Animal Welfare League of Alexandria

What it reported doing in 2024

ANIMAL CARE: In FY25, we cared for 2,386 animals (1201 cats, 981 dogs, 204 small animals), and providing their daily care was our largest expense. Our team of shelter volunteers assisted AWLA staff to provide top-level care for every animal at the shelter. In FY25, shelter volunteers donated 23,094 hours to the AWLA, roughly equivalent to 11 full-time employees. These volunteers performed a range of tasks, including helping with laundry and dishes; walking dogs; staffing events; cleaning animal enclosures; maintaining the yards and landscaping; cleaning carriers; transporting animals to vet appointments; stocking supplies; socializing cats, feeding animals and helping at events. Volunteers also donated their time from home, helping our organization administratively as well as with enrichment activities for animals.To expand our sheltering capability and provide a unique, home-like environment for animals who might not thrive in the shelter (including newborn and sick or injured animals), we also coordinated a team of more than 100 volunteer foster providers to care for 369 animals in their homes in FY25. The AWLA strives to find placement for every animal that can safely and humanely be rehomed, and in FY25, we found placement for 96% of the pets in our care. To achieve this goal, our staff and volunteers went above and beyond to assist animals in our custody, focusing on animals' health, behavior, enrichment and more to provide them with the best care on their way to finding new homes. We also continue to work closely with other regional shelters and rescues in areas that may not have the same resources as ours, transferring animals to our facility to help those organizations with overpopulation and to increase our combined life-saving efforts. In FY25, we brought in 504 animals from several shelters and rescues in Virginia, as well as West Virginia, Maryland, and Florida. Many of the animals that come to us have health issues ranging from fairly minor to extremely serious, including infections, bone breaks/fractures, heart problems, diabetes and other chronic illnesses. Our shelter veterinarian is responsible for examining the animals at the shelter and determining how to best meet each of their medical needs. In FY25, 329 animals with major medical concerns were treated by the AWLA.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 78.9%; rating input score 79
• Fundraising efficiency: $4.94 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 17; 17th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Pass
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 13.6%; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 2.57; rating input score 69; 69th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.04; rating input score 74; 74th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 14.5%; rating input score 20; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 5.3% per year; rating input score 100; 41st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 4.6% per year; rating input score 100; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 8.6% per year; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings