JACKSONVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY
Generosity breeds joy.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Jacksonville Humane Society provides care, comfort and compassion to animals in need while engaging the hearts, hands and minds of our community to bring about an end to the killing of abandoned and orphaned shelter animals.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Pet Adoptions
JHS finds loving homes for nearly 9,000 companion animals each year at our Adoption, Education and Pet Help Center in Jacksonville, FL.
Humane Education
The Jacksonville Humane Society provides humane education and outreach to the Jacksonville community. Our humane education programs include camps for youth in grades 2-12, and Pawsitive Reading, an afterschool program where youth read to shelter animals. We partner with several youth-focused providers in the area (MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation, Sulzbacher Village, Sanctuary on 8th) to visit their after-school program and bring Pawsitive Reading on the road for children who cannot otherwise come to JHS.
Veterinary Services
During COVID we updated our veterinary practices to offer mobile pet vaccination and wellness clinics in underserved neighborhoods. We also offer no-cost veterinary care to families that are facing crisis in an effort to keep pets at home and out of shelters. We serve roughly 600 pets via these services each year.
Pet Enrichment & Behavior
The Jacksonville Humane Society provides behavior assistance to struggling pet owners including a behavior helpline, public classes covering responsible pet ownership and positive reinforcement training. Our behavior staff also works to enrich the lives of our shelter animals and improve their health and wellbeing.
Pet Safety Net
JHS provides pet retention services to keep pets healthy, happy and in their homes. This includes, but is not limited to, a pet food bank, veterinary care, emergency boarding, and rehoming services.
Florida Leaders in Lifesaving
JHS is hard at work to reduce shelter euthanasia in Florida by providing mentoring services and learning opportunities to animal shelters statewide through our member coalition, Florida Leaders in Lifesaving. This involves monthly training at our facility and an annual leadership summit.
Veterans Programs
Our program for veterans, called "Paws and Stripes", is a unique program designed to help members of our military give back to their community or even transition to a new career! We offer volunteer opportunities and a paid career training program to current and former members of the military.
Where we work
Awards
Innovative Thinking in the Community 2015
Jacksonville Non Profit Center
Affiliations & memberships
Best Friends Animal Society Advancement Award 2020
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Pet Adoptions
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
JHS is open for adoption 7 days a week, 363 days a year. All pets are spay/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated prior to adoption.
Number of families served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Pet Safety Net
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
JHS provides free and low-cost resources to pet owners in need through our safety net programs that keep pets and people together in times of crisis.
Number of clients participating in educational programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Humane Education
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
JHS offers educational programs for children ages 5-18. The programs were put on hold in 2017 for the construction of our new building. They now include a reading program, camp, and field trips.
Total number of volunteer hours contributed to the organization
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Humane Education
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
JHS provides volunteer opportunities to a wide variety of citizens in our community. We also partner with other agencies such as The Arc and the Jacksonville School of Autism for volunteers.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
The Jacksonville Humane Society provides care, comfort and compassion to animals in need while engaging the hearts, hands and minds of our community to bring about an end to the killing of abandoned and orphaned shelter animals.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Jacksonville Humane Society is a leader in lifesaving. In order to end the killing of shelter animals, we offer the following services to our community: open and affordable adoptions, pet safety net resources, low-cost or free veterinary care, and humane education. While under the care of JHS, all animals receive compassionate treatment including veterinary care and enrichment. JHS partners with many organizations in our community and nationwide to save the lives of pets in need and serve the families who love them.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Jacksonville Humane Society (JHS), founded in 1885, is the second oldest non-profit in the city of Jacksonville. In 2005, JHS officially became a no kill animal shelter. Shortly after, we formed a coalition with First Coast No More Homeless Pets and Animal Care and Protective Services to make Jacksonville a no kill city. In 2014, that goal became reality and Jacksonville became the nation’s largest no kill city. In 2014, 91% of all animals who entered the shelters left alive. In 2015, thanks to continued partnerships, we raised that number to 93% and have sustained it since. In 2017, JHS opened the doors to our brand new Adoption, Education and Pet Help Center. We are proud to provide the community with pet adoption, humane education opportunities and resources for pets and people in need.
The mission of the Jacksonville Humane Society is to provide comfort, care, and compassion to the homeless animals in Jacksonville while engaging the hearts, hands and minds of our community. JHS strives to be a resource for both pets and their owners. In 2022, JHS accomplished the following:
• Provided compassionate care to 8,470 pets
• Provided resources for pets to 5,309 low-income families
•Performed 5,696 spay and neuter surgeries
• Served 1,921 children via our humane education programs
In 2015, JHS was awarded the Innovative Thinking Award from the Northeast Florida Non-Profit Center for our role in making Jacksonville a no kill city. JHS and our partners have been nationally recognized for our efforts by organizations such as Best Friends Animal Society, the Humane Society of the United States, the ASPCA, PetSmart Charities and the Petco Foundation. JHS was recently tapped by Best Friends Animal Society to lead the way in helping Florida become a no kill state.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
JHS was founded in 1885 and is proudly serving our community in Jacksonville, FL. JHS provides a variety of services including pet adoption, pet retention services, and humane education. JHS closely partners with our city municipal shelter, Animal Care and Protective Services, to maintain a live release rate of 90% or higher for our city.
JHS has recently begun working with other shelters to help increase the live release rate throughout the state through a program called Florida Leaders in Lifesaving. By providing assessments, mentorships, and shadowing opportunities, JHS is working to help save the lives of pets throughout the state of Florida. This innovative partnership model is a pilot program with the chance to be replicated throughout the nation. JHS is proud to share and learn from our colleagues to change Florida from the state with the 4th worst euthanasia numbers in the nation to the state with the least.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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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 identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild 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.
JACKSONVILLE HUMANE SOCIETY
Board of directorsas of 01/19/2024
Lise' Everly
Cici Anderson
Marsh Landing Country Club Realty
Linda Stein
Board Member Emeritus
Abel Harding
Iberia Bank
Gary Meeks
Community Advocate
Sean Lueck
Florida Blue
Jay Voelker
PGA Tour
Marc Munago
VanTrust Real Estate
Susan Song
VyStar Credit Union
Andrew Steif
Gunster Law
J. Wayne & Delores Barr Weaver
Honorary Board Member
David Stein
Honorary Board Member
Betty & Tom Petway
Honorary Board Member
Kristine Cherek
Honorary Board Member
Kirk Larsen
Honorary Board Member
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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
Organizational demographics
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
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/08/2022GuideStar 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
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- 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.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- 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.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.