SHY WOLF SANCTUARY EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE CENTER INC.

A Sanctuary For All

aka Shy Wolf Sanctuary   |   Naples, FL   |  www.shywolfsanctuary.org

Mission

Our mission is to heal hearts and minds through rescue, sanctuary, and education.

Ruling year info

2001

Executive Director

Ms. Deanna L. Deppen

Main address

POB 3032

Naples, FL 34106 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

59-3691867

NTEE code info

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

Nonmonetary Support N.E.C. (C19)

Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C. (S99)

IRS filing requirement

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

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Shy Wolf Sanctuary Education and Experience Center fills a void between wildlife rehabilitation and zoos for captive-bred exotics or unreleasable wildlife. We provide permanent sanctuary for these exotics and share their stories through our educational programs and efforts. There are more requests for animals in need than we have room to help.

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?

Educational Programs & Healing Hearts Visits

Shy Wolf Sanctuary rescues, rehabilitates, and provides sanctuary to captive-bred exotic and un-releasable wild animals who have been abandoned, neglected, or abused. The animals share their stories and lessons with those they encounter on and off premise. We have partnered with other NPOs to provide healing encounters with their participants. Our Healing Hearts program for individuals who have had similar life trauma experiences allows an interactive animal encounter and opportunity for social bonding. Current partnerships include foster children, domestic violence, human trafficked individuals, grief-assistance, veterans, addiction and substance abuse, mental health services, and differently abled persons. We also offer Strength Within the Pack, focusing on teamwork and leadership skills. Two professional educators, both retired teachers, work together to bring new and innovative programs to the community. Our educators are creating fun lessons incorporating the STEAM criteria.

Population(s) Served
Veterans
People with disabilities
Children and youth
Non-adult children
Adults

Shy Wolf Sanctuary, Education and Experience Center presents educational programs on exotic animals in captivity and the wild. We relate the animals to people through the rescue stories, share lessons learned, and the importance of animals in the wild to the ecosystem. Our professional educators and staff do many community presentations on Living with Wildlife, Protecting Wildlife, DNA and Behavioral Challenges, Responsible Pet Ownership, New Guinea Singing Dogs and Dingoes, and Coyotes. If you can come up with a topic relating to wildlife, we can offer a professional presentation.

Population(s) Served
Non-adult children
Health
Adults
Children and youth
Veterans

We rescue captive-bred exotic and un-releasable wild animals with nowhere else to go. Shy Wolf fills a niche or void left between domestic animal shelters, zoos, and wildlife rehabilitators. These animals would be euthanized and are typically deemed unadoptable by shelters. In February 2021, we rescued nine New Guinea Singing Dogs from a single situation in Illinois, where the animals were outside in sub-zero temperatures. These canines are primitive and still found in the wild only in Papua New Guinea. Our ability to coordinate a large scale rescue, veterinary care, and rehoming of so many unique canines is a testament to the staff and volunteers.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Economically disadvantaged people
Incarcerated people
Victims of disaster
Veterans

Where we work

Awards

Number of free participants on field trips

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Adolescents, Children, Preteens

Related Program

Educational Programs & Healing Hearts Visits

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Visits to the sanctuary stay pretty consistent due to the limited availability and group size. In 2020 we shut down from March through August due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Number of animals rescued

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Veterans, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims of disaster

Related Program

Rescue and Sanctuary

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

These are the animals brought to the sanctuary or adopted through us. We network many other animals across the state and country.

Number of animals in collection

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Rescue and Sanctuary

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

We've rescued more animals, placed and adopted more animals, but several of our residents have not accepted a new companion when one has passed.

Number of animals provided with long term care

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Rescue and Sanctuary

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

These animals stay at the sanctuary or with fosters and the numbers stay relatively consistent from year to year.

Number of clients participating in educational programs

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Children and youth, People with disabilities, People with diseases and illnesses, Veterans

Related Program

Educational Programs & Healing Hearts Visits

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

2020 Pandemic greatly impacted our educational program outreach, despite going online with presentations.

Number of clients reporting increased knowledge after educational programs

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults, Children and youth, People with disabilities, People with diseases and illnesses, Veterans

Related Program

Educational Programs & Healing Hearts Visits

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

All visitors are asked to relay at least one thing they learned new at the end of the visit. We have 100% participation in this mini-quiz exercise.

