Animal Friends 2015 Annual Report
Vision Statement To ensure the well-being of companion animals, while ending overpopulation, abuse and unwarranted euthanasia.
Mission Statement Animal Friends, a premier companion animal resource center, is committed to nurturing and promoting the animal-human bond and creating a community where our relationship with companion animals is guided by compassion. It is our mission to: - Reduce the number of unwanted animals through aggressive spay/neuter programs. - Provide for the well-being of companion animals in need, while adhering to our no-kill tradition, and find each a lifelong, loving home. - Offer affordable wellness services and resources to pets and owners in need targeting in underserved communities to support whole-life care. - Promote the animal-human bond through outreach, education and therapeutic programming. - And, act as an advocate on behalf of animals in crisis and as an enforcer of their rights and protection. We are deeply committed to these goals while ensuring the financial security and stability of the organization for future generations.
Culture Statement We choose to work at Animal Friends because of its mission to serve as a compassionate advocate for animals. And while we spend our time focused on this mission, we also choose to create a compassionate, humane and healthy workplace for ourselves and each other. Toward that end, we endeavor to: - Support a united Animal Friends. - Practice collaboration and cooperation. - Embrace diversity and open-mindedness. - Practice open, direct and prompt communication. - Deal with conflict proactively and responsibly. - Promote trust. - Demonstrate respect. - Support a safe and healthy workplace. - Acknowledge the emotional aspects of our work. - Show appreciation and gratitude.
2015 Organizational Goals
- To facilitate 10,000 low-cost spay/neuter surgeries. - To support the health of pets and our communities by providing 14,000 low-cost vaccines through various on-site and community-based clinics. - To facilitate the admission, care, sheltering and ultimate placement of 2,400 cats, dogs and rabbits into lifelong, loving homes. - To affect the lives of 55,000 individuals through a wide array of supportive programs, services and activities that encourages the community to engage in our work. - To enhance our ability to serve the community by facilitating 260,000 hours of donated volunteer service while maintaining 100% integration of volunteers into our programs. - To provide intervention, rescue or safe haven to 2,500 animals through the investigation of 800 cases by our Humane Investigations team. - To provide necessary financial support and stability for the organization’s operations and programmatic needs by raising a total of $5,600,000. - To further engage the public in our work by increasing the number of visitors to our center to 47,500 and the number of visits to the organization’s website ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org to 660,000.
Executive Summary AnimalFriends | ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org
Dear Friend, Since Animal Friends’ humble beginnings in 1943, we’ve lead with a progressive mission and constantly remained at the forefront of animal welfare and compassionate sheltering. But, without you, we wouldn’t have been able to reach – and exceed – our goals. Our accomplishments are testament to the unwavering support we receive from generous, caring individuals like you. Since our move to The Caryl Gates Gluck Resource Center, we’ve enthusiastically welcomed nearly half a million program users into our facility to utilize our supportive resources. Each year, we see more and more community members engaging in our lineup of progressive pet-focused programs, events, classes and workshops. And, because we continue to make new friends each year, it’s no surprise that many of our departments saw impressive growth in 2015! From reaching further into the community to provide pet owners the access to the critical services their pets need and deserve, to providing individualized care to thousands of animals, to crisscrossing the region to bring the healing powers of companion animals to those who need it most, Animal Friends continues to raise the bar for humane programming – both locally and nationally. So, please, join us as we celebrate our successes of 2015 through this Annual Report. Know that it’s your continued support that makes this lifesaving work possible. And for that, I cannot thank you enough.
In appreciation,
David J. Swisher President & Chief Executive Officer
Clinic Services Department Unnecessarily euthanizing pets can never be the solution to the pet overpopulation crisis in our region – which is why aggressive spay/neuter programming is at the forefront of our mission. We’ve stood by that belief for decades and we believe in it more than ever today. The Clinic Services Department consists of four core components each uniquely designed to support a targeted population by offering pets high-quality, low-cost spay/neuter surgeries. The components include our In-House Clinic Program offering spay/neuter services at Animal Friends; our Mobile Program supporting small, rural shelters and community groups where access to low-cost spay/neuter services is limited; our Community Program partnering with local veterinary clinics to provide subsidized options for clients in their communities; and our Adoptables Program ensuring every animal that comes through our doors is altered prior to adoption. We rounded out 2015 by completing an astounding 9,733 spay/neuter surgeries. While our surgery numbers were just shy of the 10,000 mark, we concentrated much time and effort strengthening our Low-Cost Vaccine Clinic Program. These clinics were incredibly successful and, as the year went on, served as a means to prepare and fine-tune the framework for the next phase of Animal Friends’ growth – The Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center.
