I got more information about the American Institute of Philanthropy (“AIP�) and it's website
CharityWatch.com. It seems they have a long history misrepresenting the NRA and its leadership. For example, they repeatedly listed the NRA Foundation with Wayne LaPierre as its CEO. That was false; Wayne has never been CEO of the Foundation. After many requests to change this false report, AIP apparently responded by not listing the Foundation at all. They apparently have an equally long history of including the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in their
"Top-Rated List" in the Gun Control section.
AIP clearly has an agenda. It is an organization that tends to support liberal organizations and that can been seen by taking a good look at their website. Look in the
"Praise" section and see who and what are singing their praises. One must also wonder why they even list the NRA since their focus seems to be on charitable organizations. Their
MISSION STATEMENT expressly states this. But look at their
"Top-Rated List" and the answer might be that, as previously noted, they want to list the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Note also that this organization that allegedly cares so much about helping people select a charity to support doesn't make its information available to the public. You have to join and pay $40 a year to get their report. You can't even get a sample report free, they cost $3.
Note also their Mission Statement:
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP), a nonprofit charity watchdog and information service, is to maximize the effectiveness of every dollar contributed to
charity by providing donors with the information they need to make more informed giving decisions. . .
Neither the NRA nor the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence are charities, they are non-profit organizations. The inclusion of these two organizations does not comport with their Mission Statement, so they must have another motive.
Look at their stated “Goals:�
GOALS
To research and evaluate the efficiency, accountability and governance of
nonprofit organizations; to educate the public about the importance of wise giving; to inform the public of wasteful or unethical practices of nonprofits and provide recognition to highly effective and ethical charities; to advise AIP members and conduct special investigations and evaluations of nonprofits; to expand and re-define our programs periodically to meet the continuing challenge of keeping the contributor informed. . .
It’s interesting that their Mission Statement refers only to charities, but their Goals include evaluation of “nonprofits.� It's even more interesting that they don’t report on their own activities! Their Mission Statement claims that AIP is “a nonprofit . . .� so why are they not listed anywhere? They have a link on every page of their website soliciting donations, so is it not equally important for the public to know how AIP would rate using their own arbitrary rating system? It seems disingenuous to preach that people should pay $40 a year to investigate potential recipients of their charitable giving prior to making any donations, but not provide the same information about their own organization. The closest AIP comes to disclosing the information they claim we should have is by referencing readers to state sources,
but only for those states that require reporting!
STATE DISCLOSURES
American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) is registered in the following states
which require these statements (emphasis added):
Florida – “A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling toll-free, within the state, 1-800-HELP-FLA.�
Maryland – Copies of information are available through the Secretary of State.Michigan – Registration number is MISC 11307.
New Jersey – Information filed with the Attorney General concerning this charitable solicitation may be obtained from the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey by calling 201-504-6215.
New York – Copies of the annual report can be obtained from the Office of the Attorney General, Dept. of Law, Charities Bureau, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
North Carolina – A copy of the license to solicit charitable contributions as a charitable organization or sponsor and financial information may be obtained from the Department of Human Services, Solicitation Licensing Branch, by calling 919-733-4510.
Pennsylvania – “The official registration and financial information of the American Institute of Philanthropy may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, 1-800-732-0999.�
Virginia – Financial statements are available from the State Division of Consumer Affairs.
Washington – Financial information is available from the Secretary of State. Washington residents call toll-free 1-800-332-4483.
West Virginia – “West Virginia Residents may obtain a summary of the registration and financial documents from the Secretary of State, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305.� Registration with these governmental agencies does not imply endorsement by the state.
If we look at part of AIP’s propaganda, they claim to be better than other organizations rating charities because they claim to be more thorough and don’t merely rely upon the official filings by charities. AIP warns that these official filings may be “
erroneous." If one can’t rely upon official reports required by federal and state authorities, why does AIP refer potential AIP members and AIP donors to just such state authorities? It’s also revealing that AIP only reports to 9 of 50 states. Why? Because only those 9 require reports. Here is what AIP has to say on this subject:
THE AIP DIFFERENCE
Other sources of charity information merely repeat or run through a formula the self-reported and often erroneous numbers in a charity’s tax form. AIP conducts an in-depth financial analysis of audited financial statements and other reports to give you a better understanding of how the money is actually being spent. AIP provides a much needed and useful service because the financial picture that we provide may be very different than what the charity, which is trying to appear in the most favorable light, is presenting. (Emphasis added.)
I guess their philosophy is “don’t trust anyone, except AIP of course.�
For obvious reasons, I'm not going to disclose the annual salary the Board of Directors votes on every year. It's just not my place to do so. I will say that the last salary increase that was approved doesn’t put Wayne's salary even close to what is reported by AIP. I won’t insult anyone’s intelligence by hinting that Wayne isn’t well-paid. He is. However, his salary is lower than a person in his position would earn in private industry. Please keep this in mind. NRA is an organization with 170+ programs for it’s members and non-members alike. It takes approximately $200 million to operate the NRA every single year. That means Wayne wakes up each and every morning of the year knowing he is responsible for raising about $550,000 that day! And fund-raising is in addition to all of the other duties that he shoulders. Wayne has done a phenomenal job for many years and he stays with the NRA because he is dedicated to the cause. If money were his motive, he could have gone with any number of companies in private industry and earned many times what the NRA has paid.
Yeah, it’s obvious this is a sore subject with me and let me explain why. I also want to say that this isn’t directed toward HankB or anyone who may have fallen victim to erroneous claims by various people and organizations with an anti-NRA agenda.
The comradery and dedication shown by almost all of the NRA employees at all levels is astounding. The work ethic exhibited by the NRA staff would make GM profitable again. While most salaries are competitive overall, when you get to the upper management and executive levels, almost every person could earn more money if they left and went into industry. They stay because they are dedicated to the cause. It makes my blood boil when I see the efforts and sacrifices of such dedicated people diminished by ridiculous claims about their salaries.
I have also had people call me (our phone numbers are listed) and complain about the amount of money we NRA Board Members make. When I ask what in the world made them think we are paid anything, the response is always that they read it somewhere on the Internet. Board Members are not paid a dime! In addition to money, I donate somewhere around 200 to 250 hours a year to the NRA (excluding work I do for the TSRA) attending committee and board meetings and doing other work related to those committees and special requests. (I am on six committees, including standing committees, special committees and sub-committees.) I’m also on the NRA Speakers Bureau that supplies speakers for various events and meetings, all free of charge. I have had several attorney friends ask why I would give up that much in client billings. It really is a situation where, “if you have to ask, you’ll never understand.� I do it for the same reason every other Director does; the work is absolutely necessary if we are to defend the Second Amendment. The only thing the NRA does pay is our travel expenses, but I have never turned in expense reports to get my air fare and other expenses reimbursed. (NRA pays hotel expenses directly and will book the flights, but I choose to book and pay for my own air fare. Many NRA Directors do likewise.) I am not at all comfortable posting this because it sounds like I’m tooting my own horn. But I think it’s important for every person who sends a donation to the NRA to know that the Board and Officers take our responsibility to the organization and to its members seriously. (I should also note that the NRA President, NRA 1st Vice-President and the NRA 2nd Vice-President are not paid either and all three make my time donations look paltry.)
Sorry for the rant and again, this is not directed to anyone here.
Chas.
