FRIENDS OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL, INC
Improving and saving the lives of homeless pets
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We are volunteers at Anne Arundel County Animal Care & Control, a public, open-access shelter operated by the county police department. The shelter accounts for only 2% of the police department's budget and is such a minuscule amount that it does not even appear in the county's "detailed" budget documents. The shelter does not have funds for what many people would consider absolutely basic needs, such as a veterinarian to care for the thousands of pets it handles annually, or money for flea medications and other items that are basic needs for homeless pets that in many cases have been traumatized by being lost and/or abused. In addition to raise funds to help improve and save the lives of the thousands of pets that come to the shelter every year, we work hard to explain to the public how the shelter now does such a better job at saving lives than it did just a few years ago. Every adoptable pet now leaves the shelter alive, either with an adopter or with a rescue group.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Pay "pull fees" for rescue groups
To encourage rescue groups to take ("pull") animals from our shelter, we pay for fees that the rescue groups otherwise would have to pay for themselves, such as testing for heartworms in dogs or FeLV/FIV testing in cats, and microchipping animals. This allows these groups, most of which are volunteer-based and with very limited budgets, to help save more animals.
Treatment of ill/injured animals by outside vets
The shelter does not have a veterinarian on staff. To prevent animals from being euthanized because they are ill or injured, Friends of AACACC pays for them to be treated at outside veterinarians, who give us a sharp discount on their fees. We also pay for a vet to visit the shelter once a week.
Microchips for all cats and dogs adopted from the shelter
Because as shelter volunteers we see every day how microchips reunite lost pets with their owners, we now pay for ALL cats and dogs adopted from the shelter to be microchipped at no cost to their adopters.
Special pet foods for shelter animals
Many animals arrive at the shelter with health needs, such as as a skin condition, that benefit from prescription and/or specialty foods that the shelter cannot afford to purchase. The shelter also has no funds for kitten-specific food and kitten replacement milk. We pay for the food and also solicit donations from pet food manufacturers.
Improving life for animals at the shelter
We pay for a variety of items that make life in a shelter more tolerable for the animals, such as Nylabone and Benebones for the dogs and scratching pad and small plastic toys for the cats. We also purchase cardboard cat carriers for adopters who do not bring a carrier with them, and supplies for small pets such as rabbits and guinea pigs.
Where we work
External reviews
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?
Our primary goal is to enrich the lives of the homeless animals at Anne Arundel County Animal Control, to promote their adoption and rescue, and to reduce their euthanasia. We also strive to improve public awareness of the shelter's programs and successes.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We use social media and fundraising events, some at the shelter itself, to increase public awareness of the shelter and its needs and to improve the shelter's public image. In addition to raising cash, we encourage public and corporate donations of specific items needed by the animals. We testify at county budget hearings about the shelter's unmet needs.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have a strong team of volunteers with diverse backgrounds who each spend at least 16 hours a month at the shelter in addition to the effort on behalf of the Friends of AACACC. We have been able to tap into such resources as the local community college and the Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County to develop our fundraising and nonprofit skills, and we are active on social media, with more than 27,000 Facebook followers. We advocate for additional shelter funding during annual county budget hearings.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Every year we save the lives of an increasing number of seriously ill or injured animals that would have been put to sleep if we had not paid for their vet care. The number of animals being taken by qualified rescue groups has risen sharply since we began paying part of their "pull" fees so that they are free to the groups; more than 1,000 go to rescues annually during "regular" years (2020, with its covid restrictions, resulted in few animals coming to the shelter). We have provided kitten food and kitten milk replacement for the hundreds of kittens the shelter receives (it has no funds for kitten food), plus hundreds of doses of flea medications, which also are badly needed to provide relief for stray animals at the shelter. We paid almost $5,000 for sound-abatement ceiling tiles in the main dog kennel and more than $10,000 for new playyards for animals at the shelter long-term because they are part of court cases. We have provided equipment for the shelter's staff so they can do their jobs more efficiently and successfully solicited grant funds for specific animals that need expensive operations. Because the flow of homeless animals is never-ending, many of our projects also will never end, but overall we will continue to improve the quality of the care and the facilities at this shelter.
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.
FRIENDS OF ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY ANIMAL CARE & CONTROL, INC
Board of directorsas of 01/18/2024
Chris Weinstein
Donna Hilton
Anna Boardman
Chris Weinstein
Robin Nocar
Joshua Stivers
Nichole Dooley
Megan Kaplan Hendrick
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? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
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? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data