Safe Shelter Center for Domestic Violence Services Inc
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 581392664
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2010–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Savannah, GA, USA
- Phone
- 9126298888
- Rating
- 85
- Verdict
- STRONG
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Family Violence Shelters
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $2,167,744
- Expenses
- $2,031,292
- Assets
- $1,889,002
- Liabilities
- $228,276
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
21 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- SHANNON BATES (CEO (OUTGOIN)
- SUZANNE COOLER (PRESIDENT)
- LEE ROBBINS (CEO (INCOMIN)
Highest reported compensation
- SHANNON BATES (CEO (OUTGOIN): $104,014 total reported compensation
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Names and roles reflect this filing, not necessarily current officeholders.
Overview
Mission
To prevent domestic violence, protect victims, and promote change in lives, families, and our community. Since 1980, safe shelter has been savannah's only shelter dedicated to victims of intimate partner violence and their underage children. Open 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, the shelter provides safe, confidential services to all victims of domestic violence.
What it reported doing in 2025
In 2025, the shelter provided services to 1,083 victims of domestic violence, including 195 children. More than 13,218 bed nights were provided and 51,000 meals were served, all at no cost to the victims. The shelter operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and assisted 879 individuals with crisis calls. The shelter's outreach center provided services to those that need assistance but do not need shelter housing. Assistance was provided to victims to file 193 temporary protective orders; advocates made 599 court appearances, and licensed therapists facilitated 607 hours of individual and group counseling. 15 children attended an 8-week summer camp where they visited the natural wildlife refuge, museums, a water park, rode a horse, and many other exciting activities, also at no cost to the families. In addition, 69 volunteers provided 1,015 hours of invaluable assistance.
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.
- 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. Expenses are high relative to revenue and total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 76
- Transparency & Controls: 92
- Accountability: 100
- Sustainability: 43
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 72.3%; rating input score 72
- Program expense ratio: 77.1%; rating input score 77
- Fundraising efficiency: $349.7 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 95; 95th percentile among comparable filings
Transparency & Controls
- Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd 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: 8 of 8 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: NotApplicable
- Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Pass
- Independent financial-statement audit: Pass
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 6.3%; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.93; rating input score 31; 31st percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.12; rating input score 45; 45th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 5.1%; rating input score 56; 56th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 40th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 5.8% per year; rating input score 100; 43rd percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.3% per year; rating input score 100; 19th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 72.3% of revenue deployed · 77.1% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 19 of 19 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $1.6M in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $104K · 21 people listed
- Consistency: 36 of 36 current checks pass
- Schedules: 6 filed schedules · includes major donors
- Filing history: 16 filing years from 2010 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: 1 filed money-flow record
- Related organizations: Filed and resolved organization relationships.
- 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.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 46/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 31/100.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Liabilities to assets ratio scored 45/100.
- Review — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 56/100.