Humane Society of Louisiana Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
581795272
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024, Form 990-EZ 2022
Location
New Orleans, LA, USA
Phone
8886486263
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$938,903
Expenses
$1,069,321
Assets
$665,395
Liabilities
$126,114

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • DANA DELL NESBITT (President)
  • CHERI DEATSCH (Vice President)

Highest reported compensation

  • JEFF DORSON (Treasurer): $40,577 total reported compensation
  • DANA DELL NESBITT (President): $38,731 total reported compensation
  • LEAH MOORMAN (Director): $6,880 total reported compensation

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

We empower individuals and communities to create a no-kill state, where the lives of all animals matter.

What it reported doing in 2024

CRUELTY INVESTIGATION AND PREVENTION -HSLA responded to more than 3,000 reports of cruelty, neglect and abandonment in 2024. As a licensed private investigation agency, we saved animals and resolved cases through interagency partnerships, animal rescue and adoption, resource sharing, pet owner education and more. We regularly provided veterinary care, personnel support, animal housing, equipment and transport services to underfunded law enforcement agencies. Our assistance routinely facilitated animal seizures, as well as criminal prosecutions, which otherwise would not have been undertaken. As part of this program, we provided emergency veterinary care for more than 217 animals and general/basic vet care for 535 animals in need. We aided and sought justice for hundreds of animals who were shot, knifed, abandoned, beaten, chained, starved, neglected and otherwise harmed. 12 volunteer case managers, field investigators and pro bono attorneys helped move cases through the court system to ensure crimes against animals were prosecuted. A few 2024 case highlights that show the scope of our work include: 26 dogs seized in Bienville parish - a case in which 6 additional dogs and puppies died; 30 farm animals saved from an inhumane sanctuary in Avoyelles parish; 3 adult dogs and their puppies rescued from neglect in Evangeline parish; 1 rescued horse saved in Allen parish; 2 dogs saved from a lifetime of severe abuse in Union parish; 1 family dog with a gunshot wound provided with lifesaving care in St. Landry parish; 2 live dogs cruelly abandoned in dumpsters saved. We rescued and adopted a piglet, after he was being tossed in the crowd like a football during Mardi Gras in New Orleans. We advocated for law enforcement action in the case of 3 beloved pet goats, who were stolen and slaughtered in St. Tammany parish. We increased public awareness of multiple animal cruelty issues with scores of special events and activities, media appearances, speaking engagements, community meetings and workshops. From our new headquarters in historic Old Gretna, our statewide base of operations for our anti-cruelty programs in the Greater New Orleans area, we carried out numerous cruelty prevention campaigns, including our successful work to stop the illegal sale of dyed baby chicks in Terrebone parish and our ongoing work to end inhumane live animal giveaways, focusing on the LIvingston parish fair, and more.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 98% of the money available for current operations came from contributions and gifts.
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.
  • Includes noncash contributions: Reported contributions include donated property or goods.

The verdict

STRONG - A large share of available resources goes toward mission work and the filed numbers largely add up. Some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered and fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 90
  • Transparency & Controls: 86
  • Accountability: 67
  • Sustainability: 23
  • Growth: 80

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
  • Program expense ratio: 87.6%; rating input score 88
  • Fundraising efficiency: $12.89 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 93.3%; rating input score 93; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: Limited
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: Limited
  • Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
  • Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

  • Independent voting board: 75%; rating input score 75; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 56
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Fail
    • Document-retention policy: Fail
    • 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: Missing
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -13.9%; rating input score 13; 13th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.62; rating input score 29; 29th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.19; rating input score 32; 32nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 8.1%; rating input score 43; 43rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 8.4% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 0.4% per year; rating input score 100; 16th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: -1.3% per year; rating input score 0; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 100% of revenue deployed · 87.6% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 6 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $936K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $41K · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 28 of 29 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 7 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 8 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 5 filed money-flow records
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: 3 of 8 not reported.
  • Moderate — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 13/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 29/100.
  • High — Growth: Asset growth scored 0/100.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 32/100.
  • Moderate — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 43/100.