In-House Clinic Spay/Neuter Program
Community Spay/Neuter Program
An amazing 4,067 surgeries were completed by our highly skilled, in-house surgical team for individual pet owners, partner shelters and rescue groups. Pet owners from right here in Pittsburgh to rescue groups as far away as West Virginia took advantage of our low-cost, high-quality services.
In 2015, 1,670 spay/neuter surgeries were completed through our community veterinarian partners. This model has served us well over the years and we sincerely appreciate the dedication of our committed veterinary practices, but as demands for our services change and our efforts evolve, we are finding this particular program is not as successful as it once was.
Animal Friends remains committed to humanely reducing feral cat populations through coordinated Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return (TNVR) projects. We dedicate a full spectrum of services – including education, trapping, vaccinations and surgeries – in designated communities. In 2015, our efforts focused on the areas of South Park, Sharpsburg, Swissvale and the City of Pittsburgh. We significantly reduced the number of unowned community cats in our neighborhoods by spaying/neutering 1,858 felines through TNVR. As a proud provider of the City of Pittsburgh’s Free Spay/Neuter Program, we performed 380 surgeries. Very few cities across the nation offer their residents such a progressive program – and we could not be more pleased that our hometown is leading the way. Mobile Spay/Neuter Program April through November our Mobile Resource Center (MRC) traveled throughout our region to offer low-cost spay/neuter surgeries to those without access to affordable veterinary services. In 2015, our MRC team completed 2,245 spay/neuter surgeries for 16 partner shelters and animal welfare organizations in eight counties across southwestern Pennsylvania.
We are still incredibly proud to be able to provide this service but will continue to devise newer, more-efficient methods of reaching our clients. Low-Cost Vaccine Clinics Our Low-Cost Vaccine Clinics are the foundation of Animal Friends’ future. Vaccination by vaccination, we are providing the opportunity to get pets the necessary, yet affordable, services they need to remain safe and healthy members of their families. Through these clinics, we are supporting and strengthening relationships within our community. An incredible 19,574 vaccinations were administered to thousands of pets – a 54% increase over 2014.
Clinic Services Department’s Personal Connection With the edges of her robe grasped firmly in her right hand, an elderly widow peered out from her screen door, “What are you doing to my friends?” Miss Sylvia’s friends were a colony of community cats. They had taken up residence on her porch – and they were her reason to get up in the morning. There, on her porch, is where Miss Sylvia spends her waking hours cooing and talking with them. She cares about these cats so much that she selflessly shares the food from her own plate. That day, we gently explained to Miss Sylvia that we were from Animal Friends and were there to help. Through our Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return Program, we not only got the colony’s population under control, but gave Miss Sylvia’s beloved animal friends longer, healthier lives.
Pets for Life For the second year, we were delighted to offer the Pets for Life Program to the Homewood area of Pittsburgh through a generous grant from PetSmart Charities. Originated by the Humane Society of the United States, this program enabled us to bring wellness services and supplies directly to pet owners in this underserved neighborhood. We were overjoyed to help the residents keep their beloved pets in their homes where they belong. The pets of our clients were provided 552 spay/neuter surgeries and nearly 2,200 vaccinations this year. Since 2014, more than 1,000 pets and community cats have been altered – significant accomplishments for this one neighborhood. Our Pets for Life Program has taught us the importance of targeting community outreach in our region’s underserved neighborhoods. We know this critical work cannot be done from behind a desk but rather by knocking on doors and building lasting, trusted relationships.
Placement Services Department Placement Services Department’s Personal Connection Throughout the year, we partner with rural shelters and animal control facilities to transfer animals to Animal Friends. These other organizations don’t always have the luxury of high foot traffic because of their rural setting or even adoption programs to place the animals. In the fall, we partnered with the Humane Society of Greene County (HSGC) to host the Fall-into-Felines adoption event. The event was quickly put together in response to an overwhelming supply of cats. From smoothly admitting the animals to quickly providing medical exams to lining up foster care, every possible angle was coordinated. And our hard work paid off! The event found homes for 31 cats. This was a shining example of how positive teamwork saves lives. Through these transfers we’re able to find the animals homes and lessen the overcrowding of the partner facilities.
