PLATINUM2023

Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals

New England's premier horse shelter

aka The MSSPA; the Society   |   South Windham, ME   |  www.msspa.org

Mission

The mission of the Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals is to protect the health and welfare of neglected and abused equines.

Ruling year info

1942

Executive Director

Kathy Woodbrey

Main address

P.O. Box 10

South Windham, ME 04082 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

01-0212545

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

Blog

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?

Horse Shelter

The Society uses its resources to provide direct care to animals who have suffered abuse. The Society promotes humane treatment, training and use of animals through education and hands-on experiences. It collaborates with other animal serving agencies to maximize the resources of all.

The MSSPA is unlike any other animal welfare facility in New England. Originally formed in 1872 to protect the horses who pulled Portland's streetcars, the Society now provides around-the-clock on-site staffing, has access to veterinary services twenty-four hours a day, and maintains dozens of horses on its farm facilities. Horses in the MSSPA’s care have been removed from abusive and/or neglectful situations by Maine law enforcement and placed at the Society’s farm facility, where they receive refuge and rehabilitation. Once the horses are restored to their best health, the next step is training. Thereafter, the horses become available for adoption.

Population(s) Served

Maine Horse Matchmaker is a free rehoming service hosted on Facebook that was created by the MSSPA to help Maine horses find new homes. Matchmaker is intended to be used for no-fee adoptions, not for sales.

Population(s) Served

The MSSPA offers a Feed and Care Bank to provide temporary, emergency assistance to Maine horses in need. Funds may be used towards hay, feed, farrier or dental services, routine vaccinations, and veterinary care. The Feed and Care Bank allows horses to remain in loving, healthy homes and avoid other interventions.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Adults
Adults

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

EQUUS 2018

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 animal adoptions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Horse Shelter

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The ultimate goal is to find each horse its right home.

Hours of volunteer service

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Horse Shelter

Type of Metric

Input - describing resources we use

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

MSSPA relies heavily on volunteers in its day-to-day operations. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteer service during 2020 and 2021 was severely impacted.

Number of animals rehabilitated

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Horse Shelter

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

These are the total number of animals receiving care at the MSSPA or in its foster homes in a given year

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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.
  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Equine owners, equine adopters, animal lovers, veterinarians, farriers, district attorneys, humane agents, volunteers, general public

  • 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

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    The MSSPA recently underwent an extensive strategic planning process to inform the future development of the organization. Part of the process was the collection of feedback about the organization from a wide variety of constituents. This feedback was used to develop a 5-year strategic plan to help the Society grow and flourish in the years to come.

  • 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 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

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals
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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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  • 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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Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals

Board of directors
as of 05/09/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Jane Sheehan

Debbie Valenti

Nurse, Retired

Kevin Mahoney

CFO, Retired

Amy Starnes

Chief Innovation Officer, Best Friends Animal Society

Margaret Wheeler

Adjunct Faculty, Veterinary Technology, University of Maine, Augusta

David Jefferson

DVM, Maine Equine Associates

Joseph McCarthy

Merchant Marine, Retired

Roger Timmons

Code Enforcement Officer, Retired

John Trafton

Farrier, Retired

John Lescure

Financial Advisor, Retired

Jane Sheehan

CEO, Retired

Sawin Millett, Jr.

Legislator, Retired

Staci Nisbett

Business Leader

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

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 5/9/2023

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

Leadership

No data

Race & ethnicity

No data

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 03/07/2022

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 ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.