Better Days Animal League

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
260522373
IRS 990 coverage
2019–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Shippensburg, PA, USA
Phone
7174399987
Rating
74
Verdict
SUPPORTED
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$116,146
Expenses
$72,672
Assets
$699,236
Liabilities
$7,728

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

5 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • KAREN CROFT (PRESIDENT)
  • CRYSTAL BARD (VICE PRESIDENT)

People named in this filing

  • DONA GILSON (DIRECTOR)
  • KAREN CROFT (PRESIDENT)
  • CRYSTAL BARD (VICE PRESIDENT)

Selected names, not a complete roster or a statement of current roles. Open leadership details for the complete filed list.

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Better Days Animal League is a non-profit animal organization with an adoption center in Chambersburg, PA. Each year, many cats and kittens come to our rescue in hopes of finding their "forever" homes. We are committed to providing abused, abandoned and neglected cats the love and care they so rightly deserve until the day they are adopted. BDAL continues to serve our community without paid administrative staff. Due to the overwhelming need for low cost spay/neuter services in our area, BDAL has focused on providing transportation to available TNR clinics and sponsoring clinics with our local veterinary offices. Our intent is to help reduce cat overpopulation in our community by preventing as many unwanted litters as possible.

What it reported doing in 2025

Better Days Animal League is a non-profit animal rescue and sanctuary located in Chambersburg, PA. We offer veterinary care, love and support, food and shelter to adoptable and unadoptable animals. We do not euthanize animals for space. Since our inception in 2007, BDAL has taken more than 5,800 animals into our care and found loving homes for almost all of them. BDAL receives no direct government assistance and relies on donations and sponsorships from individuals and businesses. We also hold fund raising activities throughout the year. BDAL operates a thrift store in Chambersburg to supplement the expenses of operating the rescue. The store also serves as an adoption center. We are dedicated to the principle that all life must be treated with value, dignity and respect. Our wish is that one day all companion animals will be in loving homes and not living in shelters.

Operating model

Revenue model
Mixed. Its operating money came from several sources; no one source provided a clear majority.
Distribution model
Direct operator. The filing allocates 100% of reported program-service expenses outside its grant, affiliate-payment, and member-benefit lines. This expense classification does not rule out separately announced grant awards.

The verdict

SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and most voting board members are independent. A relatively small share of available resources goes toward mission work and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 57
  • Transparency & Controls: 90
  • Accountability: 76
  • Sustainability: 79
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 54.8%; rating input score 55
  • Program expense ratio: 78.2%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Limited
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Fail
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 37.4%; rating input score 85; 85th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 9.62; rating input score 89; 89th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.01; rating input score 39; 39th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 67; 67th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 5.1% per year; rating input score 100; 51st percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 26.4% per year; rating input score 100; 91st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 21.7% per year; rating input score 100; 84th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 54.8% of revenue deployed · 78.2% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 3 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 2 filed program accomplishments · $57K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
  • Consistency: 33 of 33 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 2 filed schedules
  • Filing history: 7 filing years from 2019 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
  • Grant readiness: Federal tax and exclusion status, award history, and grant-maker relationships.
  • People: Everyone the filings name, and which of them the filings identify by more than a name.

Key Signals

Signals prioritize questions for review. They are not findings of misconduct.

  • Review — Financial Efficiency: Mission deployment rate scored 55/100.
  • Moderate — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 6 not reported.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 39/100.