HEARTS ALIVE VILLAGE
Giving Animals a Voice
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Hearts Alive Village works hard to combat pet homelessness and vulnerability in our area. Las Vegas has one of the highest intake shelters in the country. Our local, open-admission shelter takes in approx 80 animals a day as strays, owner surrenders, and confiscations. Not all of those animals will make it on adoptions due to health, age, or behavioral concerns. Rescues like ours focus on the most at risk of being killed in the shelter due to these issues. Shelter intake from specific zip codes reveals a lower income population in need of services to help stem the tide of animals coming into the system. We understood from our inception that we cannot rescue our way out of this problem. It was critical for us to get "up stream" of the crisis and prevent a pet needing emergency rescue. Access to low cost services, humane education, and other pet related resources are lacking for a city of our size. Our focus programs help address specific issues.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Kendall's Kupboard
The HAV pet food and supplies bank, Kendall's Kupboard, helps provides nutrition to pets who's family's need assistance. When hard times hit, it's hard on everyone. Along with food, we offer pet supplies such as bedding, leashes and collars, grooming supplies, crates, etc. Our food bank's only requirement to continue receiving assistance is that the pets are spayed an neutered. If our clients need assistance with spay/neuter surgeries, we are there to offer to alter their pets at a low or no cost option. In 2020 we were named the regional distribution center for Nevada, when it comes to distributing food.
Solutions Over Surrender
We aim to help community animals by offering assistance to families who are struggling financially to meet the needs of their pets. Helping with low cost or no cost spay and neuter, shots and microchips and minor to emergency medical is just a part. We also offer supplies like collars, tags and leashes as well as crates. We have a partnership with a trainer who can help a family deal with challenging behaviors. The goal of this program is to offer ways to keep the pets in the home and out of the shelter system.
Fostering and Adopting of Pets
Las Vegas has a population of 650,000, with a poverty rate of approximately 14 percent, and an increasing homeless population, which is also at 14 percent and climbing fast (2017 US Census Report). Many people live on fixed incomes. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association there are an estimated 91,250 dogs and 76,000 cats that reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It’s our mission to fight daily to ensure pets are given a second chance at life by taking care of their medical and behavior issues before placing them back out in a home. At any given time, Hearts Alive Village will have as many as 100 cats and 50 dogs in our care and on a treatment plan. During certain times of year, such as when cats are reproducing at a higher volume (kitten season) this number can triple.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of animals with freedom from discomfort
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Solutions Over Surrender
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Hearts Alive Village Animal Clinic serves the most vulnerable animals in our community. Our focus is offering low cost care so people can access services and avoid surrendering to the shelter.
Number of animals rehomed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Fostering and Adopting of Pets
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Helping pet parents understand the importance of responsibly rehoming a pet&offering support when there are no other options, connects to our primary goal of keeping pets out of the shelter system.
Number of animals euthanized
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
HAV euthanizes for mortal injury/illness to relieve suffering directed only by our DVM. We focus on the most medically vulnerable so as our intake increases so may our euthanasia numbers.
Number of animals rescued
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Fostering and Adopting of Pets
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
HAV pulls animals from neighboring shelters, as well as take in owner surrenders. We bridge the gap when it comes to a safety net for animals on their way to becoming healthier and finding a new home.
Number of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Fostering and Adopting of Pets
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
HAV strives to adopt all animals rescued from our shelter with as short a length of stay as possible, Medical rehabilitation of senior pets and those pets whose owners can't care for them any longer.
Average number of days of shelter stay for animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Solutions Over Surrender
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
HAV focuses on adopting our pets as soon as they are healthy and able, striving for the shortest amount of time as possible.
Number of overall donors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Solutions Over Surrender
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
HAV is actively building our donor base, and also trying to get to know who our supporters are too. Our budget has been growing by adding programs, and we need to ensure our donor base does as well.
Hours of volunteer service
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Solutions Over Surrender
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
HAV can't do our life saving work without our amazing volunteers. We strive to increase the number of loyal volunteers and their hours each year.
Number of animals surrendered by their owner
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Solutions Over Surrender
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
HAV works hard to help those in need of options. We try and connect those who want to adopt with those who do have to relinquish a pet. We also provide other life saving services to pet owners too.
Number of meals provided to shelter pets
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Kendall's Kupboard
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
HAV also provides free food to pet owners in need, in order for them to keep their pets.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
Hearts Alive Village plans to grow our organization in phases over the next 10 years. We have striven to create a financial sustainability element with each new location, to engage and educate the public, and save more lives each year.
