Wanna get rich? Join an environment/nature protection non-profit

weekend blog

You’ll all probably know that an undercover sting operation by a newly formed investigative group called Verbatim—which is backed by the US-linked climate journalism group Centre for Climate Reporting (CCR)—targeted senior officials of the UK political party Reform UK.

While hearing about this, I began idly Googling US-based climate and environmental non-profit (charity status) organisations. Within a couple of minutes, I came across a list of what appeared to be the highest-paid head honchos at environmental/nature protection non-profits.

Before you read any further, please make sure you are sitting down in a safe place wth no risk of personal injury when you see what follows.

I won’t even comment, I’ll just list the salaries and total compensation packages of some of the leading environmental/nature protection organisations, many of which are so ‘important’ that (like me till 5 minutes before I wrote this) you’ve probably never even heard of them. Here are the Top Ten:

1. Carter Roberts, president and CEO, World Wildlife Fund

Roberts, who has led the massive international conservation group since 2005, remains one of the environmental world’s top-paid leaders. His base pay in 2022 was $904,841, according to the World Wildlife Fund’s tax records. Roberts’ total reported compensation that year was $1,204,775.

2. Fred Krupp, president, Environmental Defense Fund

EDF’s leader of nearly four decades took home base pay of $669,771 in 2021, the group’s records show. Krupp’s total compensation that year was $922,022.

3. Jennifer Morris, CEO, the Nature Conservancy

Morris, who started as the conservation group’s CEO in May 2020, earned $732,138 in base pay during her first full year on the job in 2021, the tax filing shows. Her total compensation that year was $758,013.

4. Elizabeth Gray, CEO, National Audubon Society

Gray was promoted in November 2021 to become the group’s permanent CEO. Her base pay that year was $462,069; her total compensation was $705,458. Her pay that year included a contractual retention and sign-on bonus, the tax filing says. She also received a discretionary bonus of $46,514 approved by the board of directors.

(Gray’s predecessor, David Yarnold, left in May 2021. His total compensation that year was $1,276,173, including severance and other benefits.)

5. Mitchell Bernard, interim president, Natural Resources Defense Council

NRDC’s then-Executive Director Bernard stepped in to lead the group in early 2021 when Gina McCarthy left her post as president and CEO to join the Biden White House. Bernard held the role through August of that year and is now NRDC’s chief counsel. His base pay in 2021 was $479,498, the records show. His total compensation that year was $705,195

6. Janis Searles Jones, CEO, Ocean Conservancy

Jones has led the ocean conservation group since 2017. Her base compensation in 2022 was $440,860, the latest filing shows. Her total compensation that year was $692,836.

7. Jamie Rappaport Clark, president and CEO, Defenders of Wildlife

Clark, who has led her conservation group since 2011, said she plans to step down this year. In 2022, Clark’s base pay was $531,907, according to the group’s most recent tax filing. Her total compensation was $616,137.

8. Andrew Sharpless, CEO, Oceana

Sharpless has served as the international conservation group’s president since 2003, and recently announced plans to retire. His base pay in 2022 was $499,936, and his total compensation that year was $546,078. Jim Simon, Oceana’s longtime president, will take over as the organization’s CEO on July 1.

9. Adam Putnam, CEO, Ducks Unlimited

The former Florida Republican congressman has led the conservation group since 2019. His base pay was $339,805 in 2021, and his total compensation that year was $538,303.

10. Abbie Dillen, president, Earthjustice

Dillen took over as the green group’s leader in 2018. She earned base pay of $473,920 in 2021, and a total compensation package of $536,931.

The above salaries are from 2021 and 2022. Doubtless they’ve all increased substantially since then as so often happens in organisations lavishly spending other people’s money on themselves.

I promised I wouldn’t comment. But I’ll briefly break my promise. How on earth does someone in an organisation protecting ducks, ‘Ducks Unlimited’, get paid $538,303? And further down on the list, at number 15, is someone leading ‘Trout Unlimited’ pocketing $441,847.

You probably think that it’s 1st April and I’m pulling your leg. But I’m not. Ducks Unlimited and Trout Unlimited really do exist.

Good grief. I clearly made the wrong career choices. I should have gone into an environment and nature protection non-profit. That seems to be the way to get really rich.

Anyway, if you want to be astonished and amazed, here’s a link to the Top 30 most highly-paid executives in mainly US-based environment organisations. Enjoy!

https://www.eenews.net/articles/meet-the-top-paid-green-group-bosses