Washington Humane Society
Animals. People. Community
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year, for a wide variety of reasons. Some animals are strays, while others are surrendered by owners, often due to behavior issues and costs associated with health issues. Each year, approximately 1.5 million shelter animals are euthanized and approximately 3.2 million are adopted. In addition to homelessness, and the threat of homelessness due to the rising cost of veterinary care, animals also face threats of violence, cruelty, and neglect.
The Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) exists to protect and provide positive opportunities (including adoption) for homeless animals, provide financially struggling people with the resources they need to keep their pets healthy and at home, build awareness that will counteract neglect, fight deliberate cruelty, and build compassion and the human-animal bond.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Sheltering and Adoptions
As the only open-admission animal welfare agency in our nation's capital, HRA provides critical services 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. HRA never turns away a DC animal for any reason, and we place no time limits on an animal's stay in our care. We operate two full-service Adoption Centers in Washington, DC, where we house up to 400 dogs, cats, and other animals on any given day. We also rely on a large network of dedicated foster families who provide a home for animals that may be overwhelmed by shelter life or have specialized medical needs. In 2016, HRA created 5,486 new families through adoption and housed 1,056 animals in foster care.
Veterinary Center
HRA's Oglethorpe facility is home to both a Medical Center that offers high-quality, low-cost medical treatments to privately-owned animals, as well as a new high-volume surgical suite that is utilized for our spay/neuter clinics and shelter animals. Through generous gifts from donors and granting organizations, we are able to offer free preventive and emergency care to owners who would otherwise have to surrender their beloved pet.
Behavior and Training
A common reason for pets being returned to animal shelters is an existing behavioral problem that keeps the pet from living successfully in a home. We work to prevent these returns by giving every animal a behavioral assessment before they can be made available for adoption. The opportunity for learning doesn't end with adoption; HRA offers affordable group and private training sessions to teach pet guardians the best practices in obedience training and eliminating problematic behaviors.
Humane Law Enforcement
Since 1870, the Washington Humane Society has been tasked with protecting the animals of the District from abuse and neglect. Our HLE officers work closely with the Metropolitan Police Department to rescue animals and apprehend abusers, bringing them to justice through the court system. In 2016, our HLE officers protected 3,506 animals in DC.
Safe Haven
In homes where there is domestic abuse, it's not just the people who are at risk - animals are often targeted, as well. We offer 24/7 help for victims of domestic violence who are concerned about the safety of their pets.
Animal Care and Control
HRA contracts with the government of Washington, DC to provide animal control services for the entire city, including sick or injured wildlife. Last year, our Animal Control officers touched the lives of 22,077 animals.
Shelter Animal Relief Effort
HRA partners with shelters locally and regionally through our Shelter Animal Relief Effort (ShARE) Program. Through the ShARE Program, HRA assists overburdened shelters by transferring animals from partner shelters to our facilities. In 2016, we received 1,217 animals from partner organizations.
Help Out, Partner, and Engage
HOPE is a community-based initiative that provides people and animals in traditionally underserved areas of DC with important resources. We offer a variety of pet services to program clients at no charge, including spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, food and other supplies, and behavior/training assistance. Through door-to-door outreach and community events this program provides a critical lifeline that helps keep pets in loving homes and out of shelters.
Humane Education
As part of the HRA Humane Education program, a dedicated humane educator visits DC-area elementary schools to promote kindness and compassion toward both animals and people. Students are invited to tour our facilities with their school groups, and follow a specially crafted curriculum that teaches responsibility and helps students feel empowered to give their voice to animals. In 2016, 1,250 young people were reached through humane education.
Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program
The Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program (CatNiPP) is aimed at addressing the needs of the thousands of community cats living in the District and of the people who co-exist with them. Feral and stray cats who are not good candidates for adoption are trapped, vaccinated, sterilized and ear tipped -- the universal symbol for a community cat that has been spayed/neutered. 1,879 cats were trapped, neutered, and released in 2016.
