The Humane League (THL)’s mission is to end the abuse of animals raised for food. THL engages in a variety of programs designed to persuade individuals and organizations to adopt behaviors that reduce farmed animal suffering. They are headquartered in the U.S. but they operate globally, with a team based in Japan as well as independent charities in the U.K. and Mexico. THL’s largest programs, based on their budget, are their corporate campaigns and grassroots organizing. They encourage corporations to enact policies dictating higher animal welfare standards and they educate the public using outreach materials such as humane education presentations and online videos. Through their grassroots offices and campus leadership program, they recruit and train new animal advocates. THL also works to build the animal advocacy movement internationally through the Open Wing Alliance (OWA), a global coalition founded by THL whose mission is to end battery cages globally. The OWA offers funding and training to advocacy groups interested in working on corporate campaigns.
We view THL as a leader in the animal advocacy movement and a good model for many other organizations. THL makes particularly strong efforts to assess their own programs and to look for and test ways to improve them. Their success in their corporate campaigns and the publication of their research through Humane League Labs (HLL) has shifted the outlook and programming of several other advocacy organizations toward finding the best ways to advocate for animals.
THL’s organizational structure appears to be strong, with a cohesive and democratic culture promoting positive relationships between THL staff, board members, and volunteers. This is especially important for THL because part of the intention of their local offices is to build a grassroots movement, and setting a positive and results-oriented tone for those new to the movement is good for animal advocacy as a whole. THL’s track record demonstrates significant success. Recently, they’ve been especially successful with their corporate campaigns, and they seem to have played an important role in promoting corporate campaigns outside of the U.S. by training and collaborating with other groups through the OWA.
We are somewhat concerned about THL’s sustained high rate of expansion. In the past, THL has been remarkably quick to expand in response to increased funding. So far, they have been able to use large amounts of new funding efficiently, but we believe there’s a chance that they’re reaching a size where significant changes in organization or internal systems are required, which might slow their growth. They have already identified the wide international distribution of their team as a challenge, and are working on improving the efficiency of their internal communications and project management. For instance, they engaged in a large re-organization and changed many of their internal systems over the past year.
THL has an exceptionally strong commitment to using studies and systematic data collection to guide their approach to advocacy. Their corporate campaigns are especially strong, and they often take the lead in collaborating with other groups to facilitate knowledge-sharing about their strategic approach. They have been flexible in using their grassroots network for a variety of advocacy efforts—including individual outreach, support for corporate campaigns, and grassroots legislative advocacy. We find THL to be an excellent giving opportunity because of their strong programs and evidence-driven outlook.
THL’s plans for expansion are expected to cost between $1.1 million and $4.6 million. This number does not take into account potential increases or decreases in revenue. In addition, THL could use an additional $400,000 to $2.0 million for grants via the Open Wing Alliance. We expect they would use additional funding to expand their teams in the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K., to support THL Japan, and to increase salaries and benefits.
From an average $1,000 donation, THL would spend about $507 on corporate outreach; $395 on capacity building through volunteer recruitment, training, and OWA training and grants; and $97 on individual outreach.
We don’t know exactly what THL will do if they raise additional funds beyond what they’ve budgeted for this year, but we think additional marginal funds will be used similarly to existing funds.
The Humane League (THL)’s mission is to end the abuse of animals raised for food. THL engages in a variety of programs designed to persuade individuals and organizations to adopt behaviors that reduce farmed animal suffering. They are headquartered in the U.S. but they operate globally, with a team based in Japan as well as independent charities in the U.K. and Mexico. THL’s largest programs, based on their budget, are their corporate campaigns and grassroots organizing. They encourage corporations to enact policies dictating higher animal welfare standards and they educate the public using outreach materials such as humane education presentations and online videos. Through their grassroots offices and campus leadership program, they recruit and train new animal advocates. THL also works to build the animal advocacy movement internationally through the Open Wing Alliance (OWA), a global coalition founded by THL whose mission is to end battery cages globally. The OWA offers funding and training to advocacy groups interested in working on corporate campaigns.
We view THL as a leader in the animal advocacy movement and a good model for many other organizations. THL makes particularly strong efforts to assess their own programs and to look for and test ways to improve them. Their success in their corporate campaigns and the publication of their research through Humane League Labs (HLL) has shifted the outlook and programming of several other advocacy organizations toward finding the best ways to advocate for animals.
THL’s organizational structure appears to be strong, with a cohesive and democratic culture promoting positive relationships between THL staff, board members, and volunteers. This is especially important for THL because part of the intention of their local offices is to build a grassroots movement, and setting a positive and results-oriented tone for those new to the movement is good for animal advocacy as a whole. THL’s track record demonstrates significant success. Recently, they’ve been especially successful with their corporate campaigns, and they seem to have played an important role in promoting corporate campaigns outside of the U.S. by training and collaborating with other groups through the OWA.
We are somewhat concerned about THL’s sustained high rate of expansion. In the past, THL has been remarkably quick to expand in response to increased funding. So far, they have been able to use large amounts of new funding efficiently, but we believe there’s a chance that they’re reaching a size where significant changes in organization or internal systems are required, which might slow their growth. They have already identified the wide international distribution of their team as a challenge, and are working on improving the efficiency of their internal communications and project management. For instance, they engaged in a large re-organization and changed many of their internal systems over the past year.
THL has an exceptionally strong commitment to using studies and systematic data collection to guide their approach to advocacy. Their corporate campaigns are especially strong, and they often take the lead in collaborating with other groups to facilitate knowledge-sharing about their strategic approach. They have been flexible in using their grassroots network for a variety of advocacy efforts—including individual outreach, support for corporate campaigns, and grassroots legislative advocacy. We find THL to be an excellent giving opportunity because of their strong programs and evidence-driven outlook.
THL’s plans for expansion are expected to cost between $1.1 million and $4.6 million. This number does not take into account potential increases or decreases in revenue. In addition, THL could use an additional $400,000 to $2.0 million for grants via the Open Wing Alliance. We expect they would use additional funding to expand their teams in the U.S., Mexico, and the U.K., to support THL Japan, and to increase salaries and benefits.
From an average $1,000 donation, THL would spend about $507 on corporate outreach; $395 on capacity building through volunteer recruitment, training, and OWA training and grants; and $97 on individual outreach.
We don’t know exactly what THL will do if they raise additional funds beyond what they’ve budgeted for this year, but we think additional marginal funds will be used similarly to existing funds.
