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Craig Shniderman, executive director of Food & Friends, which provides meals and nutritional services for homebound people with HIV/AIDS in the Washington, D.C. area, had the highest salary among the heads of the nation’s most prominent LGBT advocacy groups and groups that provide AIDS-related services in Los Angeles, New York and D.C.
A survey of the compensation paid to heads of 30 LGBT and AIDS organizations, conducted by the Washington Blade, shows that Shniderman had a total salary and benefits package of $382,200 in 2008, the latest period for which the organizations’ salary and annual revenue data could be obtained for a completed fiscal year.
Shniderman’s earnings placed him ahead of Joe Solmonese, executive director of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT political advocacy group. Solmonese, who ranked second in the salary survey, received a total compensation package of $338,400 in 2008.
Shniderman’s salary also topped that of Lorri Jean, executive director of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, which had revenue of $48.5 million in 2008 and had nearly 300 employees compared to Food & Friends’ annual revenue of $7.9 million and 50 employees. The L.A. Center provides HIV/AIDS-related services as well as a host of social and recreational services for the LGBT community.
The L.A. Center’s $48.5 million was the highest among all the LGBT and AIDS groups in the survey. HRC had the second highest annual revenue among the 30 groups: $41.4 million. Equality California, the statewide group that coordinated the unsuccessful effort to oppose an anti-gay marriage amendment, came in third, with a 2008 figure of $24.5 million.
Geoff Kors, Equality California’s executive director, had a 2008 compensation of $171,000.
D.C.’s Whitman-Walker Clinic, the city’s largest AIDS service provider for the LGBT community and other city residents in the Washington area, had 2008 revenue of $21.5 million. Its executive director, Donald Blanchon, had a 2008 salary of $170,000.
The 30 national LGBT and AIDS groups are among the thousands of nonprofit organizations in the United States that must file annual reports with the IRS disclosing financial information, including the salaries of their chief operating officers.
In conducting the survey, the Blade asked the 30 organizations to disclose the salaries for their CEOs or executive directors for 2008 — the most recently completed fiscal year — as well as for the current fiscal year of 2009. The IRS 990 financial disclosure forms for nonprofit organizations do not become publicly available for two years, with the 2007 IRS forms being the latest year that the disclosure forms can be obtained by the press or public.
Twenty-six groups in the survey agreed to provide the salary and revenue figures for 2008 and 2009, even though they are not required by law to do so for one and two years successively. Four of the groups in the survey declined to provide the salary and revenue information for the most recent two years.
The groups declining to provide the information include Gay Men’s Health Crisis of New York City, one of the nation’s first and most prominent AIDS groups providing services to the LGBT community; the LGBT Community Center of New York City; Empire State Pride Agenda, a statewide LGBT political advocacy group in New York; and Log Cabin Republicans, a national LGBT political group based in Washington, D.C.
According to information compiled by two watchdog organizations that monitor salaries and other finance-related data of nonprofit organizations — Guidestar and Charity Navigator — some of the salaries of the leaders of the 30 LGBT and AIDS groups surveyed by the Blade, on average, were comparable to salaries of non-LGBT civil rights and “social action” groups with a similar revenue figure.
However, a number of the groups surveyed by the Blade offered higher salaries for their CEO or executive director than similar non-LGBT groups tracked by Guidestar and Charity Navigator.
The most recent Guidestar Compensation Report — for 2006 — offers a breakdown of average CEO/executive director salaries for a category of organizations labeled “civil rights, social action, advocacy,” which includes the LGBT rights groups.
In the report, organizations with an annual budget greater than $5 million pay CEOs on average $196,531, with CEOs who make $320,212 landing near the top in the 90th percentile for compensation.
GLAAD’s Neil Giuliano earned slightly more than $270,000 in 2008, putting his compensation near the average for a group with a $7 million budget. The Victory Fund’s Chuck Wolfe also falls into the average range, with annual compensation last year at $220,000; the group’s 2008 budget was $5.2 million.
The compensation for Food & Friends’ Shniderman puts him above the 90th percentile and at the top of the survey. Similarly, the Guidestar report places Mara Keisling of the National Center for Transgender Equality above the 90th percentile for compensation. According to the report, the average executive director salary for an organization with less than a $500,000 annual budget — NCTE’s is $454,770 — is $54,521. Keisling earned a total of $82,321 last year.
