Friday, January 18, 2013

Funding No KIll Nation's War on Free Speech?

 "Was anyone else aware that NKN is involved in a lawsuit with an animal rescuer?!?! If you read about this lawsuit, some of the allegations about NKN are very troubling! Did you know that they take donations that are supposed to be used for animal rescue and then they (allegedly) spend them on lawsuits, paying employees and other various things? When you donate to NKN or any other animal welfare organization, is that how you expect your funds to be used? Thoughts?" 
Posted on Facebook Nation Animal Rescue - Miami Dade Animal Shelter
Kimberly  I believe NKN won the lawsuit, therefore the allegations should be put to rest. Also, their form 990 from the IRS is available on their website.

Many non-profits pay employees, so I fail to see anything wrong with that. And the lawsuit was said to be privately funded, and does not show up on their tax returns.

While none of the merits in this case where ever heard it is important to understand timeline facts that are in dispute. This case was filed in Broward County court in November of 2011. At that point No Kill Nation was still running it’s Everglades Project with Kathy Santomero and Amy Restucci administering the "100+ Abandon Dogs in the Everglades" page. As of November 2011 No Kill Nation had not released any financial information on money already collected.

In May of 2012 No Kill Nation filed in 2011 990EZ tax return. This tax return dated May 24, 2012 and signed by NKN president Debi Day. The return included over $22,411 in professional fees, it is assumed that these professional fees were retainer fee paid No Kill Nation’s law firm Tripp Scott.

The return also includes a "Schedule O" liability of $247,000 "loan payable" to Lincoln Day and a "loan receivable" amount of $227,736. It appears that while Lincoln Day did issue loan of $247,000 to No Kill Nation the terms of that loan were not disclosed. It would also appear that approximately $22,411 of the loan was issued to No Kill Nation and used to pay the retainer fees.

What isn’t included in the May 2012 tax filing is any reference to costs, liabilities or pay outs for the Everglades Project. This despite several months having transpired in a "rescue" project that No Kill Nation formally cut ties in in early February of 2012.

On November 9th 2012 No Kill Nation was awarded a "default judgement" in the civil suit in Broward County court. What a default judgment means is that since Miami Dade Rescue Railroad failed to hire an attorney to defend itself on the merits of the case MDRR

On No9vember 14, 2012 No Kill Nation released an "amended" 2011 "990" tax reform signed by No Kill Nation’s president Debi Day. The changes in this return include (but not limited too) removing the $22,411 paid out as professional fees and listing no expenditures for professional fees. The return does list line item accounting of "program accomplishments" including the Everglades Project $87,317 in revenue and $70,172 expenses. It also listed program expenses of $25,066 for NKN employees to attend the No Kill Conference in Washington DC (yes YOU paid for that), $10,075 for No Kill conferences in Austin Tx, Maui, Hi and Albuquerque NM. Yes, donors paid for those NKN excursions as well.

In order to get a detailed breakdown on the funds collected under the Everglades Project No Kill Nation provides a link to another No Kill Nation project called the "No Kill Fund". The No Kill Fund appears to be a deliberate effort on the part of No Kill Nation to solicit funding that can be used in filing court cases against anyone so bold as to dare oppose No Kill Nation’s political agenda. Those cases would include the current cases already filed against advocates like myself, filed against the non profit (now dissolved) group Miami Dade Rescue Railroad and against Fort Lauderdale rescue group No Paw Left Behind.

No Kill Nation through it’s attorney has also sent out numerous "cease and desist" warnings to a number of other rescue advocates warning them of pending civil cases if they continued to make any negative comments about No Kill Nation or it’s president Debi Day. One advocate received a cease and desist for posting a single comment that questioned Day’s leadership skills and her previous lack of experience in shelter reform.

Advocates are free to support any political organizations that provide advocacy that supports their needs. But advocates also have a right and responsibility in knowing whether the funds donated to No Kill Nation is indeed used to "save" animals or whether those funds are being used to stifle free speech while supporting a political agenda that is not rescue friendly. 

To be clear, No Kill Nation through it’s own admission DOES NOT DO RESCUE.

If your intent is to donate to groups that "save" animals No Kill Nation is not that group. By it’s own admission No Kill Nation is not a rescue group. No Kill Nation is a rather small organization of less than six people who do not foster shelter animals but instead focus as Nathan Winograd puppets perpetrating myths about no kill that include a relentless attack on anyone who dares disagree with Winograd’s twisted, demented thinking. That thinking includes unsupported concepts that pet overpopulation is a myth and a divisive attack on the animal protection community and the rescue community who both do have programs that help rescue animals not only from shelters but from puppy mills and hoarding sanctuaries as well.

The current leadership of No Kill Nation including show breeder Karolyn Rico, bored socialite Debi Day and Kathy Santomero have absolutely no prior success in reforming shelters including those extremely high kill shelters located in Broward or Miami Dade.

While it is certainly admirable that communities consider passing "no kill resolutions" as we have seen in Carrabus County NC that these resolutions are entirely useless without the local funding needed or a clear implementation plan being included. It is simply a shell game used to solicit more support and more funds without ever being held accountable for success.

It has been close to two years since passing a no kill resolution in Carrabus County. The shelter has yet to hire or fund a shelter manager two years later and still kills over half of the cats and dogs entering its shelter. Carrabus County does not do off site adoptions, does not have an endorsed TNR program, has not promoted any new spay neuter programs nor is there any type of volunteer program focused on promoting life saving initiatives including the infamous No Kill Equation.

Yet, in its almost daily pleas for donations No Kill Nation wants followers to support "forging ahead" with its mission?   Mission for what? We are still all ears but we are looking for ANSWERS not mindless rhetoric coming for the leadership of No Kill Nation. Please explain exactly how spending tens of thousands of dollars attacking those who don’t support your mission moves us closer to building a no kill nation.

1 comment:

  1. Since this was written tax records show NKN spending over $200,000 in professional, other and payroll expenses including a whopping $41,000 paid out t Karolyn Rico. NKN spent more money promoting and soliciting more donations (39,000) than it gave to shelters. in 2012.

    NKN was also sitting on over $250,000 in retained earnings at year end 2012.

    ReplyDelete