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According to the AHA:
"How Does the American Heart Association Do It?
The AHA began in 1924 as a professional society with a strong commitment to public health and the clinical aspects of cardiovascular disease and a strong belief that more research was needed. During its first 25 years the AHA's annual budget, derived largely from professional dues, was never more than $50 000. AHA leaders realized that these funds were inadequate to support the goals of the organization. In 1948 the AHA changed from a professional society to a not-for-profit voluntary health organization. This decision created a partnership between healthcare professionals and lay volunteers, bankers, lawyers, teachers, accountants—indeed, people from all walks of life, united in the fight against cardiovascular disease. This partnership allowed the AHA for the first time to effectively raise money from the general public and greatly expand its public health and clinical efforts as well as start a research program. Today the AHA is the second largest not-for-profit voluntary health organization in the world. In FY 1996 the AHA raised $347.5 million. This money did not come from a few wealthy individuals or the federal government. In fact, it came from over 10 million donors. The median donation was only $18.50.
How Does the American Heart Association Raise Funds?
The income of the AHA is the result of the hard work of 4.5 million volunteers who plan and conduct thousands of events like Jump Rope for Heart, Hoops for Heart, Heart Walk, and Heart Balls. Each of these events involves hundreds of hours of effort by volunteers and staff. An example is Jump Rope for Heart. In this event elementary and junior high school students learn about physical fitness and other heart-healthy behaviors. Each Jump Rope for Heart participant has sponsors who support the jumper's efforts with donations. Prizes go to the students who raise the most money. In 1996 Jump Rope for Heart events conducted in 18 804 schools raised a total of $26.5 million. Other events require similar efforts. How many scientific council members know how the AHA raises money? How many scientific council members donate their time and money to this effort? The vast majority of the money that the AHA raises is through its affiliates and divisions. I urge you as a scientific council member to get involved in your affiliate and division—your help is needed! Without effective fund-raising, the good works of the AHA, from which we have all benefited, could not be carried out.
How Does the American Heart Association Spend Its Money?
The AHA performs four fundamental activities:
1. It discovers, processes, and interprets science.
2. It communicates cardiovascular science, medical, and consumer health information.
3. It is an advocate at federal, state, and community levels.
4. It generates resources.
Science Discovery
In the area of science discovery the AHA spends approximately $100 million each year to support investigator-initiated research. These funds are divided between the National Center research program and affiliate research programs. The national research program has recently undergone changes to increase its impact in the fight against heart disease and stroke. With limited funds, the focus has been placed on career development of young investigators and support of new, cutting-edge basic and clinical science."
(They make it all sound very mysterious, and worthy of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on. However, if all the soda and sugar were not available to eat and drink, and people concentrated on a good diet and moving around daily, we wouldn't NEED the AHA. they are sucking in all this money to treat something we ALREADY know how to prevent, yet for some esoteric reason kids are still fed a steady diet of trash. Why is that?
And what kids are told NOW is the opposite of what kids were told thirty years ago. The food pyramid has been basically turned upside down. It makes it a little hard to trust the "experts.")
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