PLATINUM2024

SAFE DOGS BY THE RIVER

Building A Stronger Community One Companion At A Time! Love Your Dog. Love Yourself. Teach Your Self. Teach Your Dog!

Salem, OR   |  www.safedogsbytheriver.org

Mission

SDBTR offers direct services to those experiencing hardships, human and/or animal, as well as community education workshops, mini lectures, presentations, spay-neuter assistance and a large emphasis on responsible & ethical rescue & adoption services. We offer modern science and compassion based educational options for our rescues & adopters and marginalized communities such as veterans, seniors, LGBTQ+, BIPOC, those experiencing hardship, homelessness or extreme poverty with their companion animals, at no or low cost. We serve to provide support to all those in our community for companion animal training & behavior, nutrition & health, rescue & adoption and disaster readiness & relief.

Notes from the nonprofit

Without amazing community members just like you, Safe Dogs By The River could not offer services to those in need. We want to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude.

Ruling year info

2010

Executive Director

Chelsea Edwards

Main address

3365 River Rd S

Salem, OR 97302 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

90-0591559

NTEE code info

Animal Training, Behavior (D61)

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

Animal Related Activities N.E.C. (D99)

IRS filing requirement

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

Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

SDBTR supports companion animals in a therapeutic sense as well as companionship. As such we wish to support those that have least access to modern information and are the most vulnerable in our community. In teaching those that are experiencing hardships a new way to communicate with and engage their companion animals, it potentially cascades into personal interactions and may go on to improve the lives of both animal and guardian in many cases. As Katrina refugees, we understand the nature of disaster and work to help those most vulnerable to prepare and recover from disaster. We also understand the need for safe and stable dogs to come out of rescue and we perform compassion and science based rescue and re-homing of companion animals.

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?

What is My Dog Saying?

A free community showing of What is My Dog Saying teaches people about dog body language to educate the community to prevent dog attacks or bites.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Homeless people

Where we work

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Number of animals with freedom to express normal behavior

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

Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animals rehomed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of people converted to vegetarian or vegan lifestyles to reduce farmed animal consumption

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animals euthanized

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Decreasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures. 2020/2022 Euthanasia health related

Number of people no longer couch surfing or doubling up with others as a result of the nonprofit's efforts

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animals rescued

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animal adoptions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Total pounds of pet food and litter distributed

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures. 2017-2020 we assisted in Hurricane/Disaster Relief Efforts.

Number of trained volunteer dog-and-handler teams

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of site visits by dog-and-handler teams.

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animals spayed and neutered

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures. 2022 Intake of already desexed animals increased

Number of sheltered animals

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animals surrendered by their owner

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Number of animals returned to their owner

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

We are too small to reasonably make these measures.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

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.

SDBTR hopes to reduce the public health concern of dog bite incidents through offering modern educational tools; to diminish the suffering of companion animals as a result of outdated theories on training and engagement by offering modern, science and compassion based education; to help those most vulnerable to overcome obstacles to positive progress with their animals and in their lives by teaching new skills for communication, building confidence and overall offering support; to prepare for disaster and assist in post disaster communities; to rescue and re-home safe animals for long term success thereby reducing the number of animals in the shelter system or on the street.

Offering no or low cost educational options and support for training, behavior, nutrition and health for those experiencing hardships with companion animals.

One topic workshops in the community, educational materials at key places where dogs tend to congregate, community outreach direct to need, social media educational page.

Working with other community nonprofits, faith organizations, government agencies and indoviduals to expand our reach.

Creating educational materials for use by the community.

Outreach events such as Archaic Device Swap.

Attracting IT and fundraising volunteers.

SDBTR has a long history of continuing education that we wish to share with as many as possible from our community. We offer many materials from printed materials to audio books to power point presentations. Our passion for sharing education and helping those most vulnerable in our society drives us to do better and be better every day.

We have ongoing community support from trusted contributors, which we hope to expand.

SDBTR has successfully placed many companion animals, with a 95% rate of permanent placement.

SDBTR has educated and/or collaborated with many in the community, including but not limited to community members in need, practitioners, social workers, other nonprofits, rescues, dog professionals (groomers, walkers, vet techs, etc.) and anyone interested in continuing or beginning education.

We hope to expand our programs into more permanent structures.

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 demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
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 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

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

    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 demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), 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, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve

Financials

SAFE DOGS BY THE RIVER
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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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  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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lock

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.

SAFE DOGS BY THE RIVER

Board of directors
as of 08/22/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Lila Travis

Safe Dogs By The River

Term: 2010 -

Lila Travis

Safe Dogs By The River

Wendy Kohn-Koppel

Safe Dogs By The River

James Tully

Safe Dogs By The River

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? Not applicable
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • 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? No
  • 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? Not applicable

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 7/16/2022

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
Non-binary, Not transgender
Disability status
Person with a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 02/12/2021

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 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.
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 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.