WHIDBEY ANIMALS IMPROVEMENT FOUNDATION
WAIF’s Vision is to provide a safe and loving home for every companion animal.
Mission
To protect companion animals, provide compassionate care, advocate for their welfare and positively promote the human-animal connection.
Ruling year
1995
Executive Director
Cinnamon Hudgins
Main address
PO Box 1108 60 Rhododendron Park Rd
Coupeville, WA 98239 USA
EIN
91-1488861
NTEE code
Animal Protection and Welfare (includes Humane Societies and SPCAs) (D20)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
WAIF was founded in 1990 to respond to the homeless pet population on Whidbey Island in a humane manner. We practice a life saving philosophy in which no animal in shelter is euthanized for space or time constraints. We serve cats and dogs seeking loving, life-long homes on the island and beyond. We also seek to help low-income pet owners keep their pets by providing assistance with emergency medical needs and spay/neuter surgeries. We also provide pet food banks at several locations on Whidbey Island.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Companion Animal Sheltering, Care, and Adoption
We serve as a managed intake animal shelter. We have two animal sheltering contracts on Whidbey Island. One with Island County, the other with the City of Oak Harbor. We take in strays from the public and owner surrenders.
Spay/Neuter Coupon Program
Provides discounted fees for Spay/Neuter surgeries for the pets of low-income pet owners. Services provided local Whidbey Island Veterinary Clinics.
Emergency Medical Assistance Program
Provides medical assistance to pets of low-income pet owners. This allows the pet to remain in the home rather than be surrendered to a shelter because of inability to pay for needed medical attention.
TNR Program for Feral / Community Cats
Similar to Spay/Neuter Coupon program, but specifically for feral/community cats. Provides discounted fees for surgeries for cats that are then returned to the colony they came from.
Educational Workshops for School-Age Children
Provides basic information for keeping children safe around unknown animals, and how to be a responsible pet owner.
Winter Shelters for Community Cats
Beyond providing services for domestic cats, our animal welfare philosophy extends to protecting the vulnerable cats in our community by providing winter shelters for community cats. Community cats do not fare well being indoors or in a shelter environment. These are provided free of charge to local caretakers of community cats. These shelters are refurbished totes and are fully insulated for protection in the winter months.
Where we work
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Companion Animal Sheltering, Care, and Adoption
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Adoptions have decreased but we are currently seeking an adoption increase in 2022.
Number of animals euthanized
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Companion Animal Sheltering, Care, and Adoption
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of released animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Companion Animal Sheltering, Care, and Adoption
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This reduction is attributed to the COVID pandemic and we saw a significant decrease in intake.
Number of sheltered animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Companion Animal Sheltering, Care, and Adoption
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Number of animals spayed and neutered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Companion Animal Sheltering, Care, and Adoption
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Prevent A Litter Coupons redeemed (s/n subsidy).
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Spay/Neuter Coupon Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of low income pet owners given medical assistance for their pets.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Emergency Medical Assistance Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
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?
In follow up to our mission, our goal is to maintain a life-saving sheltering environment and to continue the decline in intake of homeless animals through offering an expanded spay/neuter program which will include free surgeries for community/feral cats on Whidbey Island.
Our aim is to have every pet belonging to a loving home.
WAIF continues to educate public outreach with pet safety in mind, responsible pet ownership, emergency preparedness, behavior training, and off-site booths and exhibitions.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
WAIF has organized a "Program/Operations" committee made up of volunteers, staff, and board members to address community concerns and opportunities. We are in the beginning stages to assist open admission shelters with deployment of a transfer program, and we are curating relationships with animal organizations on how we might be able to help to give animals adoption opportunities.
In addition to our CATsNIP program, we are also planning a program to house community/feral cats on Whidbey Island by providing free tote sized shelters for those wanting to humanely protect their community cats in their neighborhood. We have also created another program called "Break the Cycle" to spay pregnant cats after they have given birth. The cat will be spayed for free with financial assistance provided by WAIF with local partnerships with participating island veterinarians.
WAIF is also a current member of Washington Federation of Animal Care & Control Agencies (WAFED) and its executive leadership is a member of Pet Alliance of Washington. This group of animal shelter leadership virtually meets monthly to discuss trends, challenges, and solutions for Washington state animal shelters/
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
WAIF now has a new 12,000 sq. ft. shelter complete with a Spay/Neuter Clinic, that is currently being maintained at half full. Capacity for housing has been greatly enhanced from previous old shelter on County property (formerly a dog pound rather than shelter). Additionally, a separate Annex building has also been constructed on the ten acre property for educational and training needs of animals and people. So, physical capacity for expanded programming on the island is now established.
The challenge is in developing the funding for school-age programming, Spay/Neuter surgeries to community/feral cats, and to expand the number of shelter staff to house additional companion animals in need.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
By national standards, WAIF continues its longstanding "No Kill" status (90%+ Live Release Rate). In 2021, our live release increased to 94.8%. We have been recognized by the National No Kill Advocacy Center as one of only three Washington animal shelters as a "Saving 90 Community".
Due to the COVID pandemic and increasing economic insecurities experienced by some our of community members, we have increased our emergency medical assistance vouchers and spay/neuter coupons by 50% to help those in financial need.
In 2021, WAIF won "Best Nonprofit" and "Best Thrift Store" on Whidbey Island.
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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Who are the people you serve with your mission?
The people we serve are those who can no longer take care of their pets, those who need financial assistance with pet needs, the community as a whole to mitigate the overpopulation of feral cats, and those seeking a companion animal.
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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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What significant change resulted from feedback?
Our CATsNIP programs was created to address the community's concern about the overpopulation of community (unowned cats). Though temporarily suspended due to COVID, we have allocated funding for those who want to reduce the overpopulation of cats with financial assistance redeemed with participating veterinarians. In addition to our CATsNIP program, we have also created a new program called "Break the Cycle" for cats. This program is designed to spay female cats for free after they have given birth to a kitten litter. WAIF provides the financial means to provide the spay surgery through a participating veterinarian and WAIF will assume responsibility for kitten litters. This includes medical care, spay/neuter surgeries, and subsequent adoptions into homes.
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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
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
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
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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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
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WHIDBEY ANIMALS IMPROVEMENT FOUNDATION
Board of directorsas of 11/15/2022
Serene Armstrong
Banking
Term: 2018 - 2023
Mona Galope
Retired, Banking
Anne Bobinac
Heritage Bank
Nikki Enters
Real Estate/Title Co.
Serene Armstrong
Banking
Clayton Fleming
Retired
David Bieniek
Retired
Shelly Knapp
Banking
Joan Shott
Retired
Lindsay Kelley
Banking
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:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
Equity strategies
Last updated: 07/01/2022GuideStar 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 review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- 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 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.
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