GOLD2023

Paws Helping People Inc

Unleashing human potential... One dog at a time.

aka UnChained   |   Soquel, CA   |  https://livingunchained.org

Mission

UnChained provides California’s central coast youth with the opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth while training homeless dogs in need of adoption. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara Counties, UnChained teaches youth how to train homeless dogs in basic skills, manners and socialization, helping the dogs become adopted into permanent homes while the youth learn valuable life skills.

Notes from the nonprofit

UnChained provides California’s Central Coast youth with the opportunity for self-reflection and personal growth while training homeless dogs in need of adoption. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in Santa Cruz, Monterey and Santa Clara Counties, UnChained teaches youth how to train homeless dogs in basic skills, manners and socialization, helping the dogs become adopted into permanent homes while the youth learn valuable life skills.

Ruling year info

2011

Interim Executive Director

Melissa Wolf

Main address

PO Box 441

Soquel, CA 95073 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

27-5502745

NTEE code info

Human Service Organizations (P20)

IRS filing requirement

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

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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?

Canines Teaching Compassion

Through its Canines Teaching Compassion program, UnChained teaches youth how to train homeless dogs in basic skills, manners and socialization, helping the dogs be adopted into permanent homes.

The youth develop values of patience, respect and responsibility for themselves and others, through the trust and relationship building with their dogs.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth
Adults

This program teaches youth about compassion, empathy, and future orientation through humane education focusing on dogs. Youth also get to learn how to be an active member of their community and advocate for change by learning the systems in their community that affect human-animal interactions.

Population(s) Served
At-risk youth

Where we work

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.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client 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 collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, 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 share the feedback we received with the people we serve, We ask the people who gave us feedback how well they think we responded

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback

Financials

Paws Helping People Inc
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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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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

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Paws Helping People Inc

Board of directors
as of 05/25/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Melissa Wolf

UnChained

Term: 2019 - 2024

Allison Darin

VP Marketing

Susan Skully

RN

Liz MacDonald

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Jennifer Matlock

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks

Martha Denny

President/CEO/General Manager - A2I, Inc

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 5/25/2023
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

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
Female
Disability status
Decline to state

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

No data

 

No data

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 05/25/2023

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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • 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 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.