Industry Consulting Type Nonprofit organization | Founded 2001 | |
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Key people Anthony Bellotti, Courtney Dillard, Jennifer Fearing, Caryn Ginsberg, Che Green, Sharie Lesniak, Katrina Munsell, Jack Norris, Ian Ross, Kathleen Savesky Headquarters Olympia, Washington, United States Similar Farm Sanctuary, In Defense of Animals, American Anti‑Vivisection Society, Mercy for Animals, Animal Legal Defense Profiles | ||
Faunalytics, formerly the Humane Research Council, is a nonprofit organization that provides animal advocates with access to the research and analysis of various animal issues, including factory farming, veganism and vegetarianism, the overpopulation in companion animals, animal testing, hunting, animal trapping, and the use of animals for entertainment purposes (zoos, circuses, racing, fights, etc.).
Contents
- Organization History
- Organization Mission
- Research and Studies
- Personnel
- Animal Charity Evaluators review
- References
Faunalytics is currently one of Animal Charity Evaluators' Standout Charities.
Organization History
Faunalytics is a non-profit organization based in Olympia, Washington, funded through consulting fees, grants, and donations. Founded in 2001 by Che Green, a former corporate professional, Faunalytics utilizes contributions of time and expertise from committed professionals in research, marketing, and communications, as well as business service providers and designers for print and online media.
Faunalytics was awarded the Independent Charities of America’s Seal of Excellence in 2006, and is currently listed as one of Animal Charity Evaluators' Standout Organizations.
Organization Mission
Faunalytics applies traditional corporate marketing research and analysis techniques to support the animal protection movement. Faunalytics' methodologies are both quantitative and qualitative in nature and include depth interviews and focus groups, benchmarking and assessment studies, materials evaluation and concept testing, fundraising and donor research, and opposition research and analysis.
Notable partners and clients include the American Anti-Vivisection Society, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Animal Protection Institute, New England Anti-Vivisection Society, Farm Sanctuary, The Handsel Foundation, Humane Society of the United States, National Council for Animal Protection, and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Research and Studies
Faunalytics has conducted or contributed to a number of research studies that are significant for the animal advocacy movement. Noteworthy projects include a study of public perception of the animal protection movement (National Council for Animal Protection, 2006), the Humane Index (The Humane Society of the United States, 2007), and an independent study on advocating meat reduction and vegetarianism to U.S. adults (2007). In 2009 the organization launched the Animal Tracker, an annual survey of animal-related attitudes and behavior among U.S. adults, to establish benchmarks for these trends over time.
In 2014, Faunalytics published a study of current and former vegetarians and vegans, based on a survey of over 11,000 people. According to their report, this is the first study to estimate the number of former vegetarians and vegans in the United States using a representative sample. They found that 2% of respondents identified as current vegetarians/vegans, while 10% identified as former vegetarians/vegans, pointing to high recidivism among vegetarians/vegans. This study reportedly influenced several major farmed animal advocacy groups' outreach strategy.
Personnel
The Faunalytics Board of Directors and advisors includes key personnel from foundational animal protection groups including the Humane Society of the United States, Born Free USA, Vegan Outreach, as well as business professionals and academics from Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, University of Pennsylvania, and Willamette University.
Animal Charity Evaluators review
Animal Charity Evaluators named Faunalytics as one of its Standout Charities in its 2015 and 2016 annual charity recommendations. ACE designates as Standout Charities those organizations which they do not feel are as strong as their Top Charities, but which excel in at least one way and are exceptionally strong compared to animal charities in general.
In its December 2015 review of Faunalytics, ACE cites Faunalytics' strengths as its focus on an important field (effective advocacy research) and its publication of important research such as their vegan/vegetarian recidivism study. According to ACE, their weaknesses include a choice of projects not optimized for helping large numbers of animals, and issues with the presentation of their research results.