosophy that virtually
anything needed for a worthwhile project can be obtained as a
corporate or personal donation.
Annual audits done by the accounting firm of David M. Carr, CPA
since 1990 have consistently shown that at least 82% of each donation
dollar is spent directly on programs such as investigating "pirate
whaling" activities, documenting wildlife kills in deep-sea
driftnets, producing televised documentaries, conducting campaigns
to end dolphin kills by the tuna industry, and initiating projects
to save endangered species such as the Hawaiian Monk Seal. The
remaining 17-18% is spent on administration and fundraising, one
of the lowest "overheads" of any conservation organization
in the nation. (In fact, over the last 5 years this has been lowered
by another factor of 2!)
The message is simple: the world's wildlife can often be saved
from destruction by well-researched, effective action, and such
programs can be designed and conducted so that even moderate donations
have a large positive effect.
I hope that you will consider joining the Earthtrust family, and
become a part of the team. Thanks for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Donald White
President