Despite Fundraising Success, ASPCA Board Beset by Squabbles

A contretemps over New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams’s departure from the board of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals highlights the nonprofit group’s fractious inner workings, according to The New York Times.

Ms. Adams resigned her seat this spring after receiving what she described as a letter from another board member accusing her of unspecified lapses during her five-year tenure. In the past seven years more than 15 of the ASPCA’s roughly 20 board members have left amid disputes over the charity’s legislative agenda and spending decisions by former President Ed Sayres, who stepped down last year.

While dissension flared within the board, the ASPCA raised its profile with help from the reality show Animal Precinct, which follows the society’s officers as they pursue cruelty complaints in New York, and it more than tripled fundraising from 2003 to 2008.

Tim Wray, the new chair of the board, told the newspaper that the organization is suffering from growing pains. “We have dialogues and healthy debates like all boards, then we come to consensus and move forward.”