Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The Kaua`i Humane Society has served as the only open-admission animal shelter on the island since 1952. KHS is often the first and last hope for any stray or injured animal hoping to be reunited or matched with a family. The pet overpopulation issue is a very real concern here on the island, especially since many residents do not own their own homes and most landlords will not allow pets, resulting in hundreds if not thousands of four-legged friends being abandoned or turned out into the community.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Adoptions and Animal Services
Animal Management Services for the County of Kauai
Pet Adoptions and Lost Pet Reunions
Lower Cost Public Spay/Neuter Clinic with free services for qualified low-income residents
Humane Education and Critter Camp
Private Pet Boarding and Quarantine Services
Dog training and animal behavior support
services
Kauai's only off leash dog park
Thrift Store
County of Kauai Animal Management Services
Animal management services for the County of Kauai and subsidized pet spay/neuter and ID services for low income residents.
Where we work
Awards
Best Nonprofit on Kauai 2009
Garden Island Survey
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
Related Program
Adoptions and Animal Services
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of animals adopted
Number of animals rehomed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Adoptions and Animal Services
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Number of animals transferred to a mainland partner shelter to increase opportunities for adoption and decrease the length of time in a shelter environment.
Number of sheltered animals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Adoptions and Animal Services
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Number of animals surrendered to KHS or strays awaiting adoption.
Number of animals returned to their owner
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Adoptions and Animal Services
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of bags of pet food distributed to households
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Related Program
Adoptions and Animal Services
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of pounds of food given to community members in need for their pets
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 average annual intake is over 2,000 animals. We work tirelessly to save the lives of our shelter animals through adoptions and transfers while supporting and educating pet owners in our community about responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay and neuter, vaccines, responsible pet ownership, and more.
KHS is working towards becoming a pet resource-centric facility as opposed to a "holding center" in line with best practices of animals making this transition nation-wide.
This means we are working towards offering more services to the community that helps them to keep their pets in their home. We are doing this by offering more affordable and free spay/neuters, vaccines, and microchip clinics, as well as free pet resources such as food and supplies for those in need. We've offered several free rotating clinics within the community and on site.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Kauai Humane Society works hard to keep animals with their owners when life circumstances threaten to separate them, as bringing animals into the shelter should always be a last resort. KHS runs a variety of programs to serve both two and four-legged island residents, including low-cost spay and neuter, a limited Spay and Neuter Assistance Program (SNAP) for low-income residents, monthly low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics, Emergency Boarding for pets, Cremation Services, and the Gomez Galley Pet Food Bank. Prior to COVID-19 we also set up partner relationships with many mainland shelters where we could transfer animals to another shelter to increase the chances of adoption as our adopter pool is limited here on the island. These programs were on hold due to the pandemic, but are slowly ramping up again.
This year KHS accomplished it's first in-house transfer of 201 animals to individual adopters and rescue partners in Seattle, WA. We have begun monthly transfers to rescue partners on the mainland and have begun working with airline companies to offer affordable off-island adoptions on the West Coast.
We have plans to create a community clinic beginning in 2022 which would be an entire separate building on the property entirely dedicated to offering low-cost veterinary services to the public.
We've also received funding this year to be able to allow victims of domestic violence to shelter their pets and have a safe, separate place to visit with their pets while seeking help.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We work tirelessly to save the lives of our shelter animals through adoptions and transfers while supporting and educating pet owners in our community about responsible pet ownership, including the importance of spay and neuter. We also support pet owners in our community when life circumstances threaten to separate pets from people, as surrendering animals into the shelter should always be a last resort. KHS runs a variety of programs to serve both two and four-legged island residents, including low-cost and deeply subsidized spay and neuter, monthly low-cost vaccination and microchip clinics, Critter Camp for kids, Hunter Education, Direct Release, Emergency Boarding for pets, Cremation Services, Pet Bereavement Support meetings, and more. KHS currently has 10 board members, 40 staff members (this includes full time, part-time, and seasonal), and 144 active volunteers. Many of our services depend on the generosity of individual donors, foundations, as well as the revenue-generating services we provide to the community. We have a contract with the County of Kaua`i for animal control services which accounts for approximately one-third of our annual budget. We generate the remainder through donations, grants, commercial sales, and services provided. With the COVID-19 travel restrictions and mandatory quarantine we lost two of our most vital sources of income for the majority of the pandemic– the “Direct Release Program” and the “Field Trip Program.” As the only rabies-free state, Hawaii has strict protocols for animals coming into the state, and KHSʻ Direct Release program ensures they are met.
KHS has adapted to the challenges of the pandemic. We held a virtual gala this year that brought in $200,000 in funds, the most successful gala yet. The achievements of the last couple of years has reinvigorated donors who haven't donated in several years.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
KHS's live release rates in 2020 were at 91.7%. In 2021, our average live release rates have been above 98% for most months out of the year, officially achieving a no-kill status in 2021.
We helped to pass legislation this year that requires all pets in the county of Kauai to have microchips instead of pet licenses.
KHS has offered more public spay and neuters, and low-cost vaccine and microchips clinics than ever before.
KHS also assisted Greater Good Charities with coming to the island to fix 1,700 cats. GGC will be returning in 2022 to continue their work here as well.
Next year, we are hoping to begin breaking ground on renovations to our facilities to improve the housing of the animals in the shelter, the veterinary suite, and the layout of the building, as well as adding onto the property the community clinic for the public and community cat housing in an effort to protect the fragile ecosystem of Kauai.
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.
KAUAI HUMANE SOCIETY
Board of directorsas of 11/04/2021
Dan Giovanni
Kurt Last
Ann Hayashi
Alicia Iverson
Koloa Rum
Pat McGrath
Kauai Community College
Dana Rhoden
Howard Appel
David Cohen
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
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
No data
Gender identity
No data
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data