PetRescue's financials for last year have finally been released by the ACNC and staggeringly, the organisation made more money than last year.
Revenue last year (2019) - $1.5 million
Revenue this year (2020) - $1.8 million
And while revenue has again gone up, the number of pets the organisation claims they helped rehome continues to plateau;
2020 animal rehoming stats
Dogs rehomed - 30k
Cats rehomed - 40k
'Other' rehomed - 2k
= 72,000
And while their donate page currently quotes the cost of this "rehoming program" as $19 per pet...
Based on the figures above;
$1.8 million in revenue / 72,000 pets = $25 per pet.
But! PetRescue says they're not just an animal rehoming website; they have many, many other "programs and services" which involve helping rescue.
I mean.... 'free services to shelters!'
Well, let's look at that. For the 2020 year;
Revenue 2020: $1.8 million
"Office" expenses: $485k
Employee expenses: $1.1 million
(Including $278,066 divided by the two Directors, JB & Vix. Or $150k packages pro-rata'ed for part time).
So in conclusion;
$1.8 million in revenue
$1.1 million went to paying PetRescue's own staff. Another half million went to office expenses.
= $1.62 million dollars did not leave PetRescue's own administration. Or about - wait for it.... 90%
90% of money going into PetRescue, stays with PetRescue.
It doesn't help pets. It doesn't feed pets. It doesn't care for pets. It pays for PetRescue staff and their offices.
But wait!
But some money DID go to someone outside of PetRescue this year. To the programs and services PetRescue claim, rescue groups desperately need to survive...
$40,000 actually made it out of PetRescue's coffers and into the program they used last year to raise $80,000 with corporate sponsor Gorman. That is, PetRescue finally took the money they fundraised for a project last year (2019) and gave half of what was raised to the actual project. I guess... yay?
But despite being a very, very good project - this isn't a rescue group. This is a university-backed project in Queensland, run by the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation, who themselves banked over $1 million dollars last year.
PetRescue took the money they raised to "help rescue" and placed a tiny fraction of it with a well-resourced, single-issue group, who isn't a rescue group at all.
So while the community rescue groups that make PetRescue's business model possible, collapse under the strain of COVID restrictions, cancelled fundraising events and major floods and bushfires, PetRescue has ignored them in favour of a new, shiny project that seems to be largely self-sustaining with or without PetRescue's help.
How much does PetRescue #RespectRescue? Not enough to actually help them.
The snake eating her tail
Woolworths claims to give money to PetRescue to save pets, but less than $1 in $10 is going anywhere but into PetRescue staff's personal pockets and office expenses.
PETstock claims to give money to PetRescue to save pets, but less than $1 in $10 is going anywhere but into PetRescue staff's personal pockets and office expenses.
Pedigree claims to give money to PetRescue to save pets, but less than $1 in $10 is going anywhere but into PetRescue staff's personal pockets and office expenses.
The public get told there's all sorts of pet-saving programs going on at PetRescue, but less than $1 in $10 is going anywhere but into PetRescue staff's personal pockets, or their computers, or their travel, or their accountants, or their office rent.
None of the money went to helping rescue groups with actual cash-money. Or investment in their operations.
PetRescue exists to keep existing. To keep paying themselves and keep themselves in business. And they're doing this using the monies that rescue groups so desperately need to help pets, as people give to PetRescue thinking it 'trickles down' somehow. This latest financial report shows that nothing is trickling down. Nothing is being shared. And the only goal of PetRescue is to keep expanding their own team, at the direct expense of the community rescue groups who save lives.