ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY INC
EIN: 23-7018176
Programs and results
Reports and documents
Download annual reportsWhat we aim to solve
Since 1967, the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) has played a crucial role in bringing pets and families together. In an average year, thousands of homeless and stray pets find Fear-Free, comfortable and humane care in our Adoption Center, ultimately going home with new families. But our job and our mission doesn't stop there. We don't just make families; we keep them together. We strive to provide the resources needed so pets and their families stay together, despite financial setbacks or limitations. Keeping pets at home - where they are loved - is the cornerstone of our mission. Programs and services include discounted fees for veterinary care to make care accessible and affordable to all, temporary pet boarding in times of hardship, food & supplies provided to the community, behavioral training resources and more.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Adoption
In the Adoption Center, we pair families or individuals desiring a companion animal with pets in need of a home. Companion animals we care for at the shelter include dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, gerbils, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs and other small animals.
Cleo Fund (Spay/Neuter)
Cleo Fund supports pet-owning Mainers who lack affordable or accessible veterinary care in their communities by providing financial resources and bringing veterinary providers to rural, underserved areas (called "veterinary deserts").
The program primarily supports income-qualified individuals who want have their pet dog or pet cat spayed or neutered, thus eliminating unexpected litters, which can be a financial challenge for many families and increase pet populations (and lead to overcrowding) in small rural animal shelters.
Canine Training & Behavior Program
We provide canine training classes to dog owners in our community. Classes range from Puppy Kindergarten to advanced agility courses. We also provide one-on-one consultations, behavioral assistance, and drop in social hours for dogs and their families. Our training team also works extensively with resident (shelter) dogs to keep them active and enriched while at AWS. With the knowledge and training we offer resident pets, we can provide counseling to interested adopters, with the hope of placing the dog in a home with a household and lifestyle that fits it best.
Community Veterinary Clinic
The Community Veterinary Clinic is a full-service, high-quality practice serving resident (shelter) pets and pets of community members. With a two-tiered pricing system, veterinary care is affordable to all, by offering reduced pricing for those who are income-qualified. The goal is to help owners keep the pet at home, rather than them having to make the heart-wrenching decision to surrender it to the shelter when limited financial resources prohibit needed emergency or preventative veterinary care. The clinic serves clients in Maine and New Hampshire. From time to time, the clinic veterinarians also offer vaccination clinics in the community.
Pets and Survivors to Safety
The Pets and Survivors to Safety (PASS) program operates in partnership with Caring Unlimited, York County’s domestic violence resource. If a pet owner seeks services from Caring Unlimited, their pet can be passed into the care of AWS temporarily, allowing the owner greater peace of mind to focus on securing their own safety and wellbeing.
Animal Transfer (Paws Across America)
Through PAWS Across America, the Animal Welfare Society receives adoptable companion animals from other shelters and rescue groups in need of help placing their animals. In many parts of the country, particularly in the South and Caribbean, there are far more animals in shelters than are adopted to the local population. This leaves local shelters with the unfortunate decision to have to put highly adoptable, healthy pets to sleep. PAWS Across America helps save these animals’ lives. Working with other non-profits, including rescue and transport groups, AWS brings these animals to Maine. Transporting animals from low demand locales to high demand locales is an extraordinary collaborative effort of the entire animal welfare community. We are honored to play a part in saving the lives of thousands of pets each year.
Youth Humane Education
AWS Youth Programs, led by a state-certified educator, provide interactive humane education lessons for children of all ages, both in the AWS Youth Programs Classroom and out in classrooms, libraries and school assemblies in our community. Our unique and engaging learning opportunities targets three important educational components: literacy, social-emotional learning and animal advocacy.
Humane education lessons incorporate companion animals to help children grow emotionally, socially, culturally and academically. Students who participate in AWS Youth Programs are more engaged in their community, more compassionate towards those around them, and more knowledgeable about animals and the world we share.
Specialty programs, often held in local classrooms or at school assemblies, support social-emotional learning curriculum in several area public schools.
Stay@Home
AWS' Stay@Home program is a suite of services available to qualified community members, including older adults and veterans, who need temporary support caring for their pets during times of unplanned financial hardship such as housing instability or displacement (eviction, house fire, etc), medical emergencies or unemployment. The program provides training resources, food, veterinary services, temporary boarding and other support as needed, with the ultimate goal of keeping the pet and its family together.
Animal Admissions (Re-Homing Services)
As a community animal resource, we support community members who seek to rehome their pet. By providing resources, such as behavior training, veterinary care, or food and supplies, can help a pet family make their home and lifestyle a better fit for their pet before the family considers giving up their pet.
