Pets In Need

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
946139667
IRS 990 coverage
2013–2024
Forms available
Form 990 2024
Location
Redwood City, CA, USA
Phone
6503671405
Rating
82
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$6,209,312
Expenses
$7,227,643
Assets
$11,623,527
Liabilities
$382,874

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

Leadership & pay

19 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • Laura Toller Gardner (CEO)

Highest reported compensation

  • Laura Toller Gardner (CEO): $239,685 total reported compensation
  • Barbara Laderman-Jones (Prin Vet Medicine): $238,223 total reported compensation
  • Teresa Dunwoody (Dir Finance/IT): $236,247 total reported compensation

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

Overview

Mission

The mission of pets in need is to provide animals with loving care and lasting homes, to partner with communities striving to do the same, and to advance our no-kill legacy.

What it reported doing in 2024

Behavior - An onsite behavior team collaborates with volunteers to train and enrich dogs, enhancing their adoptability. Our large volunteer corps works daily with dogs for behavior support and modification, enrichment, and emotional connection to mitigate stress and amplify behavioral well-being. Behavior services are essential for our dogs to learn basic commands, walk well on a leash and be social in public places, maintain emotional stability, and transition smoothly into a home setting.Our dedicated volunteers also work with cats, rabbits, and guinea pigs, socializing them to increase their chances of adoption success and to mitigate fear, stress, and boredom. Pets in foster-to-adopt programs or those already adopted are more likely to experience successful placements after receiving guidance and support from our behaviorists.We also offer affordable and accessible behavior training, online and in-person, to support pet parents in the Bay Area (and beyond) to bond with their furry family members and ensure their animals' emotional and behavioral wellness. Expenses $375,060. Including grants of $0. Revenue $.Outreach - Pets In Need embraces a community-based approach to saving and improving lives, extending its services beyond shelter walls to directly assist pets and the families who love them. This industry-leading ""access to care"" model ensures that pet parents, regardless of socioeconomic status, have the resources they need to keep their pets at home and out of shelters. Services are provided through Pets In Need's three dedicated clinics: (1) Vaccine clinic: Offers low-cost and free vaccinations and microchipping to protect pets and support community health. (2) Spay/neuter clinic: Provides affordable spay/neuter surgeries to reduce pet overpopulation and promote responsible pet ownership. (3) Community veterinary clinic: Focuses on wellness care, offering accessible and affordable veterinary services for pets in under-resourced families.To further expand accessibility, many services are also delivered via Pets In Need's two mobile vans, operating at various community locations. Expenses $170,460. Including grants of $6,503. Revenue $2,645.

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 98% 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. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and expenses are high relative to revenue.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 80
  • Transparency & Controls: 83
  • Accountability: 95
  • Sustainability: 30
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 91.6%; rating input score 92
  • Program expense ratio: 77.8%; rating input score 78
  • Fundraising efficiency: $5.99 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 3 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 50
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • Foreign activity oversight: Limited
  • Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 72nd percentile among comparable filings
  • 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: 8 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 89
    • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
    • Whistleblower policy: Pass
    • Document-retention policy: Pass
    • CEO compensation review process: Pass
    • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: -16.4%; rating input score 8; 8th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.61; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.03; rating input score 75; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 20.6%; rating input score 12; 12th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 13.8% per year; rating input score 100; 75th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 10% per year; rating input score 100; 69th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 2.1% per year; rating input score 100; 20th percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 91.6% of revenue deployed · 77.8% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 10 of 10 board members independent · 8 of 9 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 4 filed program accomplishments · $5.6M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $240K · 19 people listed · 3 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 38 of 38 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors, grants, and executive pay
  • Filing history: 12 filing years from 2013 to 2024
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 8 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.

  • High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 22/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 8/100.
  • Review — Accountability: Governance controls: Other executive compensation review process not reported.
  • Review — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 54/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 12/100.