The Placement Services Department works collaboratively with all departments that play a major role in preparing each animal for adoption. By coordinating staff and volunteer schedules, medical examinations, spay/neuter surgeries and behavior evaluations, the process of getting an animal adoption-ready is becoming increasingly more efficient each and every year. Admissions and Foster Care Program In 2015, 2,293 dogs, cats and rabbits were admitted to Animal Friends. From owner surrenders to transfers from other shelters and animal control facilities to confiscations through our Humane Investigations Department to strays and animals abandoned at our doors, the Admissions team is required to always think outside the cage when it comes to balancing the ever-existent need for space and creative kenneling. A whopping 167,806 hours of diligent and loving care to 924 animals was provided by our foster volunteers in 2015. This critical program enables Animal Friends to provide for animals beyond the walls of our shelter. Our foster families permit us the flexibility to offer specialized types of care that are often not possible in a shelter environment. Thanks to their dedication, our animals benefit from behavioral training, around-the-clock medical care and, when necessary, hospice care. Adoption Program Each new day brings the hope and promise of to find a loving home for our shelter residents. Canine Comet, feline Beauregard and lagomorph Verdana are just three of the 2,158 homeless animals placed in 2015. Through a multitude of creative and well-timed adoption events, the Adoption team was able to attract the attention of the public to enthusiastically open their homes to our animals in need. Homeward Hound, two seasonally themed Choose-Your-Family-Member events, Meow Luau and Black Friday Bonanza were just a few of the fun and festive adoption events. Animal Friends is unique in the way we support adoptions for special populations. In 2015, we were thrilled to find homes for 23 FIV+ kitties and more than 200 pets for senior citizens through our Golden Age Retrievers Program. We are also grateful to our Petco satellite adoption center for placing an astounding 85 cats last year.
Animal Wellness Department’s Personal Connection Providing enrichment to our shelter residents adds to their quality of life. It gives them the opportunity to think and explore their spaces in novel ways. Enrichment activities decrease stress, give a sense of control over an environment and prevent undesirable behavior. Our Animal Enrichment Specialist is always coming up with new and exciting activities for our dogs, cats and rabbits. But before a game can be rolled out, it needs to be animal tested and approved. And, in 2015, Bob the bunny was one of many residents for the job. From puzzle tubes to foraging games to pellet pierogis, we could count on Bob to troubleshoot each rabbit enrichment activity. Once Bob gave his thump of approval, the other resident rabbits joined in on the fun and truly thought outside of their cages.
Animal Wellness Department On an animal’s journey to finding a forever home, each follows through a collaborative network of assessment, supportive care and treatment. This holistic, individualized approach to our residents’ wellness – medically, environmentally and behaviorally – is one of the many ways that makes Animal Friends so progressive and successful. In 2015, the Animal Wellness Department provided daily care for 2,551 homeless animals in need. From initial physical exams, spay/neuter surgeries and complex medical treatments to behavior evaluations, daily training plans and enrichment, Animal Wellness strives to provide the best care possible for our residents. Working collaboratively, this department has placed a high priority on monitoring herd health and infectious diseases. Changes in processes and procedures have been introduced to support this important management.
Animal Care The Animal Care team continues to be one of the busiest departments providing around-the-clock daily care for every animal that comes through our doors. Each Caregiver adheres to behavioral, medical and dietary policies and procedures to ensure the highest possible quality of life for each dog, cat and rabbit in the shelter. The Animal Care team lays the foundation for our shelter animals’ holistic well-being while giving the warm and gentle touch of a loving, compassionate human. Behavior Wellness The Behavior Wellness team is charged with the overall social and behavioral health of our resident dogs, cats and rabbits. Evaluating the needs of the individual animals to ease their stress while with us and to better prepare them for homes is as rewarding as it can be challenging. New handling protocols for two of our species were introduced in 2015 and are yielding exciting results. One new protocol has gone to the dogs. It focuses on reducing hyperactivity in the kennels by increasing the variety of human interactions and enrichment activities. Through this, our dogs are now exhibiting ideal behaviors and are relaxing more in their kennels. The other protocol went to the cats. This new curriculum teaches volunteers and staff to identify the cats’ behavioral needs and to then use simple techniques to modify the cats’ behaviors, making the cats more adoptable. Wonderfully, cats who were known to avoid human contact, are now enjoying and soliciting attention. Animal Friends’ Enrichment Program continues to receive much attention. Most recently, a national organization, ASPCAPro, recognized the dogs’ Not-So-Spooky Enrichment Trail. The trail included numerous Halloween-themed activities for our shelter dogs (e.g., a pool of leaves, mystery sniffing boxes, a pumpkin patch, bobbing for apples). Our dog enrichment activities were also featured at the Pit Bull Awareness Adoption Event, the Steel City Pet Expo, at a visit to a local middle school and with corporate groups visiting the