Petrelis Files

Jennings' Pay at GLSEN = $311K;
Revenue Fell from $12M to $4M

After days of criticizing the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, I have something nice to say about it. They get a gold star for some important transparency. On their page for fiscal info, they make the IRS 990 filing for 2009 available for public inspection.

Regarding GLSEN's revenue stream, in 2008 they took in $12.7 million, while for 2009 the amount dramatically plunged down to $4.4 million. Last year the org ran a deficit of $1.4 million.

The total amount paid to the former executive director Kevin Jennings in his final year as head of the org was $311,006.

Compare that compensation for running an org with a $12.7 million budget in 2008 with what the Human Rights Campaign paid its leader for the same year.

With an almost $35 million budget, HRC paid Joe Solmonese $307,050, a four-thousand dollar difference in salaries. Kind of odd that the org with a bigger budget pays its top executive less than an org with a smaller budget.

It's a totally separate matter if Jennings and Solmonese deserve such high pay rates, for their professional advocacy services on the community's behalf. However, knowing Jennings has a few bucks in the bank, maybe he will consider buying a megaphone and saying something about the surging deaths of gay and questioning students because of bulling.