Local Animal Non-Profit Confused With National Organization

Maria Trivelpiece: The Central New York Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or SPCA, is being confused with the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, or ASPCA. Humane educator and adoption counselor, Dee Schaefer says this confusion causes the local animal nonprofits to lose donations.

Dee Schaefer: We actually received a check from a woman and it was made out to the ASPCA. And I sent it back to her with a letter explaining that we could not keep the check and she sent a check back made out to us and for 20 years she had been donating to the ASPCA thinking that we were getting that money.

Maria Trivelpiece: Schaefer says the Central New York SPCA has seen a decrease in donations. She says the best way to avoid confusion is to contribute directly to the local animal non-profits. Maria Trivelpiece, N-C-C News.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – The Central New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals loses donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals because of the similarity in names. Humane educator and adoption counselor of the Central New York SPCA, Dee Schaefer, says that many people do not realize there is a difference.

“The local shelter is a non-profit that handles animal cruelty cases in Oneida and Onondaga County,” she says. “The ASPCA is a national organization and any money that is donated to them stays with them.”

Schaefer says that one woman donated to the ASPCA for 20 years thinking that her money was going to the Central New York SPCA. Even if people do understand that there is a difference between the two organizations, there is still a misconception about the relationship between the SPCA and the ASPCA.

Schaefer says, “People are donating to the big ASPCA thinking that the money will trickle down to smaller organizations and it’s not. We’re getting less and less.”

The two are not affiliated. They run separately and all the contributions are handled separately.

To raise awareness of this issue, the Central New York SPCA posted the difference between the two organizations on its Facebook page. Schaefer encourages anyone who would like to make a donation to give directly to the local non-profit.