shelter. Medical Wellness The Medical Wellness team works to ensure the overall health and wellness of more than the 250 animals who fill our kennels and an average of 100 animals in foster homes on a daily basis. Supporting neo-natal kittens, identifying wounds of unknown origin, setting broken bones, caring for advanced tumors and battling infectious diseases are part of their daily diagnoses and treatments. Whether a basic physical examination or an advanced treatment protocol, Animal Friends’ commitment is to provide our shelter animals the highest-quality, comfortable, healthy experience while in our care. Evaluation Committee The Evaluation Committee is a dedicated group of staff assigned to evaluate and seek solutions for medical and behavioral concerns – providing for overall animal wellness. The primary focus of the committee is to provide multidisciplinary oversight and direction for animals with challenging or unique needs, backgrounds and conditions. Secondarily, the committee ensures thorough and full review of euthanasia recommendations within the context of Animal Friends’ no-kill heritage, specifically with regard to quality-of-life medical conditions and behavior/public safety. After thorough review, tireless solution-seeking and careful consideration, Animal Friends’ Evaluation Committee agreed to humanely euthanize 83 animals in 2015. While these animals found an ending that is not typical of the majority in our care, they were not any less fortunate and certainly not any less loved. These few were blessed with a dignified and peaceful release from their troubled or ailing bodies. We are honored to have been there in their time of greatest need.
Outreach Department Through a wide array of educational, therapeutic, supportive and social programs and activities, Animal Friends impacted more than 87,000 lives in 2015. Our programs are ever-expanding and we couldn’t be more pleased to know these services are so well-received and are truly making an impact on the pets and people in our community.
Animal Friends University Animal Friends University offers high-quality, meaningful programs for, about and with companion animals. More than 4,300 people strengthened the bonds with their pets through dog socials, behavior classes and educational workshops. Dog sport and nose work were among some of the more popular classes along with a course to help fearful or shy dogs become more confident. Animal Friends University is looking forward to continued success in 2016 from favorite class offerings – both old and new. As part of Animal Friends’ progressive thinking, a continuing education workshop was held for mental health professionals working with children who have perpetrated or witnessed animal abuse. By holding this workshop, the attendees were able to learn how to assess and treat these affected children. We know there is still work to be done in our region to ensure that minors involved in animal abuse are receiving the proper treatment and necessary support. Animal Friends was pleased to provide this critical training opportunity to professionals in this challenging field in order to better serve our community. Humane Education Animal Friends knows that in order to continue our critical, lifesaving work we must pass our knowledge on to the next generation so they may carry on our mission for years to come. This is the principle on which our Humane Education Program was established. A total of 7,723 students, kindergarten through high school, learned how to properly care for and respect animals through thoughtful classroom presentations, informative video conferences, exciting summer camps and engaging workshops. In April, our Humane Education Coordinator, along with a reading specialist from a local elementary school, presented at the National Association of Professional Humane Educators conference in Arizona. The presentation educated the attendees on the success of our videoconferencing program and its benefits relative to the humane education field. None of the 120 audience members were utilizing videoconferencing in at their respective shelters, zoos, sanctuaries or wildlife centers – another way Animal Friends is blazing the path for others to follow.
Outreach Department’s Personal Connection This story about Samson, one of our Therapets, was simply too sweet not to share. But we’ll let his mom and Therapets volunteer, Renae, take it from here … “Samson visited with a 5-year old girl who was recovering from brain surgery. She was receiving physical therapy at the time. Her physical therapist asked me to situate Samson at arms-length from her to motivate her to lift her arm and reach out to pet him. And it worked! “Even though she could not verbalize her pleasure, she would smile and squeal with delight each time she touched him. It was truly heart-warming. I feel so privileged to be able to have Samson play a part in such meaningful moments in life.”
Literacy Programming Animal Friends’ Literacy Programming was expanded through the restructuring of the Humane Education Program. The Reading with Rover Program which had been focused on students in grades one through three, saw notable expansion into classrooms with new populations of students on the autism spectrum in sixth, seventh and eighth grade. Our Pet-Assisted Literacy Service (PALS ) Program was welcomed into several libraries and events giving children the exciting opportunity to read to a pet-therapy certified companion animal. We are excited to explore more opportunities outside of our norms as our programs continue to grow. Therapeutic Services Our pet therapy program, Therapets, experienced explosive growth in 2015! More than 45,000 lives were positively impacted when our visiting teams spanned the region to bring the healing power of companion animals to those in hospitals, continued-care facilities, schools, airports, hospices, college campuses and just about anywhere else you can imagine!
