Frequently asked questions

Humane World for Animals tackles the root causes of animal cruelty and suffering to create permanent change. With millions of supporters and work happening in over 50 countries, we address the most deeply entrenched forms of animal cruelty and suffering, by working on the biggest problems and creating long-term solutions for lasting change. We tackle the root causes of animal cruelty by shifting human behavior and advocating for policy change, making change at scale. We work across borders, bringing diverse expertise to the most complex issues, and doing it all with a compassionate and welcoming approach. As the leading voice in the animal protection space, we work to end the cruelest practices, care for animals in crisis and build a stronger animal protection movement.

Humane World for Animals, formerly the Humane Society of the United States, holds a top four-star rating from Charity Navigator, which reports that “you can give with confidence,” and is approved by the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance for all 20 of its standards for charity accountability, which address charity governance, finances, effectiveness reporting, appeal accuracy, website disclosures and donor privacy.

We also earned Guidestar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency for providing donors with information on our strategic plan, impact, leadership demographics and other metrics.

We’ve never been a parent organization to local groups, but we partner with shelters on our rescue efforts and continue to provide all the support we’ve been giving: training, mentorship programs, grants and partnership on lots of work that matters to animals in local communities.

We support local organizations in many ways, but we primarily run our own programs to care for animals in crisis and eliminate the root causes of animal cruelty—large-scale work that’s beyond the scope of smaller organizations and agencies. Read more about how we support local shelters and work alongside them on many crucial issues.

We are active on nearly every continent, working in over 50 countries with millions of supporters across the globe. From protecting former research chimps in Liberia and providing aid for animals of Ukrainian refugees to improving the lives of farm animals around the world and ending cosmetics testing in the U.S., our work spans countries and issues to address the worst and most entrenched drivers of animal suffering.

Through public awareness and consumer education campaigns, public policy efforts, partnerships, training, support and human collaboration, we’re empowering a new generation to build a better world for animals.

Along with our affiliates, we care for more than 100,000 animals each year through our rescue teams, sanctuaries and wildlife centers. We not only rescue and care for animals who are suffering today, we work to prevent cruelty and suffering from happening in the first place. Our approach is unique—we focus on the root cause because we’re looking for long-term solutions and permanent change for animals.

Because of our scale and expertise, we are able to persuade governments and corporations to shift their mindsets and enact new laws that make the world a better place for animals and humans alike. We offer innovative approaches and sustainable solutions for even the most deeply entrenched and “unsolvable” animal welfare issues.

Driven and united by our love for animals, together WITH YOU and millions of supporters, we will continue our lifesaving work to end animal cruelty.

We rescue, transport and rehabilitate thousands of animals each year from large-scale cruelty and disaster situations around the world, collaborating with local and national agencies who request our aid. Our three amazing sanctuaries in Texas, Liberia and Oregon provide lifelong care for hundreds of wild and domestic animals who have nowhere else to go. Our Access to Care programs around the world reach animals and their families living in remote and impoverished areas that lack critical veterinary and other animal resources. Our street dog program in India has sterilized and vaccinated more than 400,000 dogs, and our teams across various countries help with wildlife rescue and rehabilitation. Humane World for Animals works to get at the root causes of cruelty and suffering, to prevent it from happening in the future—and we’re there for the animals who need us right now. 

Local humane societies and SPCAs are independent entities and aren’t run or overseen by Humane World for Animals (or any other national entity). Humane World for Animals works with and supports local shelters and rescues in many ways, including our annual Animal Care Expo and the in-depth resources we offer at HumanePro. We complement critical community-based work of local shelters by tackling the biggest national and global fights for animals, systemic cruelties that are typically beyond the scope of local organizations to address. We support the work of shelters, humane societies and rescue groups through trainings and resources, public policy reform, grants, assistance with large-scale rescues and disaster response, as well as other services.

Yes! We used to be called the Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International. We aligned our efforts under one new name in 2025. Learn more about our evolution.