If other re-homing resources aren't a solution, we offer animal admissions, where a pet owner surrenders their pet to AWS. After assessing the animal - providing all care needs - the pet goes up for adoption and finds a new home.
We also support families with unexpected litters though the Mother Spay Program. Once the litter is 8-10 weeks old, AWS spays the mother at no cost to the family and she goes right back home with her people. The kittens or puppies go through the animal admissions and adoption processes, quickly finding new homes.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
Charity Navigator - highest ranking 2023
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 spayed and neutered
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Social and economic status
Related Program
Cleo Fund (Spay/Neuter)
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Number of children reached by Humane Education programs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Age groups
Related Program
Youth Humane Education
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020: Stay at Home orders and school closures due to the pandemic led to many virtual learning opportunities.
Number of program graduates
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Canine Training & Behavior Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020: With Stay at Home orders due to the pandemic and social distancing, most group classes were not held. The training team provided extensive virtual content, reaching more than 2,400 families.
Number of medical exams and procedures provided by veterinarians (excluding spay/neuter surgeries)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Community Veterinary Clinic
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
2020: Despite a 3 month shutdown to non-essential services due to the pandemic, the Clinic saw more pets and provided more services than ever before.
Number of animal adoptions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Adults
Related Program
Adoption
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
2020-2022: The pandemic has reduced the number of animals arriving from the south. Additionally, families have found more time to train their pets, thus reducing requests for rehoming.
Number of groups/individuals benefiting from tools/resources/education materials provided
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Stay@Home
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of pet families served through the Stay@Home program, including temporary boarding, veterinary care, educational or training resources, food and supplies, etc.
Total pounds of pet food and litter distributed
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Stay@Home
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?
The Animal Welfare Society seeks to aid companion animals in need by offering intake services for pets in 18 local municipalities and operating a progressive Adoption Center to find these pets loving new homes. Additionally, AWS works with out-of-state rescue groups needing assistance placing their animals. The goal is to bring together pets and families though successful adoptions and reunions (for lost & found pets brought in by animal control officers).
In addition, AWS seeks to keep beloved family pets and their families together, despite temporarily financial setbacks or limitations. Despite the best of intentions, things can happen, and circumstances can change, impacting family members and their pets. We know this today more than ever with the pandemic, high inflation and housing affordability surfacing in the past few years. Budgets remain limited as the cost of living rises. For example, if a pet were to have an accident or an illness, many families would be challenged to provide veterinary care because it is so expensive. And in that case, the options are disheartening: either the pet goes untreated and suffers, the pet is humanely euthanized because the treatment is too expensive, or the pet is surrendered over to a shelter who agrees to pay for the treatment and re-home the pet. Pets are members of the family. As an animal welfare organization, we see every day how important pets are to peoples wellbeing and health mentally, socially and physical. The health benefits of having a pet are well documented in scientific studies and in anecdotal reports from the pandemic. Thus, we want to provide as many resources as we can to keep pets and their beloved family together.
Thus our Stay@Home program. Stay@Home is a suite of services available to qualified community members who need temporary support caring for their pets. Resources include behavior and training consultations, pet food and supplies, affordable veterinary services through the AWS Community Veterinary Clinic, temporary boarding in our animal shelter and other support as needed.
Through all AWS' programs and services, we support more than 10,000 pets and pet families in our community every year.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
AWS, an animal resource for pets and their people, offers:
-Adoption, bringing homeless animals and people together. Each pet is spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and examined for health.
-Pets and Survivors to Safety, offering pet care for victims of violence fleeing a dangerous situation.
-Transport Program (Paws Across America), bringing highly adoptable pets from overcrowded, under resourced shelters in other parts of the country/world to Maine for adoption.
-Youth Humane Education, teaching animal care and empathy in AWS youth classroom and schools.
-Canine Training classes by a professional staff. Group classes for dogs of all ages, breeds and abilities are taught by professional dog trainers, along with in-home private consults and one-on-one work.
-Spay/Neuter resources, offering vouchers and multi-day clinics, reaching the most underserved.
-In-house, full-service Community Veterinary Clinic serving pet owners in need with reduced fee care, ensuring that pet owners do not lose a pet due to veterinary expenses.
-Re-Homing Services, including working together to find resources for individuals needing behavioral, medical or other services to keep their animal at homes, spay/neuter services for unwanted litters, temporary boarding and animal admissions for pet owners who cannot keep their pet for any reason.