Our ongoing relationship with UPMC contributed significantly to our program successes. Animal Friends’ Therapets teams touched the lives of more than 9,000 patients, families and staff in 11 UPMC facilities. Soft smiles, gentle touches and shared stories of favorite pets brought serenity to stressful days. Particularly noteworthy this year was a brand-new partnership with the Integrative Oncology Program at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Working closely with physicians, we piloted one-on-one pet therapy sessions for patients battling cancer to visit with therapy dogs here at Animal Friends. This was a unique opportunity as we received positive feedback from both patients and Therapets volunteers. The Therapets Certification Program continued to demonstrate the importance of providing a consistent pipeline of trained, certified visiting teams. After evaluation, course work and testing, 48 new Therapets teams were welcomed to the program. These new teams will fill the void created by the retirement of 33 existing teams. Unique to Therapets, three therapy cats and four therapy rabbits were added to our program. The program graduates are now fully insured and exploring a variety of visiting options. Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank Our Chow Wagon Pet Food Bank received, organized and redistributed nearly 32,714 pounds of pet food to 28 local food pantries. A total of 7,465 clients – including individual families, feral cat colony caretakers and other shelters – were supplied with much-needed pet food for their beloved four-legged friends. This program was supplied by eight corporate collection drives, Boy and Girl Scout troops, individual donors and school groups.
Humane Investigations The Humane Investigations Department serves as a valuable resource for citizens to report animal abuse and neglect. Investigative and law enforcement support is provided to all of Allegheny County to ensure all animals are given the protection they are due by law. Our officers always try to use education, supplies and service referrals to help animals in need before conditions deteriorate to a level requiring legal intervention. But when the situation demands, action must be taken. In 2015, 769 cases involving 2,176 of animals were investigated. Of those, 98 citations were issued and 67 cases were heard in court. In 2015, a great effort was made to engage the City of Pittsburgh Police by providing free training. We welcomed officers from all of the six zones interested in learning more about animal cruelty and how to prosecute cases of animal abuse and neglect. This training was well-received and at least one officer from each zone attended. By providing foundational knowledge, we are hopeful that more officers will be able to eliminate animal abuse within the city limits.
Volunteer Services Department Animal Friends simply wouldn’t be where it is today without volunteers. Our organization is incredibly grateful for these dedicated, generous individuals who support each and every one of our programs. As expected, a great number of volunteers dedicate their time with our resident animals ensuring the highest level of care, enrichment and training during their stay with us. But there are so many other ways that volunteers support our work. From pet therapy and public vaccine clinics to special events and administrative support, every hour that our volunteers give is valued and appreciated.
Amazingly, more than 3,000 active volunteers donated a record-setting 307,000 hours of service – 18% above our budgeted expectations. Perhaps one of our most exciting areas of growth was our Day of Service Program. Students and employees from 69 regional universities and companies donated a day to come to Animal Friends and not only learn about our work, but to actively support it! From landscaping and cleaning projects to helping us to prepare for our signature Black Tie & Tails event, the 3,500 hours that these generous organizations donated were so impactful and, in the process, we gained hundreds more community ambassadors for our work! Because so many of our volunteers chose to donate their time in a variety of ways in multiple departments, we increased our specialized training opportunities and informative sessions for volunteers. We recognized the challenges volunteers face when looking to pursue new areas of volunteering and answered those challenges with these specialized, targeted opportunities. Additionally, we added a new Junior Volunteer Meeting to bring our younger volunteers together to socialize and engage in educational opportunities to enhance their experience at Animal Friends. We always like to thank our volunteers but we really showered them with appreciation during national Volunteer Appreciation Week in April. Highlighted activities included a three-part compassion fatigue webinar and a meditative session of Bunny Yoga!
Volunteer Services Department’s Personal Connection Animal Friends became a certifying organization that was given the authority to recognize and present the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award. By providing this recognition to 80 volunteers we hope that our volunteers truly understand how much they mean to us. After the ceremony, one volunteer told us, “You know this is totally unnecessary, nevertheless, I am in tears. I think of the eyes of all the animals that I have helped and it makes me smile endlessly. It's always been about them. I feel so honored.� Simply put, we are humbled by the amount of pride our volunteers take in their work at Animal Friends. Our dedicated volunteers are so deserving of awards like these.
