BBB Wise Giving Report for
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

BBB Wise Giving Report issued December 2010
BBB Wise Giving Report expires November 2012


Does not meet one or more standards
This charity does not meet one or more of the 20 standards for Charity Accountability. Find out more...


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Charity Contact Information

Name: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Address: 501 Front Street
  Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: 757-622-7382
Web Address: www.peta.org
Also known as:PETA
SNIP (Spay Neuter Immediately Please)
TeachKind
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BBB Wise Giving Alliance Comments

Year, State Incorporated: 1980, Virginia
Affiliates: Foundation to Support Animal Protection, PETA Europe Limited, Stitching PETA Nederland, PETA Deutschland, E.V., PETA Foundation, PETA India, PETA Asia, PETA France, PETA Australia
Stated Purpose: "to establish and protect the rights of all animals."

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Evaluation Conclusions

               

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) does not meet the following 3 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Standard 1: Oversight of Operations and Staff - Organizations shall have a board of directors that provides adequate oversight of the charity's operations and its staff. Indication of adequate oversight includes, but is not limited to, regularly scheduled appraisals of the CEO's performance, evidence of disbursement controls such as board approval of the budget, fund raising practices, establishment of a conflict of interest policy, and establishment of accounting procedures sufficient to safeguard charity finances.

PETA does not meet this Standard because its board of directors has not:

  • The board chair serves as treasurer.

Standard 2: Number of Board Members - Soliciting organizations shall have a board of directors with a minimum of five voting members.

PETA does not meet this Standard because:

  • The organization has three (3) voting members of the board.

Standard 17: Web Site Disclosures - Include on any charity websites that solicit contributions, the same information that is recommended for annual reports, as well as the mailing address of the charity and electronic access to its most recent IRS Form 990.

PETA does not meet this Standard because the organization's website, www.peta.org, does not include all of the recommended information for those charity websites that solicit for donations. Specifically, it does not include:

  • Electronic access to the organization’s most recent IRS Form 990.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) meets the remaining 17 Standards for Charity Accountability.
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Programs

               

PETA organizes campaigns to inform the public on how animals are abused in the food, clothing, testing and entertainment industries. PETA stages product boycotts and demonstrations to encourage the ethical treatment of animals and to promote alternatives to animal exploitation. The organization also conducts educational campaigns and training seminars and publish materials that are distrubuted to students, teachers, and the general public. Publications include school packs on subjects such as alternatives to dissection, vegetarian starter kids, guides to becoming an activist and a quarterly magazine "Animal Times." PETA conducts research into puppy mills, vivisection, farming and animal use practices as part of its animal rescue, research and investigations program. PETA's community animal project provides free dog houses and free sterilization to neglected animals. Also, PETA encourages and facilitates curelty-free living by selling household products that are not tested on animals, message t-shirts and educational materials. Some ($4,914,478 or 18%) of PETA's program activities are carried out in conjunction with fund raising appeals.

For the fiscal year ended July 31, 2009, PETA's program expenses were:

  
International grassroots campaigns 8,324,679
Research, investigations, and rescue 7,867,196
Public outread and education 7,578,543
Supporting organization 2,501,000
Cruelty-free merchandise 980,731
Total Program Expenses: $27,252,149
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Governance

               

Chief Executive : Ingrid E. Newkirk, President
Compensation*:
 $35,472

Highest Paid Executive: Wendy Taft,Veterinarian
Compensation*: $111,000

Chair of the Board: Michael Rodman
Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation: Retired Human Resources Professional

Board Size: 3

Paid Staff Size: 263

*August 1, 2008 - July 31, 2009 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.
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Fund Raising

               

Method(s) Used:

Direct mail, telemarketing, special events, grant proposals, Internet appeals, planned giving, cause-related marketing, and membership appeals
Fund raising costs were 16% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $32,242,134, are donations received as a result of fund raising activities.)
PETA incurred joint costs of $6,934,703 for informational materials and activities that included fund raising materials. Of those costs $4,914,478 was allocated to program expenses, $2,020,225 was allocated to fund raising expenses.
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Tax Status

               

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.
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Financial

               

The following information is based on PETA's audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2009.

Source of Funds  
Contributions and donations 24,302,820
Legacies and bequests 7,540,760
Investment and other income 1,293,301
Merchandise sales 1,033,519
Federated and nonfederated campaigns 398,554
Total Income $34,568,954


chart



Uses of Funds as a % of Total Expenses

Programs: 81%  Fund Raising: 15%  Administrative: 4% 

Total income   $34,568,954
  Program expenses $27,252,149
  Fund raising expenses 5,083,576
  Administrative expenses 1,361,227
 
Total expenses   $33,696,952
Income in Excess of Expenses   872,002
Beginning net assets   16,854,873
Ending net assets   17,726,875
Total liabilities   6,929,988
Total assets   $24,656,863


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Complaints

               

Number of complaints processed by the BBB in the last 36 months:     1

Mailing List Removal

The organization addressed the complaint issues brought to its attention:                                                                                                  1

The organization did not address the complaint  issues brought to its attention:                                                                                                   0

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An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, Inc.

This report is not to be used for fund raising or promotional purposes.

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