Humane Society of Central Oregon
Hand in Paw, Changing Lives
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
To end pet homelessness and suffering through education, adoption by striving to create stronger bonds between animals and humans.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Animal Protection and Welfare
Humane Society of Central Oregon is the only open admission shelter serving Central and Eastern Oregon. This means that we do not turn away an animal for any reason. Our HOPE Pet Food Bank serves 800-1000 families with pets annually, and provides more than 25,000 lbs. of pet food and supplies to local Food Banks. We also operate a thrift store that generates 37% of the support for the shelter. We have 470 volunteers and youth programs such as Tails for Tales and summer camps.
Where we work
Awards
Best Non Profit 2020
The Source Magazine
Best Non Profit 2021
The Source Magazine
Affiliations & memberships
Best Non Profit Award by the Source Magazine 2020
Best Non Profit Award by the Source Magazine 2021
Best Thrift Store Award by the Source Magazine 2021
Best Special Event Award by the Source Magazine 2021
External reviews

Photos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults, Children and youth
Related Program
Animal Protection and Welfare
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
These numbers include all animals that came to us that were either adopted, returned to owners, transferred to partner placement agencies or returned to field.
Number of animals spayed and neutered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Animal Protection and Welfare
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
These are surgeries performed on all animals going up for adoption, through our public spay and neuter clinic or community cats returned to the field.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn 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?
We work toward the placement of all adoptable animals, which means that we strive to find homes for every medically treatable and behaviorally sound animal in our care. We are the only open-admission shelter in the tri-county area; never turning away a pet for any reason. We want to keep animals with their owners, so we offer a pet food assistance program as well as a voucher system for low cost spay and neuters in addition to operating the Bend Spay and Neuter Clinic. Through educational outreach, we have increased the awareness about responsible pet ownership, the importance of micro-chipping, licensing and tagging pets and increased volunteer hours spent working with animals. We have a high return to owner rate due to these efforts. We have been implementing the Association of Shelter Veterinarian (ASV) Guidelines since spring 2011. We have increased the medical care and treatment that we put into animals to make them more adoptable.
The Humane Society of Central Oregon prides itself on being transparent and calculates live release rate several different ways including Asilomar Accords and ASPCA methodologies. We are committed to continuing our ability to place 90%+ of the animals that come into our care.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Evaluating the relevancy of policies and how it helps us place animals.
Ensure all animals receive enrichment while in our care.
Develop and maintain strong partnerships with foster volunteers and transfer partners.
Strategically planning for the growth in the human and animal population that our area is expecting in the next decade.
Increasing the number of donors and fundraising revenue generated year over year.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have strong executive, management and board leadership. We are a well-respected non-profit in our region with strong support from individual contributors. We have a diversified business model that includes revenues from our thrift store operations as well as service contracts for local law enforcement agencies. Our volunteer base has increased dramatically over the last eight years and volunteer hours served at our shelter and thrift store equate to almost 18 full-time positions. We have a strong partnership with Petco and have adoptable cats and small animals at their retail location.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
We no longer euthanize healthy feral cats, but instead spay or neuter them and return them to their home areas. We have implemented over 550 of the ASV Guidelines. To accomplish implementing the remaining guidelines requires remodeling our shelter. We have increased our live release rate to 82% in fiscal year 13-14 to 91% in FY 2019.
Anticipated challenges include having the space and funding to deal with an increased number of surrendered animals in an economic downturn or a large hoarding case located in the tri-county area. As the economy improves, and the local rental property rents increase, those that are having a hard time making ends meet and can't afford the high cost of living in our area, may make difficult choices about providing veterinary care and retaining their pets. We are working on a safety net for these pet owners, especially with the COVID-19 overlay and housing eviction moratoriums expiring in 2021.
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 Humane Society of Central Oregon assists people of all ages and economic backgrounds. HSCO provides low-cost spay/neuter assistance vouchers and pet food and/or litter assistance to pet owners with demonstrated financial need. We also serve as a community service program for court-mandated adults. HSCO offers humane education day camps throughout the year and a speaker program for schools and organizations. In addition, we attend many community events with our educational materials. Our donors range in age from youth hosting lemonade stands and bake sales for the animals to adults of all economic backgrounds.
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How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?
Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Suggestion box/email, Non profit survey for volunteers through UNCC,
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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 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?
Volunteers described that they didn't feel welcome by staff. We found out that staff were threatened by the work that volunteers could do and thought it might impact staff's hours. We then shared with staff the duties that were specific to volunteers and asked staff to start attending volunteer training as an hiring/onboarding component. We also did interviews with community members and other NPO's about gaps in services for pet owners and pets. We found that their is a need for a safety net program for people leaving domestic abuse situations so that they can get services while their pet is being taken care of. Emergency housing options in our area do not allow for pets to accompany their people.
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With whom is the organization sharing feedback?
Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,
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How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?
We've survey attendees to fundraisers regarding their experience and used the suggestions to make changes in the future. We've surveyed our donors for what programs and practices they'd like to learn more about. We've updated our outreach based on this information.
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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 take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, 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, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time, It is difficult to identify actionable 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
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.
Humane Society of Central Oregon
Board of directorsas of 4/5/2022
Marla Hacker
Marla Hacker
Kenneth Betschart
Mary Biehn
Tara Duncan
St. Charles Healthcare
Mario Riquelme
Matthew Schiffman
Emily Brick
Barb Cartmell
Joey Drucker
Michael Hancock
Micky Kramer
Ross Lundman
Grant Schultz
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? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/29/2022GuideStar 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 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 measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.