Number of animal adoptions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Rescue and Sanctuary

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

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.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary is looking to acquire at least 20 acres for a much needed new facility. SWS is currently located on private residential 2.5 acres with approximately 60 animals. The new facility will help us become a valuable resource for the community. With that new move, funding for a full time Executive Director position is essential to operating the new sanctuary. SWS will continue to grow and provide the best experience possible for visitors to be educated on the importance of nature and animals in our lives through a unique opportunity to interact with the animals directly. SWS will be handicap accessible and ADA compliant. 1. Emergency Hurricane Shelter - SWS will be able to provide shelter for the residents of Animal Services during times of catastrophic events. The new buildings at SWS will be certified to protect against hurricanes that register as a Category 5. The existing shelters for Animal Services are currently built to Category 3 standards and SWS will be able to temporarily accommodate these animals provided there is an event over a Category 3. 2. Emergency Wildfire Shelter - SWS can also assist in the sheltering of animals that may be stuck in the path of wildfires. 3. First Responders - Animals could also be sheltered for those who are first responders during disasters such as fires, floods, and storms when most others evacuate. 4. FWC Resource - The new facility could also be used as a temporary housing facility and can administer vet care for animals that have been seized by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. 5. Panther Conservation Program - SWS could provide a rehabilitation site for injured Panthers as part of the FWC Panther which are currently transported to Jacksonville, Tampa, or Miami. 6. Law Enforcement - SWS will have training and exercise opportunities for K-9 units including water features, agility course, buildings to “clear”, and community service opportunities for low risk offenders. 7. Tourist Destination - SWS is already a popular destination for the current residents of Florida as well as visitors worldwide. These guests will come to visit, eat and stay overnight. SWS will be a unique draw to local tourism and enhance many different kinds of businesses locally including other tourist activities. 8. Community Partnerships - Children of all ages will be encouraged to participate in the programs that are offered. SWS works hard to provide educational programs and field trip opportunities for elementary schools and extracurricular programs such as Boy & Girl Scouts, and camera clubs. These could be expanded to a camping experience. 9. Learning Center & Meeting Location - The Educational Center will be equipped with a classroom enabling larger groups to gather and learn. Other organizations could benefit from this as a meeting room as well. 10. Community Service & Education - SWS already works with high schools and colleges to provide community service opportunities to their students, student project opportunities for many different areas of study, and internship opportunities in several fields including Biology and Wildlife Management. SWS has a strong relationship with FGCU and UF and can only hope to build on that partnership through enhanced opportunities offered during and after the move in planning and research.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary will take advantage of the substantial growth of interest in the plight of exotic animals. We will capture the interest of those concerned with environmental issues and provide programs for public involvement. The growth of the SW Florida population brings new residents ready to learn about wildlife and to connect with animals in new ways. To achieve our objectives, SWS is seeking strong donor support. Start-up funds will be used to build the facilities, erect the habitats and enclosures, purchase related equipment, purchase additional fixed assets and supplies, and provide initial operating capital. Our objectives are: 1. To raise the estimated funds required to build a state of the art facility. This will be an ongoing process funding the planned development in phases. 2. To begin construction of new facilities by 4th quarter 2022 and be fully operational for wolf encounters by the 3rd quarter of 2024. 3. To become a premier educational facility and tourist destination. 4. To assist the local community’s economy in areas of education, conservation, leisure, tourism, and fun. 5. To rescue, rehabilitate and provide sanctuary to abused, neglected, and injured exotic animals.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary has added a full-time Operations Manager, two part-time professional educators, a Volunteer Supervisor and Volunteer Coordinator part-time staff positions. Filling these roles helps expand our fundraising, community volunteerism, events, and educational outreach programs in our local community and across the online world. We have also expanded our events and fundraising committees. With new foundations and existing foundations’ increased financial support, we are forming new programs with partners like The David Lawrence Center. Educational experiences and art programs form healing heart connections with those individuals who share life experiences similar to our rescued animals at the sanctuary. Our Executive Director graduated from Leadership Collier in 2021 with 41 other classmates, formed new strong bonds with a variety of community members, learned about additional ways we can impact and partner with our community, and recruited three new board members through the program.

Shy Wolf Sanctuary has made tremendous progress by attaining an agreement to purchase 17 acres zoned commercially for our future facility.  We have not yet achieved that facility but have identified useable land, gained community grass roots support, formed a partnership with the county in achieving our goal through the land acquisition process and commissioner support, and are in the process of getting the land rezoned for our use. The rezoning should be completed by October 2021 and we will close on the property by year-end. We will be launching a capital campaign in 2022 and are lining up professionals to assist in the planning and running of it.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time

Financials

SHY WOLF SANCTUARY EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE CENTER 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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Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

SHY WOLF SANCTUARY EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE CENTER INC.

Board of directors
as of 10/21/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mrs. Beth Swiderski

Naples Team Sports

Term: 2021 - 2022

Shane Biltz

Treasurer

Deanna Deppen

Executive Director

Beth Swiderski

President

Chris Lombardo

Director

Paula Hughes

Director

Andrea DeKoff

Secretary

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? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 10/21/2022

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

No data

Transgender Identity

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 10/21/2022

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
Policies and processes
  • We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.