Development Department The lifesaving work done at Animal Friends is made possible by compassionate and generous donors who believe in the work we do for the animals and people of our community. Our financial contributors are truly at the heart of our organization making so many lifesaving programs possible. In total, more than $5.3 million was raised in 2015. Individual Giving Animal Friends is fortunate to be supported by nearly 25,000 annual donors who provide the necessary funds to support the daily care of our shelter residents and expand programming that reaches into the community. Of the many impactful individual giving opportunities, our year-end campaign was incredibly timely and successful. Through this campaign, an anonymous donor stepped forward to provide a $100,000 dollar-for-dollar match. The campaign raised more than $300,000 in the final six weeks of the year – critical to our lifesaving spay/ neuter programming. Corporate and Foundation Support Animal Friends’ corporate partnerships continue to grow every year and 2015 was no exception. Once again, we were grateful for the support of Ainsworth Pet Products. The continuity of their in-kind support not only fills our shelter residents‘ bowls but also provides healthy, consistent diets for them. Other key, corporate partners included Big Heart Pet Food Brands, Day Automotive, FedEx, Fragasso Financial Advisors, Pirates Charities, PNC, United Way and UPMC. Whether for general operating funds or to support our myriad of community-based programs and services, Animal Friends was fortunate to receive more than $188,000 from many local and national foundations in 2015.
Special Events Major events continue to play a significant role in the Animal Friends’ calendar in 2015. In May, we celebrated 31 Days of Compassion for the second year. Donors were engaged through off-site events, online giving and a mailing that targeted previous telethons supporters. In total, $195,000 was raised from this month-long event. Of the off-site events done in conjunction with 31 Days of Compassion, our Surprise! Pop-Up Event was, by far, the most successful. Through the generous support of The Dog Stop, a plexiglass booth was erected in the middle of downtown Pittsburgh. Passersby were encouraged to make small donations to enter the booth to receive some lunchtime pet therapy from our resident puppies, kittens and rabbits. That day, thousands of people were exposed to Animal Friends and inspired to learn more about our mission. This year’s Black Tie & Tails was another record breaking success! The Caryl Gates Gluck Resource Center was transformed into a world of whimsy. Instead of featuring an honorary artist we chose to feature those who are directly impacted by our work – our animals! Not only did we achieve our budgeted goal but we surpassed it by fundraising more than $645,000. But perhaps the number we are most proud of is the 19 animals that were adopted as a direct result of this event! In addition to tried and true events like Bark in the Park and Mutt Strut, the popularity of our smaller events is undeniable. Pet owners continue to flock to our holiday-themed events from year to year. From Pet Photos with Santa to Breakfast with the Shelter Rabbits to Howl-o-Ween, companion animals and their humans enjoyed the company of each other while participating in a wide variety of activities at these events. Planned Giving Bequests, charitable trusts, gifts of stock and gifts of life insurance encompass planned giving. These account for a vital part of our success but also allow donors to leave a lasting legacy to the organization. In 2015, Animal Friends received nearly $1.2 million in planned gifts.
Third-Party Events Third-party events are organized and coordinated by outside individuals or businesses with the purpose of fundraising for Animal Friends’ mission. And, each year we welcome more opportunities to establish relationships with new partners to engage those in our community. More than $215,000 was raised in through third-party events. Four notable third-party events included the Hundred Acres Manor Haunted House, Bow Wow Bingo, Hope in One Golf Outing and the WISH Purse Party. These community partners continue to provide incredible support and generosity, for which we are extremely grateful.
Development Department’s Personal Connection As part of Black Tie & Tails in 2015, we highlighted our commitment to the health of every one of our animals through the Help-Them-Heal Challenge. We literally shined a spotlight on our residents while telling their stories to the crowd. One story in particular, Violet the puppy’s, was especially touching. We told of her 270 days at Animal Friends before she was medically cleared. Through shots of antibiotics and special vitamins, Violet learned to how to be a puppy with her favorite staff member by her side. But it wasn’t necessarily Violet’s story that moved the crowd to tears. It was the heartwarming reunion between the two of them. Right there on stage was the tail-wagging, face-licking embodiment of our devotion to the animals in our care.
