MDA Post-Jerry Lewis Losing Money Every Year, But CEO Gets $550,000

[KamaAina]

http://www.showbiz411.com/2016/09/04/mda-post-jerry-lewis-losing-money-every-year-but-ceo-gets-550000

There’s no Jerry Lewis telethon today. There hasn’t been one since 2011. And every year since then, MDA– the Muscular Dystrophy Association– has lost money. In 2010, total contributions were $171 million. In 2014, the last year MDA has filed a Form 990 tax return, total contributions were $135 million.

Nevertheless, the new CEO, Steven Derks, who moved MDA from its home in Arizona to Chicago, made just over $550,000 in 2014.

Total salaries came to $60 million, but none of that went to the local firefighters I saw in my town on Saturday stopping cars to ask for bucket donations to MDA. I felt bad for them. I asked one, “Is this a personal thing? Does someone you know have MDA?” He answered no, they had just been doing to for years. They have no idea that the real MDA– Jerry Lewis, the telethon, the inflated salaries of the executives– have made the organization something far different than it was in its halcyon years....

Nevertheless, just like the salaries, professional fundraising fees have remained constant, too– at $540,000 a year. Eight independent contractors split another $8 million, including $2 million paid to ABC to carry a two hour pre-taped special no one watched. A total of over $13 million was spent — not earned– on expenses for various MDA fundraisers.

And bloated nonprofit executive salaries are by no means limited to MDA. Google "William Aramony United Way" for an example. Goodwill is a major offender as well, and pays many of its disabled workers well below minimum wage thanks to a loophole in federal labor law. Because nonprofits have no shareholders, excess revenue has to go somewhere. Heaven forfend it would get plowed back into the agency where it could help people!

[Dreamweaver 5.0]

1. The telethon was the bomb back in the day.

I remember in the 60s my mom would let me stay up all night to watch it all. I never lasted past 1 am but was a big deal when I was 7 or 8.

I also remember it being a bitter sweet thing also.

We always started the new school year the day after labor day.

Booooo.


Miss Mr Lewis. Its a shame about the MDA nowdays.

I think we should start a petition to get Stewart/Colbert to take the helm and revamp the cause.

[loyalsister]

5. The telethon has always been exploitive, though

I didn't realize how much until I started to read up on it and Jerry Lewis' characterizations of the people whose "half a person" backs were used to peddle the supposed forthcoming deaths that have made millions.
Jerry's Orphans offered quite and education.

[Wednesdays]

11. It also became a 2-day infomercial for mega-corporations.

nt

[dembotoz]

2. Any corporation head of organization with that amount of assets would b paid more than that

Does not look like a vow of poverty was expected

[stopbush]

3. I believe Jerry Lewis was paid $2-million a year to do that telethon.

[CBGLuthier]

6. Bullshit. Find a link or admit it is bullshit

[stopbush]

7. Heard from a musician who played the show.

Everyone was well compensated, as they should be.

Being paid $2-million to be the front man in a telethon that is raising humdreds of millions is not unusual. The cost of doing business. That's all.

[CBGLuthier]

8. Snopes says your source is a liar

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/telethon.asp

Jerry Lewis receives no pay for his tireless year-round work for MDA. He is MDA's "number-one volunteer" and star of the Telethon.

Other celebrities serve as Telethon co-hosts and performers. None of the celebrities on the Telethon receive any pay for their efforts.

[stopbush]

9. Well, I'll take Snopes word for it. They're reliable and they provide a source.

That said, I don't see that there's anything wrong with talent/phone operators/whoever being paid for their time and effort to raise money for charities. It's nice when people volunteer/donate their time, but it's not necessary. Administrative costs are what they are.

So, I'll stand corrected in the case of Jerry Lewis.

[hamsterjill]

10. Jerry got nothing.

It was always my understanding that Jerry was not compensated.

He came from the same era as Danny Thomas who started St. Jude's. It was an era back when those who did well gave back.

[loyalsister]

4. Good riddance to a menace to disabled people everywhere!

"William Aramony United Way" thus the dysfuntion of our local CIL. I have been trying to unravel why it keeps getting more and more centered on the non-profit variety of a greed driven service provider.