Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
770392584
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Menlo Park, CA, USA
Phone
6506650964
Rating
80
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$753,523
Expenses
$578,109
Assets
$4,766,393
Liabilities
$294

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

Leadership & pay

8 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Georgine Nordin (President)

People named in this filing

  • Ellen Fenichel (Treasurer)
  • Amanda Schaffner (Director)
  • Andre Kovensky (Director)

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 2024. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.

Overview

Mission

Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue is an all-volunteer organization that has rescued and found permanent, loving homes for Golden Retrievers and Golden Retriever mixes since its inception in 1994. Through the dedicated work of its foster families and other volunteers, the Rescue helps displaced, abandoned, and homeless Golden Retrievers and Golden Retriever mixes throughout Northern California and western Nevada regardless of their age or health. Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue is able to save dogs that would otherwise likely be euthanized by combining its longstanding, carefully developed relationships with veterinarians and knowledgeable dog behaviorists with the generous financial resources provided by its donors.

What it reported doing in 2024

During 2024, Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue rescued, rehabilitated, and placed in loving homes Golden Retrievers, Golden Retriever mixes, and bonded pairs that include at least one Golden Retriever. The organization brought in 169 new dogs and provided continuing veterinarian and professional behavioral care to a total of 198 dogs. Norcal Golden Retriever Rescue also participated in various in-person outreach programs throughout Northern California to educate the public regarding its mission and work, what it means to foster or adopt a rescue dog, and the special needs and benefits of caring for a Golden Retriever or a Golden Retriever mix. It also informed the public about puppy scams, how to spot puppy mills, and the risks of obtaining a puppy from a mill, in addition to distributing dog-related information, tools, and resources through its newsletters, website, and social media accounts.

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

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 some filed totals do not add up.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 71
  • Transparency & Controls: 84
  • Accountability: 88
  • Sustainability: 83
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.6%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 70.7%; rating input score 71
  • Fundraising efficiency: $33.18 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 70; 70th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 90%; rating input score 90; 5th 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: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Governance controls: 5 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 71
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • 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: 23.3%; rating input score 79; 79th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 8.24; rating input score 90; 90th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 82; 82nd percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 10.8% per year; rating input score 100; 65th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 16.6% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 13.3% per year; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.6% of revenue deployed · 70.7% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 8 of 8 board members independent · 5 of 7 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $408K in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 8 people listed
  • Consistency: 20 of 21 current checks pass · 1 finding to review
  • Schedules: 3 filed schedules · includes major donors
  • Filing history: 11 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • 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 — Accountability: Governance controls: Independent financial-statement audit not reported.
  • Moderate — Transparency & Controls: Schedule A contributions reconciliation did not reconcile in the filed values.