But some gay rights leaders are paid less than the average salary for similar nonprofits, according to Guidestar. The National Stonewall Democrats’ Jon Hoadley, for example, earned $59,500 in 2008 on annual revenue of $650,000. The average salary for an executive director of a group that size is $83,042. Similarly, Dyana Mason of Equality Virginia was paid $59,000 from revenues of $700,000. Her replacement as director of the statewide activist group will be paid $79,000, bringing the salary in line with the average.
Neil Giuliano
GLAAD
$271,034
Charity Navigator recently released 2008 salary data for nonprofit organizations in a category it describes as “public benefit” groups, which includes civil rights and “advocacy” organizations. The Charity Navigator findings show that the average 2008 salary for CEOs and executive directors for groups within that category was just over $150,000. But the findings weren’t broken down into subcategories based on the annual revenue and overall size of the groups.
In submitting their information for the Blade’s survey, at least seven of the 30 organizations indicated that their executive directors had or would soon take a reduction in salary in 2009 due to problems associated with the nation’s economic downturn.
HRC’s Solmonese took a voluntary pay cut of 10 percent, lowering his total compensation from $338,400 to $302,200, according to HRC.
Neil Giuliano, executive director of GLAAD, agreed to a $20,000 salary cut in 2009, from $271,034 in 2008 to $251,034, Giuliano told the Blade. He also declined health insurance benefits from the organization.
Other groups disclosing 2009 salary reductions for their CEO or executive director included Lambda Legal; Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network; Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays; Family Equality Council; and National Stonewall Democrats.
National Youth Advocacy Coalition disclosed in its survey response that the current 2009 salary of its executive director, Greg Varnum, was $62,000, a reduction from the 2007 salary of his predecessor, which was $92,240. The group did not disclose the salary of its executive director for 2008, saying the group’s leadership post was in transition.
 WASHINGTON -- Rates on 30-year mortgages fell this week to the lowest level on record after the
Federal Reserve launched a new effort to assist the staggering U.S. housing market.
Mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac said yesterday that the average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate
mortgage fell to 4.85 percent this week from 4.98 percent last week. It was the lowest in the
history of Freddie Mac's survey, which dates to 1971. The previous record low of 4.96 percent was set in the week of Jan. 15. Rates fell after the Fed
said last week that it will pump $1.2 trillion into the economy in an effort to lower mortgage
rates and loosen credit. The average rate on a 15-year fixed-rate mortgage dropped to 4.58 percent this week from 4.61
percent last week. Mortgage applications surged last week, mostly from borrowers looking to refinance. The Mortgage
Bankers Association said Wednesday that its application index rose more than 30 percent last
week.
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 HOUSE-HUNTING TIP: The only way to know for sure the current market value of a home is to put it on the market and sell it. However, this isn't realistic if you're trying to determine whether or not now is a good time to sell. You need to research your local market to gauge the approximate selling price of your home at any given time. A good, reputable real estate agent who knows your neighborhood well can assist you by preparing a current market analysis (CMA) of your home. This will give you a snapshot of recent sales in your area. Make sure it includes the most recent sales, listings that have sold but not yet closed, and active listings. THE CLOSING: Don't make a decision on whether or not to buy or sell based on a news headline. Read the entire article. Then research your local market.
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The Ibiza condo development was first mentioned on Columbus Underground in October 2006, so it’s no surprise that some locals have grown frustrated with the fact that after two-and-a-half years of waiting, construction hasn’t started yet. With a project of this size and significance in the neighborhood, the rumors are bound to fly. Over the past few months many on Columbus Underground have raised questions about the current status of the project. Instead of pondering though, we decided to go straight to the source and sit down with Rajesh Lahoti for an interview and an update on Ibiza.
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To see the appraised taxable value of your home go here: http://franklin.governmaxa.com/propertymax/rover30.asp Franklin County property owners have until March 31 to try to save a few dollars on their tax
bill by filing a challenge with the Board of Revision.
The Franklin County Auditor's office recently completed an update of property values for the
2008 tax year. The first new bills were mailed in December and due in January. Tax bills are based on property values. The auditor's office, reflecting the current flat
market, did not raise residential valuations this time around, said Laurie Ludlum of the Franklin
County Auditor's office. But many people believe their property has dropped in value in a down
housing market. Under Ohio law, property owners have a right to appeal to the Board of Revision, a three-member
panel with representatives from the auditor's, treasurer's and commissioner's offices. Residents who win their cases receive a credit on their June bill for the taxes overpaid in
January. |
Its time for your regularly scheduled growth update from The Dispatch: “Central Ohio continues to grow“. Feel like you’re having a bit of Deja Vu? That’s because you are. July 2008: Columbus Grows, Rest of Ohio Shrinks
March 2008: Columbus Region Grows, Ohio Stalls
March 2008: Columbus Population Up, Rare in Ohio
December 2007: Ohio’s big cities trying to reinvent themselves
June 2007: Columbus leads Cincinnati in growth & development
March 2006: Columbus Grows While Rest of Ohio Shrinks It’s good news for Columbus, but bad news for the state of Ohio as only one major population center thrives while the others decline. Is there anything that can be done to get Cincinnati, Cleveland, Toledo, Youngstown, Akron, Canton, and Dayon back on their feet?