Thank you for your commitment to ending animal cruelty. Many supporters prefer to make a small monthly donation that is charged to their credit card. This provides us with a steady, reliable financial foundation to reach our goals. You can also make a one-time donation if that’s more convenient. Either way, just click the “I want to end animal cruelty” button on this page to get started. If you have any questions about donating to us online, please send us an email or call us toll-free at 1-866-720-2676.

If you would prefer to donate by mail, please send your gift to:

Humane World for Animals
Dept HACDQ100904001
1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450
Washington, DC 20037

When you donate, you join a compassionate community dedicated to ending animal cruelty. If you sign up as a monthly donor or make a single gift of $25 or more, you’ll receive a subscription to All Animals, our award-winning bimonthly magazine. Filled with animal rescue stories, useful pet tips, ideas for adopting a humane lifestyle and news from the front lines of our work, All Animals will inspire you to help create a more humane world. Plus, we’ll send you email updates and action alerts so you can take quick, simple actions for animals in your community and around the world.

At Humane World for Animals, we work to protect animals across the nation and around the globe. Your donation ensures we can keep fighting the big fights on behalf of all animals. Here are just a few ways we put your dollars to work:

• Pushing for stronger laws against animal cruelty, neglect and fighting.
• Ending wildlife abuse and helping people coexist with their wild neighbors.
• Protecting farm animals by fighting against extreme confinement and encouraging people to reduce, refine and replace animal products in their diets.
• Ending the use of animals in research and cosmetics testing, and promoting humane alternatives.
• Supporting pet adoption and spay/neuter initiatives.
• Stopping puppy mills and addressing pet overpopulation.
• Rescuing animals from both natural disasters and man-made cruelty situations.
• Putting an end to commercial seal hunts and the fur trade.
• Protecting horses and other equines from slaughter and abuse.

Yes. You can cancel your monthly donation or adjust your monthly gift amount by following the link on any email we send you. Or you can call our Donor Care department toll-free at 1-866-720-2676 and we’ll take care of your request.

Humane World for Animals and its affiliates spend nearly 71% of all gifts directly on lifesaving animal protection programs, while the remaining funds help maintain our infrastructure and operations. Like any nonprofit organization, Humane World for Animals carries out marketing, fundraising and public awareness programs designed to reach the public, grow our membership and influence key decision-makers in the public and private sectors.

Our program-to-fundraising ratios compare favorably with those of other charities in the nonprofit sector. The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance recommends that charities spend at least 65% of their expenses on program activities. Supporters and others can view the breakdown of our spending ratios and the work made possible by their donations in our annual reports and financial statements.

Humane World for Animals earns a top four-star rating from Charity Navigator, which reports that “you can give with confidence,” and is approved by the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance for all 20 of its standards for charity accountability, which address charity governance, finances, effectiveness reporting, appeal accuracy, website disclosures and donor privacy. Humane World for Animals has Guidestar’s Platinum Seal of Transparency for providing donors with information on our strategic plan, impact, leadership demographics and other metrics. You can also view our financial statements and annual reports, which provide clear reviews of our ongoing work for animals.

To receive a packet of information about Humane World for Animals and membership, please contact us:

Humane World for Animals 
1255 23rd Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20037
donorcare@humaneworld.org

You can also read more about our work in our award-winning membership magazine, All Animals.

You can shop our corporate partners; these companies offer great products and services and also give back to our lifesaving work for animals at Humane World for Animals.

We’re so grateful for our millions of supporters—it’s because of YOU that we’re able to make such a big impact for animals! You can obtain our latest annual reports and other financial information digitally or receive a printed copy of our latest financial report by emailing Membership and Donor Care.

Members receive the Animal Lovers’ Calendar as part of their membership. To request a free copy (while supplies last) and to learn about membership, please contact Humane World for Animals’ Membership and Donor Care department via email.

If you live in the United States, you can make a one-time gift of at least $25 or donate at least $10 per month to receive a one-year subscription to All Animals. We do not currently mail overseas, but some of our content is available online. Our award-winning quarterly publication provides updates from the front lines of animal protection and includes ways you can help us end animal cruelty.