Sept. 11 Memorial's Executive Salaries Comes Under Fire

The last thing anybody expected was controversy at the September 11 Memorial and Museum at the World Trade Center.  But that's exactly what has happened after a former employee received a severance package.

The Wall Street Journal reported today that Joan Garner, former executive vice president of design and construction at the memorial, received $296,565 in compensation after leaving her position in May 2010.  That brought her total salary for the year up to $439,463, making her the highest paid employee at the organization.

Tax records for the organization, which were first reported on by The Record of Bergen County, show that seven other executives received compensation that totaled more than $200,000.  Four of those executives received more than $300,000, including the president, Joseph Daniels, who earned $378,288 in salary and benefits.  All in all, the foundation spent $6.5 million on salaries and other benefits in 2010, a sharp increase from the $5.3 million in 2009.

The executive pay at the memorial has come under heavy fire from the families of 9/11 victims, who have called on Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the organization's chairman, to get the salaries under control.  However, Bloomberg has long defended the compensation at the memorial and other nonprofits, and his spokesperson said they are in line with similar nonprofits.

Ken Berger, president and CEO of Charity Navigator, disagreed with the mayor.  He told The Journal that the salaries in question are on the high end of the spectrum, and that an organization with such an important public mission shouldn't be spending money this way.  His comments certainly fall in line with the outraged comments from families who lost loved ones during 9/11.

You can read more about this controversy in The Wall Street Journal.  In addition, you can read all about the construction of the many September 11 memorials in The NonProfit Times.

NPTtv Summary: 9/11 Charities After Bin Laden

It was the news many September 11th charities had been waiting for: Osama Bin Laden is dead.

But even after the death of 9/11 mastermind in May, these charities insist their will be no changes in the work they do. For example, Voices of September 11th still held its annual fundraising gala in New York City, featuring former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In addition, plans for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks are still moving forward.

Other charities are following this path as well.  World Cares Center Executive Director Lisa Orloff says that she believes the news of Bin Laden’s death will have no affect on their anniversary event, or their fundraising strategies. Orloff did not plan to comment specifically on Bin Laden's death, but she did say her group's outreach towards communities would adjust to this monumental change.  She did not, however, go into specifics.

9/11 Charities Stay on Mission Even With Bin Laden's Death

When the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda leader and mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, one couldn't help but remember that tragic morning on September 11th, 2001.  Would the families of the victims feel any closure knowing that the man who was responsible for their loved one's deaths had been bought to justice? 

While we can't know exactly what these families are feeling right now, we do know one thing for sure: the 9/11 charities that were set up to help victims of the attacks are committed to the mission they were founded for.  Today, we posted a story on our website that focused on this very issue.  According to this story, while these charities are celebrating the death of Bin Laden, they remain focused on their missions.  Terry Sears, Executive Director of the Manhasset, NY based Tuesday's Children, says she doesn't anticipate any changes to their fundraising efforts.  She also adds that their 10th anniversary commemoration of the 9/11 attacks will continue as planned.

As a matter of fact, there are some who think that the death of Bin Laden might spur even greater giving to 9/11 charities.  Bob Ottenhoff, president and CEO of GuideStar, a charity evaluation service, says that the news might remind people how the nation came together after that fateful day, and the impact these charities had in bringing about that unity.  He added that he hopes the news of Bin Laden's death will be a sort of "reawakening event" that will bring us together again, and also help put more focus on the nonprofit sector.

To read the full article, visit The NonProfit Times' website.