Kitsap Humane Society
RESCUE *REHABILITATE *REHOME
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The needs of homeless animals in our community and region remain great and KHS has an increasingly vital role to play.
How easy it is to forget how animals were once warehoused into "pounds" and in some places still are. About 2.4 million adoptable cats and dogs - about one pet every 13 seconds - are put down in U.S. shelters each year. That's unthinkable to us. We want to do more.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Progressive Animal Welfare
Kitsap Humane Society's programs include pet adoption counseling, companion animal adoptions, animal care information, emergency animal rescue, humane education, animal assisted therapy in area nursing homes and assisted living facilities, care for stray, abandoned, abused and unwanted pets, animal cruelty investigations, livestock rescue, mobile adoption outreach and no-cost senior adoptions.
Kitsap Humane Society
In 1908, a group of visionary individuals formed the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which later would evolve into the Kitsap Humane Society.
According to Almeda Harris Wilson, a co-founder of today’s Kitsap Humane Society, the early SPCA effort “went into oblivion” until World War II. During World War II, the population of Kitsap County, particularly in Bremerton, increased dramatically due to the war industries located there. The pet population increased proportionally. Often, the pets were abandoned when the owners relocated. While volunteers rescued some homeless animals, too many unfortunate pets were merely exterminated by law officials.
Wilson recalled that by 1950 the problem with stray animals became critical. After several efforts to reactivate KHS, in 1961 Wilson succeeded.
A group of concerned individuals convened and, after research and planning, presented a proposal to various county and city officials. Ordinances were written and accepted. While the building KHS operated was neither adequate nor suitable, the organization was back in operation.
In the late sixties, land for the construction of a new shelter near Charleston Beach became available. The shelter was built and then enlarged in 1971. By the mid-eighties, the needs of the animals surpassed the capacity and capabilities of the Charleston Beach site. In 1988, construction started at the current shelter location on Dickey Road in Silverdale. The move to the new building was completed by June, 1989.
Today Kitsap Humane Society serves Kitsap County and beyond, and cares for dogs and cats, small pets (like rabbits and birds) and occasional livestock.
KHS is an independent, nonprofit organization. While it contracts with Kitsap County and Kitsap municipalities to provide animal control services, the majority of funding for the operations of the shelter and vet services comes from private donations.
Animal Control
Kitsap Humane Society’s Kitsap Animal Rescue and Enforcement Department provides contracted Animal Control Services to the following municipalities: Unincorporated Kitsap County, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Port Orchard, Poulsbo.
Code enforcement for animal issues including animals running at large, unlawful feeding and dangerous animals
24/7 emergency call response
Animal cruelty investigations
Assistance to fire, medical and police
Removal of loose livestock from roads
Small to large disaster planning/response
Animal noise complaints.
Where we work
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
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 goal is to be one of the best animal shelters in the nation, saving as many lives as possible and becoming an increasingly valuable resource to both our local community and the animal welfare community regionally. That is why we exist!
Our vision is that every adoptable companion animal has a home. We serve as the principal and most prominent animal welfare and safety net organization in Kitsap County and adjacent areas of the Olympic Peninsula for lost and homeless pets.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Beginning in early 2014, we began to implement various new and progressive strategies to enhance and expand our lifesaving programs. Central to our strategy was the launch and subsequent expansion of our transfer program, as we began to bring in animals from other shelters from within our state, regionally, and nationally. We built solid partnerships with many smaller and larger shelters and other rescue partners. We leveraged grants and relationships with ASPCA, Petco, and Best Friends (and other sources) to help us expand our transfer efforts – growing from virtually no transfers in 2012 to 2,298 transfers in 2018. While this program started out by transferring in primarily dogs, we have diversified to help our regional partners save more feline lives.
To support our fundamental goal to rescue and save more animals, we also enhanced our behavior and Veterinary medicine programs, and more than doubled our utilization of foster homes. We upgraded marketing and social media outreach, e.g. expanding Facebook followers from 5,000 to nearly 36,883, which helped bring in more adopters and supporters. We expanded our outreach presence both locally and in neighboring communities, helping us to achieve 5,668 adoptions in 2018.
Since 2008 we improved our save rate from 82% to 97%, one of the highest save rates in the nation.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
In 2018, we successfully found homes for 6,487 animals (which includes
strays returned to owners).
* Adopted 5,668 pets.
*Performed over 5,753 spay/neuter surgeries including 2,366 for pets in low-income families.
* In 2018, through our Rescue Me program, we transferred in over 2,298 at-risk pets
from overcrowded shelters around the region and
supported 1,225 pets in foster care.
* The volume of animals coming through our doors every year equals those of much
larger shelters in major cities, yet we operate with half the budget.
* Our work has earned us recognition regionally and nationally as one of the most
progressive animal welfare shelters of our size – with a 97% save rate.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Kitsap Humane Society is transforming animal welfare in our our region by saving thousands of animals annually through compassionate, individualized, lifesaving care. We have elevated our work to a level that continually exceeds national standards in animal sheltering.
Our vision is that every adoptable companion animal has a home. We serve as the principal and most prominent animal welfare and safety net organization in Kitsap County and adjacent areas of the Olympic Peninsula for lost and homeless pets.
Annually we successfully find homes for over 6,000 animals and performed over 5,753 spay/neuter surgeries.
Through our Rescue Me Program we transfer in over 2,000 at-risk pets from overcrowded shelters around the region and support over 1,200 pets in foster care. On average 17 animals rehomed every day.
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 collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, 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 demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We act on the feedback we receive
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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
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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.
Kitsap Humane Society
Board of directorsas of 05/05/2023
Sandra Butler
PSNS-Bangor
Term: 2022 - 2024
Lori Oberlander
Ronald P. Morse
Sherry Appleton
Katherine DeBruyn
Sandra Butler
Shannon Orr
Scott Menard
Russell Young
Glynnis Sio-Kleinfelter
Denise Steele
Linda Scibilia
Linda Gonzalez
Rana Tan
Vanna Gilles-Lombardi
Stacy Taylor
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
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/07/2022GuideStar 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 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.
- 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 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.