FRIENDS FOR FELINES INC

aka Tabby Town Cat Adoption Center   |   Blasdell, NY   |  http://www.tabbytown.org

Mission

Friends for Felines, Inc. was formed to increase cat adoptions by working collaboratively with our animal shelter and rescue community to increase successful cat and kitten adoptions throughout Western New York. We bring cats closer to the public at Tabby Town, a rescued cat's "home between homes". All our cats and kittens deserve good food, good health and a good home. We accomplish this work in part because of the unwavering support of our team of volunteers as well as our private and corporate sponsors and donors. Their valued belief in us enables us to sustain our adoption center and on site "catique", and allows us to give all necessary and often costly medical care and socialization to our cats and kittens and broaden our community outreach programs to continue our work. Tabby Town actively supports and works collaboratively with our community through our rescue cooperative program, sending the vital message that all homeless felines are deserving of a good home. We are fully committed to facilitating all necessary medical and emotional care to further adoption and we work closely with our veterinary partners and the animal welfare community to decrease euthanasia across our area. All our animals are spayed or neutered (if necessary) and given proper veterinary care upon arrival and our team focuses on providing comfort, care and love in a safe, clean, happy environment. We showcase our cats in cozy condos while they await their new homes, and we welcome our visitors to enjoy a positive, uplifting experience while they meet our cats and kittens.

Ruling year info

2010

Executive Director

Ms. Cheryl A Ludwig

Main address

3701 McKinley Pkwy Unit 830 McKinley Mall

Blasdell, NY 14219 USA

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EIN

27-0663113

NTEE code info

Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs) (D20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Cat and Kitten Adoption Program

Population(s) Served
Population(s) Served

Where we work

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Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Our goals are as follows:
-No cat or kitten shall be abused, abandoned or left behind and we will respond accordingly when called upon to accept homeless rescues from our local shelters
-All cats and kittens in our care shall find their forever homes
-All cats and kittens in our care shall receive necessary medical and emotional care so they are healthy and ready for adoption
-Tabby Town shall continue to support a 100% spay/neuter policy for all our animals
-Tabby Town shall be a source of education and support for our community
-Tabby Town shall work collaboratively with our animal shelter partners toward a "No Kill' goal-
-Tabby Town shall support, value and respect our team of dedicated volunteers at all times, and shall encourage their participation and feedback as we continue our journey and our work. Our team of volunteers will be appropriately appreciated and recognized at Tabby Town through our Volunteer Recognition Program, which is ongoing and growing.
-Tabby Town shall provide at our adoption location a safe, clean, uplifting environment and experience for all our visitors as well as our cats, kittens and volunteers.

Tabby Town has partnered with highly regarded organizations including Best Friends Animal Society, ASPCA, Humane Society of the US, as well as all our local shelters (including the Erie County SPCA) with whom we work tirelessly to assure that every cat gets an opportunity for a forever home. Our mission states that Tabby Town will fill the heart of every rescued cat and kitten who is in need of good food, good health and a good home. Friends for Felines was formed as a 501 (c) (3) to increase cat adoptions in our community. We do this by bringing homeless cats and kittens closer to the public through the creation of Tabby Town, a rescued cat's home between homes. This is our most significant strategy and all our activities are centered around achievement of adoptions to forever homes. All our work, our programs, our outreach, our daily care and team dedication is centered around adoption through the arrangement of cozy kitty condos for our cats and kittens at our location; this is how we bring our felines closer to the public in order to achieve our primary goal. We also work closely with our veterinary partners to achieve another very important goal of making sure each of our residents is healthy and ready for adoption. Important to achievement of this goal is the hard work of our dedicated team of volunteers, who lovingly care for and administer medicines as necessary to all our cats and kittens.

In preparation for this work, President/Executive Director Cheryl Ludwig and her team and Board of Directors visited and studied the prototype in Utah at Best Friends Animal Society, called "Furburbia". Ms. Ludwig is also a founding member of Animal Alliance of Western New York, which was formed as a partnership for our local animal welfare organizations to work collaboratively toward the common goals of increasing successful adoptions and decreasing euthanasia in our area. All our volunteers regularly attend educational seminars and webinars; many have previously been employed at other shelters and vetarinary clinics, and have brought their experience and expertise to Tabby Town. We are capable of administering proper medical care and follow-up, emotional healing and all basic needs such as proper diet, grooming and other requirements for all our cats and kittens. Our location also provides the right surroundings and environment to facilitate happy animals while they await their forever homes. We have developed successful relationships with many corporate and community entities in order to keep us fiscally viable. Our marketing capabilities are comprehensive; several key volunteers and staff have an extensive background and knowledge of various areas of sponsorship, event planning, advertising opportunities, social media and grant writing. Our organization has also created a "catique", which is a retail store within our adoption center; this directly supports the needs of our customers when they adopt, as well as drawing visitors and other shoppers to our unique mall space.

Our progress shall be measured by our overall number of successful adoptions and as well our intake/adoption ratio. Our progress shall also be measured by the positive feedback we receive from our visitors, our volunteers and our adoptive families. We have adopted over 3,800 cats and kittens to new forever homes over the last four years.
Although we have been able to remain viable for over four years with the current challenges facing those entities residing in Buffalo,New York, a financially struggling area, Tabby Town will steadfastly continue to increase our successful number of adoptions while working to become as fiscally solid as possible. We are also launching a community campaign to raise awareness about our mission and our adoption program. Our progress is also illustrated through the implemention of the following other programs:
-Donor outreach campaign via mail and web
-Aggressive Facebook campaign and activity
-Enhanced follow-up to donors including individual thank yous and recognition
-Various special adoption events both on and off-site
-Several fundraising activities and special events both on and off-site
-Aggressive outreach to local and regional foundations including grant requests and in-kind requests, resulting in receipt of two national grants over the last two years, as well as several in-kind donations
-Increased collaboration with our local shelter partners
-Increased national participation in various animal welfare programs including Best Friends Animal Society, The National Humane Society, ASPCA, Pet Rescue Rx, Doris Day Animal Foundation and many others
-Participation in corporate match programs with several local employers
-Alliance with Operation Pets, a local low cost spay/neuter clinic
-Successful relationship and negotiation with local McKinley Mall management, resulting in discounted rent (over a four year period) for Tabby Town as a unique tenant at the mall. This creates significant walk-in traffic and exposure for our cats as a highly unusual setting for a rescue and adoption center, enhancing our ability to reach the public.

Financials

FRIENDS FOR FELINES INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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FRIENDS FOR FELINES INC

Board of directors
as of 02/25/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board co-chair

Ms. Cheryl Ludwig

Friends for Felines, Inc.

Term: 2009 - 2016


Board co-chair

Ms. Rochelle Sweedler

R.A.S. Consulting

Term: 2013 - 2016

Beth A Jordan

N/A

Carrie A Fahey, CHFC,CFP

The Fahey Group

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes