HSUS has already begun rattling the disaster relief donation pan. Now HSUS can spend their money any way they like – although I take issue with their tax-exempt status – and that’s their right. But in the interest of full disclosure, which HSUS seems to have a hard time with in general, anyone considering donating to HSUS to help animals in Haiti (or to help pets here at home even) should research exactly how the organization spends its cash. For example, direct mail services and lobbying. And it’s a good time to review how HSUS performed with the last boatload of cash it received from donors during a natural disaster – Hurricane Katrina. Add to these their more recent deceptive fundraising ploys such as asking for money to care for Michael Vick’s dogs when they didn’t have the dogs and were actually lobbying for their deaths as well as the Fay debacle, then decide for yourself if you trust your donation will be used how you wish it to be used.
I always research before making a donation to any group – animal related or otherwise. There are unfortunately more than a few “charities” out there who exist to help only themselves.