-Stay@Home, providing resources to maintain pet ownership and care, particularly for those facing financial hardship or housing insecurity. Resources include temporarily boarding, pet food pantry, complimentary veterinary care, training lessons and other supplies.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Through fifty years of innovation, work, and problem solving, AWS is well-equipped to meet the todays animal welfare demands. Our team is composed of more than 40 professionals, including veterinarians, licensed veterinary technicians, animal care staff, canine behavior staff, education staff, and administrative support staff.
Our work is at a leadership level across the state and the region, and our community of supporters is enthusiastic about our next steps in meeting our mission and serving our community's animal welfare needs.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In January 2018, AWS completed the first phase of a full campus renovation project. With community support, a 5,000 sq. ft. addition and a 9,000 sq. ft. renovation expanded the current in-house spay/neuter clinic to become a full-service Community Veterinary Clinic. The Clinic serves income-qualified pet owners by providing emergency and wellness care they otherwise would be unable to afford. A new canine training room, adoption lobby, and staff spaces rounded out the project. In its first full year, the Clinic saw more than 10,000 patients - providing thousands of surgeries and life-saving procedures, vaccinations and wellness exams.
IN 2019-2020, a remodel of the animal spaces took place. Cat kennels doubled in size, windows were added to the spaces and our cat community rooms received a full face-lift, complete with climbing apparatus. Our dog spaces saw the kennel chain link replaced by tempered glass and stainless steel. Kennel block were repaired, and the kennel floors were upgraded with a sealed epoxy. All animal spaces received streams of natural light and sound mitigating features.
In 2020 and 2021, despite the pandemic, AWS remained open for animal admissions, adoptions and veterinary care, though at a reduced capacity, based on state and federal guidelines and staffing. In 2021, AWS increased its community programs to work with more families in need of assistance to keep their pets happy and at home by formally launching the Stay@Home program, including the in-house pet food pantry.
The Board of Directors in early 2022 approved a new mission statement to better reflect AWS' approach to meeting the needs of the community's animals - and the people who love them.
2023 saw the growth of the Stay@Home program with twice as many people reaching out for resources, particularly temporary boarding. Additionally, the foster program was expanded, with record numbers of pets staying in foster care while awaiting adoption or during their temporary boarding. Finally, in addition to the aforementioned community initiatives, AWS held its 4th annual Woofstock Festival, a free family-friendly and dog-friendly event, held on a summer afternoon on AWS' grounds which brought thousands of community members to our facility, many for the first time. By increasing our community's knowledge of our organization (AWS is much more than "just" an animal shelter), we can better serve the pets and community members who need us most, thus creating a happier and healthier community for all pets and people.
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 look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.)
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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
Financials
Financial documents
Download audited financialsRevenue vs. expenses: breakdown
Liquidity in 2022 info
21.24
Months of cash in 2022 info
1.5
Fringe rate in 2022 info
17%
Funding sources info
Assets & liabilities info
Financial data
ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY INC
Balance sheetFiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
The balance sheet gives a snapshot of the financial health of an organization at a particular point in time. An organization's total assets should generally exceed its total liabilities, or it cannot survive long, but the types of assets and liabilities must also be considered. For instance, an organization's current assets (cash, receivables, securities, etc.) should be sufficient to cover its current liabilities (payables, deferred revenue, current year loan, and note payments). Otherwise, the organization may face solvency problems. On the other hand, an organization whose cash and equivalents greatly exceed its current liabilities might not be putting its money to best use.
Fiscal Year: Jul 01 - Jun 30
This snapshot of ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY INC’s financial trends applies Nonprofit Finance Fund® analysis to data hosted by GuideStar. While it highlights the data that matter most, remember that context is key – numbers only tell part of any story.
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Business model indicators
Profitability info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) before depreciation | -$52,501 | -$337,199 | $1,312,404 | $940,466 | -$339,315 |
As % of expenses | -1.7% | -11.0% | 44.5% | 35.8% | -11.2% |
Unrestricted surplus (deficit) after depreciation | -$240,151 | -$590,614 | $1,065,282 | $713,006 | -$550,082 |
As % of expenses | -7.5% | -17.7% | 33.3% | 25.0% | -17.0% |
Revenue composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total revenue (unrestricted & restricted) | $3,439,127 | $2,887,266 | $4,322,280 | $2,891,052 | $3,248,197 |
Total revenue, % change over prior year | 6.6% | -16.0% | 49.7% | -33.1% | 12.4% |
Program services revenue | 32.0% | 45.4% | 33.4% | 56.8% | 51.4% |
Membership dues | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Investment income | 1.6% | 1.3% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 2.0% |
Government grants | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 15.6% | 0.0% |
All other grants and contributions | 39.1% | 41.5% | 62.6% | 27.5% | 47.0% |
Other revenue | 27.3% | 11.8% | 3.1% | -1.2% | -0.4% |
Expense composition info | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses before depreciation | $3,034,469 | $3,078,460 | $2,949,818 | $2,626,493 | $3,030,367 |
Total expenses, % change over prior year | 0.9% | 1.4% | -4.2% | -11.0% | 15.4% |
Personnel | 69.2% | 69.8% | 71.4% | 75.5% | 73.4% |
Professional fees | 0.5% | 0.4% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.5% |
Occupancy | 1.6% | 2.1% | 1.9% | 1.9% | 1.9% |
Interest | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Pass-through | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
All other expenses | 28.5% | 27.5% | 24.9% | 21.9% | 24.2% |
Full cost components (estimated) info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total expenses (after depreciation) | $3,222,119 | $3,331,875 | $3,196,940 | $2,853,953 | $3,241,134 |
One month of savings | $252,872 | $256,538 | $245,818 | $218,874 | $252,531 |
Debt principal payment | $0 | $64,500 | $0 | $451,400 | $0 |
Fixed asset additions | $1,776,851 | $308,236 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
Total full costs (estimated) | $5,251,842 | $3,961,149 | $3,442,758 | $3,524,227 | $3,493,665 |
Capital structure indicators
Liquidity info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Months of cash | 2.4 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.5 |
Months of cash and investments | 11.4 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 16.4 | 14.0 |
Months of estimated liquid unrestricted net assets | 6.2 | 3.4 | 7.8 | 13.0 | 9.9 |
Balance sheet composition info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cash | $599,915 | $190,916 | $452,024 | $315,275 | $386,354 |
Investments | $2,280,990 | $2,120,496 | $1,760,270 | $3,276,890 | $3,155,986 |
Receivables | $83,533 | $56,164 | $8,915 | $11,142 | $39,251 |
Gross land, buildings, equipment (LBE) | $5,456,720 | $5,743,165 | $5,862,770 | $5,866,059 | $5,806,458 |
Accumulated depreciation (as a % of LBE) | 28.5% | 31.1% | 34.7% | 38.2% | 41.2% |
Liabilities (as a % of assets) | 6.1% | 6.1% | 8.4% | 2.1% | 2.2% |
Unrestricted net assets | $5,279,127 | $4,688,513 | $5,753,795 | $6,466,801 | $5,916,719 |
Temporarily restricted net assets | $143,438 | $157,266 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Permanently restricted net assets | $1,400,059 | $1,396,604 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total restricted net assets | $1,543,497 | $1,553,870 | $1,578,137 | $1,577,409 | $1,497,358 |
Total net assets | $6,822,624 | $6,242,383 | $7,331,932 | $8,044,210 | $7,414,077 |
Key data checks
Key data checks info | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Material data errors | No | No | No | No | No |
Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Documents
Executive Director
Ms. Abigail Smith
Abigail Smith began serving as the Executive Director of the Animal Welfare Society in Kennebunk, Maine in 2015. Since her arrival, AWS has expanded its facilities and programming to include the AWS Community Veterinary Clinic, extensive Behavior and Training programs, Humane Education outreach to traditional and underserved youth audiences and a sharp focus on community service. Prior to moving back to New England, she served as the Chief Animal Services Officer for the City of Austin, Texas after her time as Executive Director of the Tompkins County SPCA in Ithaca, New York. Abigail has more than fifteen years in Animal Welfare and currently serves as the Northeast Regional Representative for The Association of Animal Welfare Advancement and on the boards of directors of the Maine and New England Federations of Humane Societies.
Number of employees
Source: IRS Form 990
ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY INC
Officers, directors, trustees, and key employeesSOURCE: IRS Form 990
Compensation data
There are no highest paid employees recorded for this organization.
ANIMAL WELFARE SOCIETY INC
Board of directorsas of 01/29/2024
Board of directors data
Ron Schneider
Bernstein Shur
Term: 2025 - 2022
Katie Graczyk
Bigelow & Co.
John Cavaretta
Village Food Market
Kathy Hughes
Robin Cyr
Albin, Randall & Bennett
Mike Ouellet
Ouellet Construction
Sam Bishop
Pace Consulting
Cindy Talbot
Dan Viehmann
Dan Viehmann Landscaping & Property Management
Sean Miller
Rarebreed Veterinary Partners
Jennifer Breton
Lebel & Harriman
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
Contractors
Fiscal year endingProfessional fundraisers
Fiscal year endingSOURCE: IRS Form 990 Schedule G