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When architect Sarah Susanka remodeled her kitchen, she didn't use pricey granite or edgy concrete for her countertops. She used laminate. Her cabinets: Ikea.
"You can save thousands of dollars" by using simple materials in a well-designed space, says Susanka, author of the best-selling 1998 book The Not So Big House. For more than a decade, she has urged people to build better, not bigger. Now, as the U.S. economy struggles to climb out of a tailspin and environmental concerns rise, her message has gone mainstream. New homes, after doubling in size since 1960, are shrinking. Last year, for the first time in at least 10 years, the average square footage of single-family homes under construction fell dramatically, from 2,629 in the second quarter to 2,343 in the fourth quarter, Census data show. The new motto: living well with less.
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Housing construction posted a surprisingly large increase in February, bolstered by strength in all parts of the country except the West.
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that construction of new homes and apartments jumped 22.2% in February compared with January, pushing total activity to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 583,000 units.
While the surge in housing construction was far better than the continued decline economists had expected, the housing industry still faces problems. Even with the big increase, construction activity remains 47.3% below where it was a year ago. The strength in February was led by a big increase in apartment construction, which can be highly volatile from month to month.
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Columbus, OH - Mar 16, 2009 - Outlook Media today announced that it will begin publication of a new monthly magazine, Outlook Columbus, in late April, with the first issue hitting newsstands in early May 2009. Outlook Media will cease publication of its weekly publication, Outlook Weekly, after the March 25, 2009 issue. “We’ve always had a plan for creating a monthly publication to take the place of Outlook Weekly,” said Michael Daniels, Outlook Media co-publisher and business director. “Our advertisers are seeking a way to reach our readers with a publication that offers more rich content and long-term shelf life than a weekly tabloid can offer.” Outlook Columbus Co-publisher and Editor-in-Chief Chris Hayes added that the monthly format allows the editorial staff to generate the expanded feature coverage that readers have longed for, while adding more of the creative content that they expect. “The new magazine will be a progressive George meets Out,” Hayes said. “It will focus on the heart of our Cap City: politics, style, community and fun.” Outlook Columbus will continue the tradition of being a free publication, serving the GLBT, allied and progressive communities in Central Ohio. Advertising packages are being developed, and all existing advertisers have the option to convert current contracts to the new schedule. New advertisers are expected to join with the new format and frequency. The company will maintain its offices at 815 N High St in the Short North, with Hayes and Daniels serving as owner/operators. For more information, contact Michael Daniels, 614.268.8525 x3 or mdaniels@outlookmedia.com.
When most condominium buyers have quickly fled to the sidelines, developer Jeff Edwards is
pondering an important question.
Should I build more townhomes or one-bedroom condos next? Edwards Cos.' Neighborhood Launch project, which covers several city blocks east of the
intersection of 4th and Gay streets, is one of the exceptions to the recent condo downturn. The
neighborhood aspect of the project -- Downtown condos you don't need an elevator to reach -- is a
major selling point. So, too, are the unique finishes and architecture, not to mention a temptingly low mortgage rate
and partial property-tax abatement. Edwards has nearly completed the first 47 units of the 300-unit
project and this spring will begin building the next phase. The project is drawing star power, of sorts. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and her husband bought two units and turned them into
one. Former Ohio State University football player Anthony Gonzalez owns a unit, too. |
Victorian’s Midnight Cafe has revamped their style and will be holding their Grand Re-Opening festivities from Friday April 3rd through Sunday April 5th. Local band Rustmoth, will be debuting during the Grand opening festivities Friday evening. For a full schedule of events on the re-opening, click here.
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Make your home a more pleasant place to live, and then you can profit from it when it's time to sell.