Communications Department Animal Friends has been doing incredible work since 1943 and by drawing upon the talents of our Communications team, our efforts and programs are easily recognizable throughout the region and capture the full spirit of this dynamic organization. This past year was incredibly exciting with the next big step in Animal Friends future: The Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center. The Communications team was thrilled to design the project’s Case for Support as well as the campaign’s tagline, “Saving Lives. It’s What We Do.” A simple, succinct way to sum up Animal Friends’ critical work. These vital tools will be used throughout the coming year to cultivate donors to fund this remarkable and lifesaving project. Our 31 Days of Compassion campaign was themed around the driving force of Animal Friends: our mission statement. As part of this campaign, we welcomed a new media partner WPXI. A comprehensive campaign of social media posts, e-blasts, TV commercials, radio spots and website takeovers propelled this campaign to the next level. Increases in support were noted across the all programs in the month of May, undoubtedly attributed to this successful campaign. We found 2015 to be another busy, creative and fulfilling year in the Communications Department. Quantitatively speaking, we welcomed 367,632 unique visitors to ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org, 56,269 Facebook followers, 6,893 Twitter followers and more than 900 followers on our newly relaunched Instagram page. These popular internet-based, social media tools ignited interest in our work helping to raise a total of $731,000 through online giving.
Communications Department’s Personal Connection An adopter, saw the Furry Friday video that featured Chance (a 10-year old Jack Russell mix) and adopted him because of it! We were even more ecstatic when she wrote to us to tell us how Chance was adjusting to life at home … “The video really captured his exuberant spirit, and the script referencing him as being like an ‘older, single, retired uncle who drives a convertible’ couldn’t have described him better! So, it’s no wonder that we get along so well. “I’m grateful that Animal Friends took such good care of him until we were able to find each other. As a senior dog, I’m sure that you all had concerns about him finding a good home and I hope I’m providing one which will let him to continue enjoying life to the fullest.”
Retail Store While our 2015 sales lagged behind expectations, the efforts of the Retail Store supported the organization with $192,000 in sales. In addition to the much-needed revenue stream, the Store also serves as an important part of our adoption process ensuring that new adopters have access to important resources and tools to ensure a successful match. A large portion of the year was dedicated to bringing upgrades to the Store. Since our move to Camp Horne Road in 2006, the floorplan had remained – for the most part – unchanged. So, in February it received a minor facelift. With a goal to increase foot traffic and regulate flow, large pieces of furniture were moved (or removed) and items were relocated to well-defined departmental areas. And, to add to the new look, a number of large, hanging signs were strategically placed to guide customers quickly towards the products that they are looking for. The Retail team also dedicated themselves to staying abreast of major happenings by introducing new products and offering unique holiday-related promotions. In addition to holidays, this year the team also celebrated a few mainstream pop-culture events as well, including the opening of Jurassic World (in coordination with our Jurassic Bark in the Park) and Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. These humorous displays and the items that went along with them were a hit among clients, staff and volunteers.
Finance and Administration Department The Finance and Administration Department provides administrative support to the organization and is comprised of the accounting, finance, human resources, maintenance and administrative departments. This busy and resource-driven department may appear to take a backseat to many of our direct mission-focused departments, but make no mistake of the important role it plays in ensuring that Animal Friends remains on solid ground. Human Resources An expanding organization, like Animal Friends, presents the need for a strong human resources support. In 2015, we chose to transition our manual payroll system to an automated one. To be fully rolled out in 2016, the new system will provide a dashboard individualized to each employee as well as track employee time off, house training videos and decrease staff processing time – making Animal Friends an even more efficient, well-run organization. To accommodate the growth of the organization and ensure compliance with changes in the law, a complete overhaul was done to the existing employee handbook. The updated handbook provides legal, relevant and meaningful guidance to the employees of Animal Friends while giving clear and consistent direction for the entire organization. Maintenance With only one full-time employee, 2015 was an exceptionally busy year. Creative solutions and critical volunteer support from individuals, corporate groups and community service volunteers have helped the department tp maintain our 75-acre campus. Without the generosity and support of these capable individuals, it would have been impossible to keep up with all of the projects that are tasked to this hardworking department. From landscaping and tree removal to parking lot repairs and painting our kennels, our Maintenance Department juggled capital improvements and projects to ensure the safe and proper running of our Center. Administrative Support Being the first contact many customers have with Animal Friends, our receptionists continue to field questions and route all incoming calls with the highest level of customer service in mind. In addition to the daily tasks of answering the phone, ordering supplies and disseminating the mail, the reception area also supports challenging task of managing the demand for scheduling rooms and spaces for programs and events. Due to the overwhelming demand, the room-reservation process was moved from a paper book to an online calendar. This new process enables staff to check room availability, via the internet, rather than referring to the unwieldy paper reservation books.
