The point of this site is not to pass judgment on the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), or any humane society for that matter. Rather, the intent behind this site is to clarify a few common misconceptions held by the public at large about HSUS and its relation to local humane societies. The resulting effect, if there is any, of such clarification is not intended to be malicious. We're simply writing what is true. Think of it like a fact check for humane societies.
Like all information you come across though, don't simply take our word for it. If the points we raise interest you, try contacting your local humane society for validation and/or additional information.
Actually, local humane societies and HSUS not only have no operational connections, they often differ in primary missions. Whereas most local humane societies are focused on animal welfare issues, principally the euthanasia of companion animals, HSUS takes a much more broad approach and is more heavily focused specifically on animal rights.
Though local humane societies often come in many different flavors (privately funded, public-private partnerships, etc.), none are governed by HSUS either directly or indirectly. Most such humane societies are private non-profits that are governed by a volunteer board of directors and are operated by small management teams and volunteers.
Governance issues are critical to local humane societies in that such a false assumption implies standards (promoted by HSUS) and a breadth of programs that may or may not be consistent with the local organization given the demographics and region in which the particular humane society is located. Given the marketing sophistication of HSUS however, the public is often expectant of standards to which local humane societies cannot adhere due to inadequate funding (see myth #2).
Finally and most importantly, the ingrained misperception of general HSUS governance over local humane societies implies a direct financial connection that ultimately effects the capabilities and performance of local humane societies.
This is a pervasive misconception with wide spread implications. In truth, local humane societies are not at all directly funded by HSUS. They are, across the board, funded in three ways (various combinations apply):
HSUS may argue that it does supply funds via grants to local humane societies and, therefore, funds them. However, grant funding is different than both public funding and monies generated via earned income in that both of these sources imply a degree of operational governance and oversight that grants simply do not. In addition, many organizations grant monies to local humane societies, which would seem to indicate that many other organizations 'fund' local humane societies in the same manner as HSUS. Consider for a moment that Walmart often supplies community grants to local humane societies. Yet no one would believe that local humane societies derive monies from Walmart as a primary source of income nor that Walmart has any degree of governance over local humane societies (see myth #1).
This misconception is particularly devastating to local humane societies as the false assumption that such organizations are funded by HSUS drives contributions away from local services, often fueling the underfunded state of affairs that result in sub standard performance of the very local organizations that donors seek to support. Invariably, funding that could directly benefit local communities is diverted to different and often unanticipated agendas.
The truth is that there is no such thing as reality, there is only perception. And the general perception is that the HSUS operates and funds local humane societies. Don't believe it? Survey ten random individuals and ask them how their local humane society is supported. Then ask them the name of the 'national Humane Society'. Here's what you'll find... approximately 70% of respondents believe that the national Humane Society supports (financially and operationally) local humane societies. Of those 70% however, very very few can actually name the Humane Society of the United States by name.
Like all companies, whether non-profit or for profit, HSUS fosters a perception that ultimately benefits it, thus is does not attempt to change the general confusion in the marketplace.
The result of these combined misperceptions leads to a multitude of problems, but we'll only highlight the two most obvious here. First and foremost is the issue of funding. If the public believes that money trickles down from HSUS, then it makes sense to give to the source such that it can spread the wealth around to the benefit of all Humane Societies. After all, the governing organization is in the best position to determine the high needs areas and funnel resources to them, right? That makes sense.
However, given the inaccuracies clarified above, the money never reaches local humane societies as believed (and thus intended) by the general public, thus they never see financial benefit from local donors who think they're doing good for their local organization. Perhaps this is why local humane societies are constantly overworked, understaffed and holding poorly marketed events in an effort to raise funds. The natural response from most individuals who come to realize this situation is to 'get the word out' and change public perception. However, given that most local humane societies are already stretched thin, is it feasible that they allocate money that they don't have to marketing budgets that would compete against that of the HSUS? Probably not very realistic, huh?
The second implication is the effect of influence and guilt by association. What we mean is that as HSUS adopts, changes or rejects certain policies, it stands to influence public perception of not just its own organization, but that of all local humane societies that it is perceived to govern. So, when HSUS condemns practices that raise large conflicts, local humane societies, who are generally speaking almost exclusively bent on ending the euthanasia of companion animals, often suffer backlash in the form of reduced financial support from a public that may openly disagree with HSUS. As such support fades, local humane societies are left with fewer and fewer resources to combat public perception, thus they are found guilty by a perceived association with HSUS. Ironically, the lack of support also exacerbates the everyday challenges that local humane societies face, essentially making it a lose lose situation to try to directly change public perception.
We're not doing this out of spite of the Humane Society of the United States nor to influence any individual into thinking that their mission and actions are wrong. We're doing this because we believe that local donors want to give locally but do not understand the relationship of the organizations, thus they do what they perceive as right. We want them to understand the implications of their actions. We're also doing this because local humane societies need help. They've been fighting a societal ill for a very long time and require a greater level of public understanding in order to achieve their missions. Finally, we're doing this because it is the truth. We believe individuals are smart enough to decide what is right for them if given enough accurate information. Individuals may take away from this what they will. We're just helping them see through the fog.
We are a small group of animal welfare leaders, donors and grassroots marketing professionals that share a common vision of educating people about animal welfare. We believe in honest dialogue and creative problem solving. As animal welfare leaders, we find ourselves in a bit of a conflict though. We do not wish to speak out against HSUS (hence the dual disclaimers), but we are, quite frankly, tired of the misperceptions that continue and often inhibit real progress in the communities in which we live, work and raise our families.
Local Humane is not a non-profit, nor it is a for-profit business. We do not receive funding from anyone, nor do we want to. We understand that some may not like this information, while others will. Either way, we encourage dialogue and feedback. You can find us on Twitter.
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We're not out to get anybody. We're not saying that the Humane Society of the United States is good or bad. We're not judging their methods, actions or results. We're simply attempting to bring clarity to some common misconceptions that plague our industry and impact our local, under-recognized humane societies.
Again, don't take our word for it. We strongly encourage you to contact your local humane society to learn more. You might be surprised by how much they'd like to speak with you.