Goal 1: As of August 10, 2022 we have saved 7096 animals. Our goal is to continue to support the most vulnerable animals by pulling them from the shelter prior to being euthanized, helping families who have no other options, and saving them from the streets. Our primary focus for our rescue program will be shortening our length of stay for these animals, creating faster pathways to adoption and positive outcomes.
Goal 2: Hearts Alive Village Animal Clinic was developed as a response to the crisis of families struggling to access veterinary care in Las Vegas. The clinic opened in 2020 during the middle of a pandemic and a local and national veterinary personnel shortage. The clinic serves hundreds of community pets in need each month, but development of this critical resource has been a huge financial burden. Even if we had chosen to open a for-profit clinic in more certain times, we know that it could take years for a new practice to break even. The good news is that we have real-time financials guiding the growth of the business, and we are trending in the right
direction.
Goal 3:The most vulnerable population of animals in Clark County with the fewest resources for rehabilitation are large dogs with behavioral conditions. These are most often young, bully breed type dogs who take longer to get adopted and don’t do well in a kennel environment. For many of these dogs, the most important intervention is to be removed from the kennel environment. Unfortunately, there are too few foster homes and currently no alternatives for housing homeless dogs in Las Vegas other than in kennel environments.We have acquired 15 acres of land, 5 of which we envision octagon housing similar to Best Friends’ DogTown with the capacity to serve 100 dogs at a time. We believe this resource will be a critical part of achieving No-Kill Nevada 2025.
Goal 4: Development of our farm animal rescue is a priority. 10 acres of our 15 acre parcel is dedicated to horses and goats with experienced caregivers on property. 16 farm animals entered our care in 2021 including pigs,
goats, chickens, and our first horse. The majority of these animals were transferred in from our
city's open admission shelter. We continue to build accommodations and currently have 4 goats and 8 horses on the property. The next phase of the development for the first 5 acres is a large barn featuring stocks for medical
care, multiple pasture turnouts, and more stables. The 8400 sq ft barn has been delivered and we have submitted plans to the county for permit approval. We hope to have the barn raised by end of 2022. The second 5 acre phase has been fenced in and plotted for additional housing and turnouts.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Hearts Alive will continue to leverage the good reputation we have built to inspire community engagement. This year we adopted a comprehensive donor management system which will help us make the most of the support available to us. We plan on launching a capital campaign in 2022 for the next phase in our growth as well as launch our first peer to peer fund raising campaign. In addition, 3 new fundraising events will be added to our calendar.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Each phase of our development has a financial sustainability element which contributes to the viability of programs by helping to fund the administrative costs associated. This model has allowed us the ability to direct donated dollars to the immediate needs of our mission's focus.
Although we have business, legal, medical, and marketing talent currently involved, we are expanding our board of directors to include a diverse set of core competencies who can provide more comprehensive financial, marketing, technical, entrepreneurial, legal, and social service skills.
We are a Best Friends Network Partner and will continue to foster that relationship which has helped us achieve what we could not have alone.
Maddie's Fund has been presented with our growth plan. They granted us the salary for a full time Executive Director to help bring the vision to fruition.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
- Saved over 7000 dogs and cats from being lost in the shelter system.
- Distributed approx 6000 tons of dog and cat kibble to pets in need
- Assisted more than 1700 community animals with training, medical assistance, spay and neuter, and more.
- Taught more than 1000 children how to be responsible pet owners, approach animals safely, and be kind to all living creatures.
- We are the sole provider for veterinary forensics for all the jurisdictions in Southern Nevada.
We have successfully run a 2600 sq ft Adoption Center and Pet Supply Store for 4 years, open 7 days a week.
We have run a warehouse thrift store for 1.5 years and just opened a retail 2nd hand boutique and senior pet adoption center. We now have a low cost full service animal clinic serving a population who struggles to access medical care for their pets. We run one of the largest pet food banks in the country. Our horse rescue and sanctuary is under development and will house as many as 30 horses and as many goats and pigs.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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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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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
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 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
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
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.
HEARTS ALIVE VILLAGE
Board of directorsas of 02/25/2024
Heather Carpenter
Crystal Solis
Freddie Ramon
Term: 2013 - 2022
Terry Muratore
Legacy Animal Hospital
Heather Carpenter
Humane Society of the United States
Crystal Solis
Freddie Ramone
David Hammer
Retired
Alice Whitfield- Hammer
Retired
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
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 09/24/2020GuideStar 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 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 analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- 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 disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- 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.
- 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 have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- 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.