Finance and Administration Department’s Personal Connection Nearly every Saturday Animal Friends hosts BunRuns (recess for our resident rabbits). Our BunRuns are a great opportunity to meet all of the rabbits we have up for adoption. Because the bunnies are free to roam, their personalities really get a chance to shine. Our resident rabbits love to hop, bink and jump for their fans! The popularity of our BunRuns surely wouldn’t be what it is without the support of our of administrative team. Each week, the team fields dozens of calls from the public, Is there a BunRun today? How many rabbits will be there? What time? We can’t miss it! Come rain, sleet or snow small crowds gather to get their bunny fix. And what’s even more wonderful is when adoptions happen because of the BunRuns – which was just the case for a bonded pair, Spinner and Posedion. Their family came to the BunRuns for weeks just to watch these two and really got a feel that these buns were a perfect fit for their family.
The Howard Ash Animal Wellness Center Animal Friends has always been on the forefront of progressive programming and developing innovative strategies to reduce, and ultimately end, pet overpopulation. To further our commitment to pets and pet owners in our region, we are well on our way to developing a fully-equipped public spay/neuter clinic and pet vaccination center targeting low-income families and underserved pet populations who are struggling to afford basic pet care.
The new Animal Wellness Center, with an expected grand opening of early 2017, will enable us to significantly expand our commitment to end pet overpopulation through aggressive spay/neuter while offering compassionate, affordable treatment so pets can remain in their homes – healthy and supported – where they belong. After all, at Animal Friends we are ... Saving Lives. It’s What We Do.
Animal Friends, Inc. 2015 Operating Activity (Unaudited) Profit/Loss Statement
Bequests Special Events Annual Giving Program/Services Grants Other MRC Campaign
2015 Projected Budget $1,000,000 $1,285,000 $884,500 $930,500 $185,000 $330,000 $585,000
2015 Actual Activity $1,192,329 $1,191,951 $873,195 $851,220 $188,269 $292,226 $599,632
19.23% -7.24% -1.28% -8.52% 1.77% -11.45% 2.50%
$400,000
$200,000
-50.00%
Total Donations
$5,600,000
$5,388,822
5.80% 0.36% 50.64% 14.45% 6.11% 3.70% 4.66% 2.24% 2.53% 1.79% 1.73% 2.09% 1.68% 0.84% 0.53% 0.27% 0.59%
$325,000 $20,000 $2,835,774 $809,200 $342,016 $207,000 $260,800 $125,610 $141,900 $100,000 $97,000 $117,000 $94,000 $47,000 $29,700 $15,000 $33,000
$0 $35,979 $2,841,904 $924,389 $355,729 $174,616 $230,009 $138,308 $93,124 $81,825 $90,228 $96,950 $120,430 $34,601 $25,175 $19,832 $69,243
Total Expenses
$5,600,000 $0
$5,332,342 $56,480
17.86% 22.95% 15.79% 16.62% 3.30% 5.89% 10.45%
Capital Camapign (Ops) 7.14%
Camp Horne Mortgage Capital Improvements Payroll and Related Direct Animal Care Insurance Utilities Events Printing and Postage Programs Publicity Facilites Computer Office Costs Human Resources Vehicles Professional Fees Other
Variance
100.00% -79.90% -0.22% -14.23% -4.01% 15.64% 11.81% -10.11% 34.37% 18.18% 6.98% 17.14% -28.12% 26.38% 15.24% -32.21% -109.83%
Board of Directors Chair: Marleen Ashton, Esq. First Vice Chair: Howard Loevner Second Vice Chair: Stefania Romoff Secretary: Gina Carlos Treasurer: John Weinstein Richard Applegate Howard Ash Mary Ann Bogosta Michelle Bartlett Patricia Bednarik Dorothy Boyer Debbie Campbell Jeff Dutkovic Robert Fragasso Paul Gitnik Sheri Levine-Everett Sarah McKean Nicole Phatak Betty Rich Cindy Russell Cris Winter Stephen Zappala, Jr., Esq. Founder In Memoriam - Alice Richardson In Memoriam - Lloyd Gluck, Esq.
AnimalFriends | 562 Camp Horne Road | Pittsburgh, PA 15237 412.847.7000 | ThinkingOutsideTheCage.org