Tuesday, September 04, 2012

$300K-Plus Club:
12 Gay & AIDS Executives' Pay

As I've campaigned in recent months for every LGBT and HIV/AIDS nonprofit to post a minimum of 3-5 years of IRS 990s, and examined many tax returns for our advocacy and service organization, the number of executive directors who've broken the $300,000 salary ceiling in the past few years was a small surprise to discover.

Here are the highest-compensated executives, ranked by their last known or reported annual salary:

1. Gail Barouh: $421,200
2. Kevin Frost: $388,000
3. Michael Weinstein: $380,000
4. Chad Griffin: $379,000
5. Craig Shniderman: $374,000
6. Lorri Jean: $364,000
7. Morris Dees: $343,000
8. Richard Cohen: $339,000
9. Karen Pearl: $318,000
10. Joe Solmonese: $306,400
11. Kevin Cathcart: $300,200
12. Jerome Radwin: $300,000
Below are abbreviated fiscal profiles, arranged alphabetically, on the executives and the agencies they lead or ran before stepping down and moving on to another job. I've included three years' worth of their reported compensation and the agency's revenue, along with cumulative totals of salaries.
Transparency grades are also given, to praise the groups that post 990s on their sites and to publicize those that post a paltry single return or zero 990s, to spur them to get with the transparency program.
The Southern Poverty Law Center's leaders, because while not an LGBT organization per se, their executives included because SPLC vacuums up more and more funds from gay donors and plays an increasing role in gay advocacy.
The members of the $300K-Plus Club:

Gail Barouh
BiasHelp
Salary: 2008 / 2009 / 2010 (Revenue)
$72,200 ($668K) / $106,500 ($568K) / Pro Bono ($342K)
[Salary subtotal: $178,700]
Long Island Association for AIDS Care
Salary: 2008 / 2009 / 2010 Pay (Revenue)
$283,300 ($6.3M) / $363,200 ($5.6M) / $296,200 ($5.7M)
[Salary subtotal: $942,700]
Long Island Network of Community Services
Salary: 2008 / 2009 / 2010 Pay (Revenue)
$54,000 ($540,000) / $57,000 ($426,000) / $125,000 ($981,000)
[Salary subtotal: $236,000]
Current total salary: $421,200
Cumulative salary, all three agencies combined: $1,357,400

Transparency grade: D. One year's 990 on-website.

Kevin Cathcart
Lambda Legal
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$289,400 ($20.7M) / $287,100 ($11.9M) / $300,200 ($11.9M)
[Cumulative salary: $876,700]
Transparency grade: B. Three years' 990s on-website.

Richard Cohen
Southern Poverty Law Center; 2009 and 2010, and 2011
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$345,000 ($15.4M) / $341,000 ($34.8M) / $339,000 ($38.7M)
[Cumulative salary: $1,025,000]
Transparency grade: D. One years' 990 on-website.

Morris Dees
Southern Poverty Law Center; 2009 and 2010, and 2011
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$348,000 ($15.4M) / $345,000 ($34.8M) / $343,000 ($38.7M)
[Cumulative salary: $1,036,000]
Transparency grade: D. One year's 990 on-website.

Kevin Frost
AMFAR IRS 990s
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$310,000 ($20.4M) / $326,300 ($25.3M) / $388,000 ($27.3M)
[Cumulative salary: $1,024,300]
Transparency grade: C. Three years' 990s on-website.

Chad Griffin

Human Rights Campaign Disclosure
Salary: 2012 (Revenue)  
$379,000 (Estimated $44M)
[Cumulative salary: $379,000]
Transparency grade: B. Four years' 990s on-website.

Lorri Jean

Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$301,100 ($45.2M) / $371,100 ($46.4M) / $364,000 ($53.4M)
[Cumulative salary: $1,036,200]
Transparency grade: F. Zero 990s on-website.

Karen Pearl
God's Love We Deliver IRS 990s; 2009 and 2010; and 2011
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$278,000 ($8.6M) / $298,000 ($9.3M) / $318,000 ($12.8M)
[Cumulative salary: $894,000]
Transparency grade: D. One year's 990 on-website.

Jerome Radwin
AMFAR IRS 990s
Salary: 2008 / 2009 / 2010 (Revenue)
$365,300 ($30.4M) / $482,000 ($20.4M) / $300,000 ($25.3M)
[Cumulative salary: $1,147,300]
Transparency grade: C. Three years' 990s on-website.

Craig Shniderman
Food and Friends IRS 990s
Salary: 2008 / 2009 / 2010 (Revenue)
$380,000 ($7.7M) / $598,000* ($6.9M) / $374,000 ($7.4M) 
[Cumulative salary: $1,088,000]
*$264,000 of compensation was previously reported in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 returns, and does not represent compensation in 2009, as reported in the tax return.
Transparency grade: A. Five years' 990s on-website.

Joe Solmonese
Human Rights Campaign IRS 990s
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$303,000 ($34.6M) / $283,700 ($39.7M) / $306,400 ($42.2)
[Cumulative salary: $893,100]
Transparency grade: B. Four years' 990s on-website.

Michael Weinstein
AIDS Healthcare Foundation IRS 990s; 2009 and 2010; and 2011
Salary: 2009 / 2010 / 2011 (Revenue)
$372,000 ($79.7M) / $370,000 ($97.2M) / $380,000 ($141.8M)
[Cumulative salary: $1,122,000]
Transparency grade: F. Zero 990s on-website.

4 comments:

MITCH HIGHTOWER said...

Thank you for all your hard work putting together these details. It's no surprise to me that so many "Executive Directors" of non-profits are bringing in the big bucks. We have plenty of that going on right here in SF. Kudos on bringing this information to the public. I always learn so much from your BLOG!

Unknown said...

Nice to hear from you, Mitch. Glad you appreciate this fiscal info. I'm hoping that before 2012 is over, that the gay and AIDS groups currently refusing to post their 990s get with the transparency agenda and post 3-5 years of tax returns. Let the gay sunshine in!!

Civic Center said...

What a rogue's gallery. And I second Mitch's remarks, good on you for doing the legwork.

Unknown said...

Much appreciate the praise, Mike. Happy to educate readers about following the Gay Inc and AIDS Inc money via 990s.