ONE TAIL AT A TIME
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
An estimated 1.5 million cats and dogs* are killed in shelters across the U.S. every year, simply because they don’t have a place to call home. *Source: Best Friends Animal Society
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Rescue & Adoption Program
OTAT values helping the most vulnerable populations of shelter pets (e.g. big dogs, senior dogs, sick dogs, parvo puppies, injured cats and kittens) and finding solutions to help them live and be loved.
One Tail at a Time has rescued more than 11,000 animals since 2008 and provides ongoing resources and support to each one of its adopters.
Chicagoland Rescue Intervention & Support Program
One Tail at a Time manages the shelter diversion program at Chicagos largest open admissions facility, Chicago Animal Care and Control. The Chicagoland Rescue Intervention & Support Program (CRISP) is a coalition of local rescue groups working together to keep pets out of the shelter since May of 2016. CRISP provides free services to help Chicago pet owners keep their pets instead of surrendering them. If it isnt possible to keep a pet in their home, CRISP works to place these pets with a rescue group or no-kill shelter to bypass the city shelter completely. In the summer months, CRISP also hosts free vaccine clinics in under resourced Chicago neighborhoods.
Isolation ("ISO") Program
One Tail at a Time has created a robust Isolation ("ISO") program that focuses specifically on saving dogs exposed to contagious illnesses in Chicago's city shelters. These dogs must be isolated for a 2-3 week period prior to adoption, creating barriers between the dogs needing most saved and the groups eager to save their lives. One Tail at a Time has built a robust network of "ISO" Fosters and opened an Isolation Center to act as a temporary safe haven for dogs exposed to contagious illnesses.
Pet Mutual Aid
One Tail at a Time Pet Mutual Aid (“PMA”) is a combination of community-centric programming aimed at sharing our resources with our neighbors across Chicagoland. We combine the love of Chicago’s pet owners and the knowledge of their neighborhoods with our resources to fulfill One Tail at a Time’s mission of making pet ownership joyful and accessible for all.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animals rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Rescue & Adoption Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric describes our intake, including dogs and cats.
Number of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Rescue & Adoption Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric describes the number of adoptions for the year for the dogs and cats that we rescue.
Number of senior dogs (9+ years) rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Isolation ("ISO") Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This metric describes the number of senior dogs aged 9+ that are rescued. The broader figure (aged 7+) further describes our efforts. Many come from the city shelters or are owner surrenders.
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?
One Tail at a time aims to end pet homelessness by making pet ownership a joyful and accessible experience for all.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Compassion for all animals and the people who care for them. We aim to foster a non-judgmental environment to build bridges and relationships with our community to help keep pets out of the shelter and in the homes where they are loved.
Community engagement and participation in all our programs. We aim to empower our community to be the change they want to see and rely on our volunteers to provide daily care in foster homes and our facilities.
Vulnerable populations are a priority for rescue and support. We aim to deliver programs focused on finding the most vulnerable populations of animals including big dogs, senior dogs, sick dogs, parvo puppies, pitbulls and neonate kittens, and delivering solutions to help them live and be loved.
Progress and growth every day. We aim to consistently be on the front lines of progressive policies and programming in the animal welfare community, knowing that change is made by taking risks, challenging the standard and always thinking differently.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
One Tail at a Time’s impact is (and always has been) made possible by the unwavering support of the community around us.
As of 2021, more than 4,000 volunteers are active in caring for animals at One Tail facilities, as well as those animals in foster care. Passion and intense dedication from staff leadership are met with unparalleled support by board members, each board member being an expert in their respective fields. More than 8,000 individual donors (including over 2,300 monthly donors) provide the year-round financial health and sustainability needed to provide both routine and emergency care for every animal rescued.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In 2007 Heather Owen, One Tail at a Time’s President and co-Founder, visited Chicago Animal Care and Control for the first time. That year, the city shelter was euthanizing more than 13,000 animals in those walls. The visit was an inspiration to become involved in the animal rescue community and be part of the solution. The next year One Tail at a Time was born inside an Albany Park apartment among five friends.
We started as a backup plan for animals that were not getting adopted or rescued by other groups in the area shelters. Over the years we have experienced consistent and steady growth, being among the top transfer partners for both open access shelters in Chicago and having a robust transport program in which dogs are continuously rescued from southern states in need.
Our growth was, and continues to be, due to the overwhelming support received from the community. Volunteers lined up to foster and care for dogs, take on leadership roles, and make sure that One Tail at a Time become a name recognized throughout the city.
In 2015 our growth led to the opening of our first brick and mortar location, the Adoption Center. Since the opening of the Adoption Center community involvement has been at an all-time high. That growth led to the start of the neonate kitten program as well as our shelter diversion program that keeps pets with their families.
In 2016 we started the “ISO Program” which assists pets in our city shelters that are exposed to shelter illnesses. This vulnerable population of animals was experiencing higher rates of euthanasia and we made the decision to focus on their needs. In 2018 the ISO House was opened, which is a temporary stop over for sick animals coming from the shelter before they move to foster homes.
As of 2021 One Tail at a Time hosts a bustling pet adoption program, an Isolation Program focusing on Chicago’s dogs exposed to potential illnesses in city shelters, pet pantries with top human service organizations in our city, and leads the Chicagoland Rescue Intervention & Support Program, a local rescue coalition that is the only operating shelter diversion program at Chicago’s largest intake shelter.
Looking ahead, One Tail at a Time is taking next steps to increase our intake capacity and expand community programming, while continuing to focus on our organizational health and sustainability.
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
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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.
ONE TAIL AT A TIME
Board of directorsas of 01/10/2024
Heather Owen
Amelia Stephens
Charles Schwab
Tyler Schehl
Citadel LLC
Fran Federman
Ventas, Inc.
Rachel Rader
Anthem, Inc.
Jill Terralavoro
Euromonitor International
Cara Schwalbach
One Tail at a Time
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
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Gender identity
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Transgender Identity
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Sexual orientation
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Disability
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