Where we work
External reviews
Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animals spayed and neutered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Veterinary Center
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We spay and neuter all shelter animals and provide free and low cost services to the community, and for community cats across DC and northern New Jersey (as of 2019 for NJ).
Number of animals rehomed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Sheltering and Adoptions
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of animals adopted to homes or transferred to partners from our shelters in Washington, DC and northern New Jersey (as of 2019 for NJ). Our Live Release Rate is 90-95%
Average number of days of shelter stay for animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Sheltering and Adoptions
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Our average length of stay for both cats and dogs. We track this metric regularly to ensure we are achieving our goal of providing animals with adoption opportunities.
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?
HRA is the premier animal welfare organization in the District of Columbia and among the largest in our region. Our top priority is the care and safety of animals in the District. We never turn away a DC animal, and never place time limits on the amount of time they need in our care to find permanent homes. Every day, we work toward the goal of a world where all animals are wanted and supplied with basic veterinary care, healthy food, companionship, and none are abused or neglected. This vision is not only the best outcome for animals, but also for human beings. We work primarily in the District of Columbia, but partner with other organizations both nationally and internationally to tackle issues like the rising cost of veterinary care, population disparities of animals like dogs and cats (which leads to too few in some regions, and far too many in others), and challenges of urbanization.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
HRA's comprehensive set of programs and services encompass our strategies for success. These programs include - sheltering and adoptions; veterinary services; animal care and control; humane law enforcement; behavior and training classes; Help Out, Partner, and Engage (HOPE) program; Safe Haven; humane education; Cat Neighborhood Partnership Program (CatNiPP); and Shelter Animal Relief Effort. You can find detailed descriptions of each in the programs section of this report.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
HRA is well positioned to carry out our current programs and expand strategies to reduce animal homelessness, build the human-animal bond, and address emerging issues. Because of the merger which created HRA in 2016, the District of Columbia is now one of a very few urban areas in the U.S. where all animal-community needs are met under one roof. We see the full scope of needs across our community, and can use that knowledge to fine-tune our current programs and create new ones. We also have strong partnerships with other organizations, including local animal welfare groups, national animal welfare leaders, and regional community service groups, which enables us to share our expertise and to benefit from that of others. With an experienced and visionary CEO and a dedicated Board of Directors, HRA is committed to saving more lives, more comprehensively serving our community, and becoming a national model and resource.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
HRA completed a major merger in 2016, bringing together our city's two biggest animal welfare groups. Also in 2016, we successfully ran a comprehensive set of programs, reaching across our region.
Over the next three years, HRA plans to grow both by expanding our programs and developing our new facility in Southeast DC. We hope to open the facility by 2021 or 2022, and from it better serve a wide community on both sides of the Anacostia River. The new facility itself will be a community gathering place, where people strengthen their bond with animals. It will be a hub for low-cost veterinary care and adoptions.
In addition, we will work with national and international groups to take on some of the biggest issues in animal welfare (and human-animal interactions), including the rising cost of veterinary care, and the need to transport animals from overcrowded, rural shelters to urban areas where adopters are more plentiful.
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 act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, We don’t have the right technology to collect and aggregate feedback efficiently, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
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.
Washington Humane Society
Board of directorsas of 06/30/2023
Ms. Theresa Fariello
United Airlines
Term: 2017 - 2023
Nina Benton
NA
Priscilla Clapp
NA
Louie Dweck
NA
Theresa Fariello
United Airlines
Lisa LaFontaine
Humane Rescue Alliance
Drew Willison
Oldaker & Willison
Gwyn Whittaker
GreenFare
Mary Schapiro
Bloomberg LP
Joseph Howe
Arnold & Porter
Erica Scherzer
Cynthiana Lightfoot
Children's Natl Health System
Lori Smith-Johnson
DC Health
Alicia Batts
Biddle & Reath LLP
Vince Moretti
M&T Bank
Connie Olson
Deloitte & Touche LLP
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
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