The Smithsonian Squanders Your Money
Non-profits require public accountability. They must be good stewards of the public’s money. As a lawyer for non-profits, I help them be accountable to their donors and succeed in their mission.
That’s why I’m astounded by this AP article on the Smithsonian Institution. It reports that many top-level Smithsonian executives will be receiving pay cuts. But it also tells how much many of those executives will still be earning. And some executives are immune from the cuts.
The Smithsonian’s Secretary isn’t taking a pay cut. His total annual compensation is $524,000.
The Chief Financial Officer currently has a base salary of $293,280. And she’s losing 41% of that.
Seventeen of the Smithsonian’s 38 executives are currently being paid more than the federal salary cap for these types of jobs: $158,500.
Do you know how much we pay the President of the United States? The leader of our country earns $400,000 per year.
How much does your favorite non-profit pay its executives? Call them and ask. If they don’t tell you, I wouldn’t donate to them any more. But maybe that’s just me.
Photo by TimothyJ
