The Haven
Nonprofit profile at a glance
- EIN
- 631253853
- IRS 990 coverage
- 2013–2025
- Forms available
- Form 990 2025
- Location
- Fairhope, AL, USA
- Phone
- 2519293980
- Rating
- 78
- Verdict
- SUPPORTED
- Rating confidence
- Moderate
- Sector
- Animal Protection and Welfare
Reported finances
- Revenue
- $758,027
- Expenses
- $737,892
- Assets
- $3,369,249
- Liabilities
- $0
Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.
Leadership & pay
5 people listed
Executive titles in this filing
- BROOKE BUTLER (PRESIDENT)
People named in this filing
- BROOKE BUTLER (PRESIDENT)
- STEPHANIE CALHOUN (SECRETARY)
- MICHAEL GRAHAM (EXECUTIVE DI)
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
The haven provides a shelter and finds adoptive homes for abused, neglected, and homeless animals treating them with love, respect and medical care. Through education and volunteer programs, we promote community awareness of pet overpopulation and responsibility. The haven is a non-profit sanctuary for animals that will be cared for regardless of how long it takes to find them loving homes.
What it reported doing in 2025
In 2025, the haven animal shelter cared for 488 homeless cats and dogs and operated the city of fairhope animal shelter (cofas), which cared for 316 municipal animals, for a combined total of 804 animals helped. Of the havens admissions, 282 animals (or, 58% of total haven intakes) were transferred from high-intake shelters, reducing euthanasia risk regionally. All animals received daily care and veterinary services including spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping, diagnostic testing, behavioral training, and medical treatment as needed until placement. 2025 outcomes: 412 adoptions 282 transfers 97 return-to-owner reunifications 97 animals placed in foster care 99% combined live release rate the haven: 100% cofas: 97% 11 humane euthanasia cases (medical only) additional services: 473 spay/neuter surgeries 1,898 vaccines administered 9,535 pounds of dog food distributed 25 community outreach events combined average length of stay improved to 19.4 days, reflecting efficient placement and foster programming.
Operating model
- Revenue model
- Donor-supported. 66% 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.
The verdict
SUPPORTED - The filed numbers largely add up and a large share of available resources goes toward mission work. Fundraising costs are high for each dollar raised and some filing-based governance responses are negative or unanswered.
Rating breakdown
- Financial Efficiency: 67
- Transparency & Controls: 90
- Accountability: 82
- Sustainability: 62
- Growth: 100
Detailed rating inputs
Financial Efficiency
- Mission deployment rate: 73%; rating input score 73
- Program expense ratio: 72.3%; rating input score 72
- Fundraising efficiency: $7.2 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 25; 25th 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: Limited
- Related-party transparency: Limited
Accountability
- Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
- Governance controls: 4 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 57
- 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: Fail
- Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
- Audit committee oversight: Missing
- Independent financial-statement audit: Fail
Sustainability
- Operating margin: 2.7%; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
- Total-asset coverage ratio: 4.57; rating input score 83; 83rd percentile among comparable filings
- Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
- Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings
Growth
- Program expense growth: 5.5% per year; rating input score 100; 39th percentile among comparable filings
- Revenue growth: 4.7% per year; rating input score 100; 36th percentile among comparable filings
- Asset growth: 2.5% per year; rating input score 100; 24th percentile among comparable filings
Details
- Where the money goes: 73% of revenue deployed · 72.3% of spending went to programs
- Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 4 of 7 filing controls reported
- Programs: 1 filed program accomplishment · $533K in reported program spending
- Leadership: top reported pay $0 · 5 people listed
- Consistency: 29 of 29 current checks pass
- Schedules: 4 filed schedules
- Filing history: 13 filing years from 2013 to 2025
- Contacts: How to reach this organization
- Money network: Resolved incoming and outgoing counterparties from filed money flows.
- 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.
- High — Financial Efficiency: Fundraising efficiency scored 25/100.
- Review — Accountability: Governance controls: 2 of 6 not reported.
- Moderate — Sustainability: Operating margin scored 38/100.