Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals
New England's premier horse shelter
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
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.
Maine Horse Matchmaker
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.
Feed & Care Bank
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.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
EQUUS 2018
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
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
Reports and documents
Download strategic planHow we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
Equine owners, equine adopters, animal lovers, veterinarians, farriers, district attorneys, humane agents, volunteers, general public
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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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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.
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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 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
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
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.
Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals
Board of directorsas of 05/09/2023
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
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
No data
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/07/2022GuideStar 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 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.