Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, Inc.
A Boutique No-kill Shelter With Happy Cats And Happy Endings
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
AWLMC works to reduce the number of homeless cats and kittens in Montgomery County, thereby reducing euthanization rates, through fostering and adoption to loving homes.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Shelter and Foster Care
Up to 20 cats are housed in our Shelter, and additional cats and kittens are in volunteer foster care homes.
Low Cost Spay/Neuter
Provide $100 off spay/neuter certificates to Montgomery County residents, in partnership with participating veterinary hospitals and the Montgomery County Humane Society.
Chompers Pet Food Assistance Program
Help families affected by the current economic climate keep their pets fed so they don't have to consider surrendering their companion animal to local shelters.
Hope 4 Paws
Providing grants to low-income residents of Montgomery County, MD to aid in their payment of extraordinary feline veterinary bills so that their cats do not have to be abandoned, euthanized, let die or suffer. Grantees are provided up to $1,500 paid directly to the vet for services rendered after validation of residency and low-income qualification.
Where we work
Awards
Spay Day USA Award 2010
Humane Society of the United States
Spay Day USA Award 2011
Humane Society of the United States
Spay Day USA Award 2012
Humane Society of the United States
National Feral Cat Day Award 2011
Alley Cat Allies
National Feral Cat Day Award 2012
Alley Cat Allies
Emerging Nonprofits Workshop Series 2010
Jewish Community Relations Council
Affiliations & memberships
Humane Society of the United States 2005
American Humane Association 2005
External reviews

Photos
Videos
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 Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, an all-volunteer, no-kill cat shelter in Gaithersburg, Maryland, strives to find homes for adoptable cats. These come from owner surrenders, the Montgomery County Animal Services and Adoption Center (MCASAC) and other rescue partners, and the Montgomery County Community Cat Coalition which traps community or outdoor cats and seeks fosters for kittens young enough to be socialized, unclaimed strays, and abandoned pets. AWLMC fosters these potentially adoptable cats, obtains necessary vet care and spay/neuter services from our participating vets, and adopts them out to loving homes when they are ready to make that transition. This keeps these cats out of the county shelter, benefiting the cats, the shelter, and county taxpayers.
AWLMC also offers a free cat and dog pet food bank for qualified residents, reduced cost spay/neuter certificates, and education on responsible pet ownership.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
AWLMC picks up cats and kittens that are deemed adoptable (healthy, non-feral strays and abandoned animals) from high-kill shelters and fosters them for at least 10 days for cats and semi-permanently (until adopted) for kittens so as to spay/neuter, treat them for endemic parasites such as fleas, worms and other common ailments, embed microchips for identification, and advance the animals' ability to live with existing cats and dogs so that they are more adoptable when shown in the unique free-range shelter located in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Kittens are cared for through weaning and spay/neutering and then kept in foster environments to ensure they are healthy so they can be successfully adopted. All cats and kittens are treated by certified veterinarians and given all appropriate shots for their ages. Potential adopters are vetted carefully so that cats and kittens successfully remain in their new homes well treated and are rarely returned to the shelter.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
AWLMC is a volunteer organization with approximately 150 members working in teams to provide fostering support as well as adoption counseling, cat and kitten enrichment and socialization support, health checks, intake selection, outreach work and to maintain the house where the cats are given free-range in five large, airy rooms. AWLMC is a strictly no-kill shelter with several programs that enhance the adoptability of its feline residents: 1) low-cost spay/neutering; 2) CHOMPERS Pet Food Bank offering low-income residents access to donated wet and dry pet food for dogs and cats; 3) Foster and Shelter of cats and kittens; and 4) Hope 4 Paws that provides grants of up to $1,500 to low-income residents of Montgomery County, MD to help defray the cost of non-standard veterinary care.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
AWLMC has a current capacity to shelter up to 20 cats at a time in its 12 Park Avenue, Gaithersburg, Maryland house. An equal number of kittens and cats are fostered in volunteers' homes at the same time. Each year, the organization has been able to take in and have adopted from 100 to almost 200 cats and kittens, reaching a cumulative total of adoptions of almost 2,400 cats since its launching in 2005. In addition, each year for the past 12 years, AWLMC has awarded approximately 2,500 low-cost Spay/Neuter certificates. The CHOMPERS Pet Food Bank has given out approximately 24,000 pounds of pet food to 1,100 pet owners of which 24 percent were senior citizens. AWLMC is constantly recruiting new volunteers to replace the number of people who retire from fostering and/or work at the Shelter or behind the scenes. AWLMC is constantly developing new ways to support the healthy lives of cats and kittens in the community as well as benefit county residents. It's newest program is Hope 4 Paws that is currently in start-up mode getting ready to raise the required funds to support low-income families with their feline vet bills so that cats are not abandoned or relinquished to shelters. AWLMC also continues to increase geographic area from which it takes in cats and kittens. Increased training of its volunteer staff ensures that its cats and kittens stay healthy and are successfully located into forever homes.
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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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.
Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, Inc.
Board of directorsas of 2/25/2021
Ms. Jacqueline Wilson
Nona Silver
Jan Armstrong
Harold DeWeese
Doris Bryant
Darlene Basch
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? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
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Race & ethnicity
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Gender identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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