How much to spend on renovating depends on the value of your home. Here's a rough guide of what you should do at various price points. Home value: $250,000 Amount to lay out: $10,000 to $20,000 Cosmetic: Make minor improvements. Paint the front door and trim to make a great first impression. Structural: If the roof has any flaws, fix them. Make sure there are no water marks on ceilings. Landscaping: Trim down bushes near windows and fill in any bald spots. Home value: $500,000 Amount to lay out: $20,000 to $50,000 Cosmetic: Paint everything. Paint and or refurbish doors and hardware on kitchen cabinets. Resurface floors and replace carpet if needed. Structural: Go to a new development with homes more expensive than yours and see what the latest appliances are. Buy the least pricey one, like an oversized stainless-steel refrigerator. Landscaping: Splurge a little more on the landscaping |
For the past few years, the Statehouse lawn has been home to the Capitol Crossroads downtown kickball league where office workers, young professionals, and downtown residents have all been able to converge and participate some friendly intramural activities. But word has been handed down from the Capitol Square Review and Advisory Board (the organization that operates the Statehouse) that the kickballers are not going to be as welcome in 2009 as they once were. They felt that the grounds had been too trampled and want to see fewer games, fewer teams, and potentially a relocation of the playing area.
If you’ve got an opinion to voice, you can contact William E. Carleton, the Executive Director at the Statehouse at wcarleton@csrab.state.oh.us or 614-752-9777. |
Fox's
controversial Family Guy has angered parents
again, this time with storylines concerning bestiality, gay
orgies, and babies swallowing semen.
It was the March
8 episode that drove the Parents Television Council to
file an indecency complaint with the Federal
Communications Commission against Family Guy,
an off-the-wall animated comedy -- that often raises
the hackles of conservatives -- about a dysfunctional
family with a talking, bi-curious baby and an
alcoholic dog.
Family
Guy creator Seth MacFarlane told
The Advocate
the following about complaints from
the PTC: "Oh, yeah. That’s like getting
hate mail from Hitler. They’re literally terrible
human beings. I’ve read their newsletter, I’ve
visited their website, and they’re just rotten
to the core. For an organization that prides itself on
Christian values -- I mean, I’m an atheist, so what
do I know? -- they spend their entire day hating
people. They can all suck my dick as far as I’m
concerned." |
Dine Originals Columbus's Inaugural Restaurant Week takes place March 9-15, 2009. More than 40 Dine Original member restaurants, from casual to fine dining, will participate. Each restaurant will prepare a special fixed-priced menu- some restaurants at $15 and some at $30 (excluding gratuity and tax). The menus will be unique and exciting. Reservations are strongly encouraged where applicable.
"Whether you want to try a new restaurant or treat yourself to an old favorite, Restaurant Week is a great opportunity for residents and visitors alike to sample the culinary skills of Columbus chefs," said Diane Warren, president of Dine Original Columbus.
"Independent restaurants define the culinary diversity and culture of a city and this is a wonderful way to showcase the varied and unique restaurants Columbus has to offer", added Warren who is also the owner of the popular Katzinger's Delicatessen.
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(Cincinnati, Ohio) Butler County commissioners have asked the county prosecutor to review a new rule by the Children Services Agency that could be used to discriminate against gay and unmarried couples. Butler County is in suburban Cincinnati. The county run adoption service allows caseworkers to give preference to legally married opposite-sex couples. Single people, unmarried opposite-sex couples and same-sex couples say the policy puts them at a disadvantage.
The agency instituted the rule in December, but it came to light only last week. “It’s not proper and, obviously, we don’t agree with it,” Commissioner Charles Furmon told The Cincinnati Enquirer. “You can’t show favoritism for one group over another.”
Furmon also said that the policy could put the county and Children Services at risk for lawsuits. Agency director Michael Fox denies the policy is discriminatory, since it does not impose an outright ban on non-legally married couples from adopting or fostering.
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Gay power in the
age of Obama: Will this president -- and his appointees
-- make equal rights part of this nation’s recovery?
From The Advocate
April 2009
“I was
just at the White House!” says Joe Solmonese, who
hadn’t seen the inside of 1600 Pennsylvania
Ave. in more than eight years. The Bush administration
extended no invitations to the executive director of the
Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest gay
lobbying group. His reunion with the building was
understandably a bit emotional. After the bill
signing, Solmonese says, the Democratic strategist Donna
Brazile asked him, “ ‘What are you thinking
about?’ And I said, ‘I’m
envisioning this moment for the GLBT community and watching
the president sign a bill that will bring this measure
of equality to our community.’ As if on cue, a
number of White House staff people came over and said to
me, ‘We look forward to working to make sure that
this happens in pretty short order for the GLBT
community.’ ”
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