True Companions Inc

Nonprofit profile at a glance

EIN
841116882
IRS 990 coverage
2012–2025
Forms available
Form 990 2025
Location
Denver, CO, USA
Phone
7202666081
Rating
81
Verdict
STRONG
Rating confidence
Moderate
Sector
Animal Protection and Welfare

Official website

Reported finances

Revenue
$11,286,636
Expenses
$8,911,584
Assets
$15,038,229
Liabilities
$280,506

Source: IRS Form 990. Selected filing: tax year 2025. Amounts in USD.

Leadership & pay

11 people listed

Executive titles in this filing

  • PETE PAPPAS (PRESIDENT)

Highest reported compensation

  • DR DAVID O'BRIEN (CLINIC DIREC): $243,829 total reported compensation
  • KATHY GAINES (EXECUTIVE DI): $207,604 total reported compensation
  • RICHARD T PERRY (OPERATIONS D): $197,400 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 shelter, care for and find homes for pets in our community, and welcome into our care even those pets with the most critical need. We do this while working to forward the no kill movement through community, advocacy, and by maximizing programs that strengthen this mission.

What it reported doing in 2025

Outreach program: true companions maintains a mobile adoption program that offers adoptable animals opportunities to be seen in the community, improving their chance of adoption and providing experiences for the animals outside of the shelter environment. Staff and a network of over 400 volunteers assist in supporting this community outreach that informs attendees of opportunities to adopt or foster shelter animals, and distributes important information on best practices in pet ownership.

Operating model

Revenue model
Donor-supported. 67% 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. Total assets are small relative to annual expenses; liquid coverage is unknown and reported officer compensation is a large share of total spending, which may reflect staffing concentration.

Rating breakdown

  • Financial Efficiency: 77
  • Transparency & Controls: 74
  • Accountability: 100
  • Sustainability: 62
  • Growth: 100

Detailed rating inputs

Financial Efficiency

  • Mission deployment rate: 71.7%; rating input score 72
  • Program expense ratio: 89.9%; rating input score 90
  • Fundraising efficiency: $24.36 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 61; 61st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

  • Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
  • Pay-setting controls: 2 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 33
    • Compensation committee: Missing
    • Independent consultant: Missing
    • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
    • Written employment contract: Missing
    • Compensation survey or study: Pass
    • Board or committee approval: Pass
  • 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; 64th 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: NotApplicable
    • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
    • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
    • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
    • Audit committee oversight: Pass
    • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

  • Operating margin: 21%; rating input score 77; 77th percentile among comparable filings
  • Total-asset coverage ratio: 1.69; rating input score 46; 46th percentile among comparable filings
  • Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.02; rating input score 86; 86th percentile among comparable filings
  • Officer compensation ratio: 13.5%; rating input score 14; 14th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

  • Program expense growth: 12.1% per year; rating input score 100; 74th percentile among comparable filings
  • Revenue growth: 8.7% per year; rating input score 100; 67th percentile among comparable filings
  • Asset growth: 4.8% per year; rating input score 100; 32nd percentile among comparable filings

Details

  • Where the money goes: 71.7% of revenue deployed · 89.9% of spending went to programs
  • Governance: 5 of 5 board members independent · 8 of 8 filing controls reported
  • Programs: 3 filed program accomplishments · $8M in reported program spending
  • Leadership: top reported pay $244K · 11 people listed · 2 of 6 pay-setting controls reported
  • Consistency: 34 of 34 current checks pass
  • Schedules: 8 filed schedules · includes major donors and executive pay
  • Filing history: 14 filing years from 2012 to 2025
  • Contacts: How to reach this organization
  • Money network: 6 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.

  • Moderate — Sustainability: Total-asset coverage ratio scored 46/100.
  • High — Sustainability: Officer compensation ratio scored 14/100.