Looking Glass Animal Rescue Inc
Saving Lives and Completing Families
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Looking Glass Animal Rescue is an award-winning nonprofit volunteer-based animal welfare organization dedicated to rescuing animals from high-kill shelters, hoarding situations, puppy mills, animal fighting rings and more. While we welcome all animals in need, we specifically focus on animals that are often overlooked due to age, breed, special need, illness or injury and frequently requiring immediate, often costly medical attention that shelters are unable to provide.
Without a rescue outlet, these animals would otherwise be euthanized due to their issues. Looking Glass Animal Rescue looks past these issues, seeing these animals not for what they are today, but what they can become tomorrow – healthy, happy family members with tons of love to give.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Foster Caregiver
Fostering animals in need of permanent homes is an essential part of this organization. An LGAR foster home provides a stable, loving environment for a dog that has run out of options in the shelter system. Foster caregivers will provide much needed socialization and basic training that will make their foster dog more appealing for adoption and increase the odds of a successful transition into a permanent home.
Adoption
Looking Glass Animal Rescue’s goal is to place homeless dogs into loving, permanent homes and families. We take special care to match the right home with the right dog, ensuring a lifetime of love for both the pet and the adopter. To ensure the best matches are made, we have a process that has been proven effective in determining the best homes for our animals. Our adoption process may seem time consuming or unnecessarily complicated, but please understand that we have our dogs’ best interests at heart. We strive to find the best homes possible for our dogs, as well as find the right dog for adopters and their lifestyle.
Where we work
Awards
Top Nonprofit 2020
Great Nonprofits
Nonprofit 2020
Best of Ridgefield
Top Nonprofit 2019
Great Nonprofits
Nonprofit 2019
Best of Ridgefield
Top Nonprofit 2021
Great Nonprofits
External reviews
Photos
Videos
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
Population(s) Served
Age groups, Families
Related Program
Foster Caregiver
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Estimate
Number of animals rehomed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Families
Related Program
Adoption
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We took on a lot more high-expense medical cases.
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?
Hundreds of animals are euthanized every year due to overpopulation, irresponsibility, and sadly, cost. This is particularly true with animals who suffer medical ailments, many of which are treatable yet they are often deemed “unadoptable" and withheld from public view. These animals, in particular, suffer the worst fate because they sit in pain and fear with no hope of ever being given a second chance at life. Because of this, we have developed a special focus within our rescue to save as many of these animals as we can. Veterinary expenses alone can range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on the severity of the condition which is often unknown at the time of pull. Yet, in spite of these costs, our mission for every animal we pull into our rescue is to provide the most advanced medical and pain management treatments possible in an effort to ensure the best outcomes for these previously neglected and broken animals. Every dollar we raise goes toward this mission.
In addition to treating their acute medical needs, every dog and cat rescued will be spayed/neutered, disease tested, microchipped, and vaccinated as soon as possible in an effort to give them the best opportunity for a healthy, happy life. When people do decide to foster an animal or adopt from us, they should expect the animal will remain well and not pass disease to their resident pets.
Lastly, for each animal that we place, we provide extensive education on how to transition the animal into its new life. Basics like crate training, housetraining, obedience training, and the best ways to introduce resident pets are integral to the success of the relationship. When necessary we will also engage professional trainers for those animals that need specific behavior modification in an effort to help them and their new family position themselves for success. Our goal is to ensure that all of our animals become cherished and welcomed members of their new families for the remainder of their lives.
In addition, we believe that sometimes in rescue, it's not just about "saving a dog or cat" and bringing them into our rescue. Sometimes it's about helping a good owner who has exhausted all funding to try to save their precious companion leaving them no other choice but to euthanize. Wherever possible, LGAR will work to cover their medical costs through online fundraising and crowdfunding sites in an effort to keep these families together.
We can only continue to do this with the help of our wonderful donors and volunteers.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our marketing strategy is based on exposure from social media and developing relationships with local vendors and media outlets.
Goal: Build a rescue center in the heart of our most needy rescue region - Louisiana. This will allow us to save more animals and provide consistent care for those most disadvantaged outside of our foster homes.
Goal: To establish and continually increase the number of online supporters to find new adopters and donors.
Goal: To increase partnerships that can provide visibility, co-marketing, and in-kind donations where applicable
• Target Audience: local vendors
o Strategy 1: Community Fundraising
o Strategy 2: Corporate Sponsorship
o Strategy 3: Plan adoption events in different parts of the community multiple times in the year
o Strategy 4: Schedule meeting with local Animal Control officer to develop a partnership program
Increase in number of volunteers, events, and adoptions
Goal: To increase media coverage to grow public awareness about the organization.
• Target Audience: TV, newspaper, online communications, and general public
o Strategy 1: Send out press releases
o Strategy 2: Schedule media interviews
o Strategy 3: Cultivate relationships with the media to become a resource for specific issues
• Performance Measure: We would like to have at least four stories in the media each year
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
All the work of the organization is performed by volunteers. We have no paid employees. We take a conservative approach to finances to keep the overhead as low as possible. Our aim is to use the majority of our funds for the care of the animals and remain fiscally solvent.
- We have over 25 foster homes throughout the regions we operate. We continue to look for ways to increase our foster capabilities through word of mouth, advertising, partnership with community organizations, other (smaller) rescues, animal control officers, regional shelters, as well as social media.
-We are in the process of remodeling a building in Louisiana, one of the most critical areas we support, which will be converted to a rescue center with a quarantine facility, indoor and outdoor play areas, runs, and a bathing area.
-Our operating budget has increased year-over-year due to increased fundraising efforts and adoptions giving us the opportunity to serve more of the communities we support.
- We have hired a bookkeeper/accountant.
- We have hired a web designer and social media consultant
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Progress is ongoing and iterative. We have successfully rescued, rehabilitated, and placed in forever homes over 2,000 animals since our inception in Dec. 2015. We have established trusting relationships with some of the top animal behaviorists in our area and are given priority placement in these programs when our needs warrant. We have successfully established true partnerships with a number of veterinary partners and emergency facilities by which our animals are not only treated as if they are family but whereby the rescue is provided with substantially discounted services in an effort to allow us to save more animals in need.
In terms of volunteers, we have added to our roster of fosters and see an increase in repeat fosters over the last couple of years. Our placement counselor team has grown, doubling in the last 18 months. Our adoption numbers have increased measurably year-over-year consistently. Lastly, We were recognized with the Best of Ridgefield Award in the Non-Profit Organization category by the Ridgefield, CT Award Program for 2017, 2018,2019, and 2020. We have also been recognized as a Top Nonprofit by Great Nonprofits, a national organization, for the years of 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
-
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
-
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
-
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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to get honest feedback from the people we serve
Financials
Unlock nonprofit financial insights that will help you make more informed decisions. Try our 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.
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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.
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.
Looking Glass Animal Rescue Inc
Board of directorsas of 08/24/2022
Mrs. Jody Harris-Stern
Looking Glass Animal Rescue
Term: 2015 -
Mrs. Caren Harrington
Looking Glass Animal Rescue
Term: 2015 -
Diane Fossi
Looking Glass Animal Rescue
Jarrett Stern
Looking Glass Animal Rescue
Caren Harrington
Looking Glass Animal Rescue
Jody Harris-Stern
Looking Glass Animal Rescue
Board leadership practices
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 ? 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? Yes -
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:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/09/2022GuideStar 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 help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.