Nonprofits in California

Volunteering with Endangered Species International was a truly transformative experience that allowed me to contribute directly to the protection of our planet's most vulnerable wildlife. I spent my time working alongside passionate experts on field project, where I helped monitor critical habitats and implement conservation strategies for endangered species. The most rewarding aspect was seeing how our team's efforts in community training and habitat restoration directly supported local ecosystems and the survival of rare animals. This journey not only deepened my commitment to environmental stewardship but also gave me the incredible opportunity to be part of a global movement fighting to solve the species extinction crisis. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of ESI and contribute my little help.

Hello, I'm Anna from Ukraine, I've been following the activities of this animal protection organization around the world for quite some time, I'm delighted, it's a really honest and responsible organization that's so cool cares about animals and their needs, that they can be given the highest rating for quality effectiveness and kindness to animals.

I worked at the SFSPCA for several years and left my position in 2022 because I could no longer emotionally cope with the incompetent and deceptive leadership. The current leadership has been running this great organization into the ground for years, and rather than make changes that would benefit animals or the community, they seem only to make decisions that enrich themselves or try to improve their image without actually improving. <br><br>The SFSPCA's business model is not that of a traditional non-profit. A traditional non-profit raises money from donors and uses that money in accordance with their charter to further the mission of the non-profit. In the case of the SFSPCA, their stated mission is "The San Francisco SPCA is dedicated to saving, protecting, caring, and advocating for animals." Sounds great, except that's not what the SFSPCA actually does anymore. Now they use donor funds to prop up a for-profit hospital that is so poorly run it loses money despite charging high fees to paying clients and literally owning the building they practice from. How bad do you have to be to lose money when you own the building? They have to pay their vets over $200k in an effort to retain them, which they still fail to do. Turnover is high because leadership is incompetent and petulant. Donors are led to believe that their donations go to saving homeless animals, but the SFSPCA has saved far fewer animal lives than they projected. Most money goes to the hospital. You can read this in their 990 or annual reports. They try to obscure that this is the case, but it's all public information. <br><br>Donors are told that they are saving homeless animals, when in fact donors are subsidizing the incompetence of the leadership by paying huge salaries and bonuses to the executive team and propping up a failing hospital.

Thinkshift is proud to support San Francisco Baykeeper with our annual 1% for the Planet donation. This scrappy organization counts major successes year after year in protecting our hometown’s iconic bay—and they do it on a lean budget. Baykeeper uses a combination of science and consensus building to set goals, and then achieves those goals via advocacy, governmental policy and legal action. We love that—it’s effective, and results in good policies and strong regulations that deliver lasting results. We also love both Baykeeper’s eagerness to work with enterprises to reduce pollution and its commitment to go after the laggards, no matter what it takes. In addition, they’re genuinely transparent, with full disclosure of their finances and operations on their website.

Animal shelters nationwide are addressing quality of life issues in meeting needs of sheltered animals. Give a Dog a Bone’s enrichment program is a leader in that holistic movement. <br> <br> Give a Dog a Bone <br> 1200 15th Street <br> San Francisco, CA 94103 <br> 415.934.4820 <br> www.gadab.org <br> www.gadab.blogspot.com <br> <br> info@gadab.org <br> <br>THE LITTLEST DANDELION <br> <br>She is a perfect 10,small for her breed, a little over ten months old, weighing in at about 40 pounds and probably won’t get much bigger, a bit shy, but tender, sweet, playful, and a dog with whom all of us at the shelter instantly fell in love. <br> <br>She entered the shelter as a custody dog, which at San Francisco Animal Care & Control, the city’s municipal shelter, meant that she would be placed into the care of Give a Dog a Bone. <br> <br>Lucky girl. Our organization is devoted to developing and maintaining environmental enrichment for dogs in who are in the shelter in protective custody or in medical quarantine – resulting in an indefinite stay in the shelter. <br> <br> Behind a locked door, in a restricted area <br> we give them the attention and <br> compassion every animal deserves. <br> <br> The public rarely knows <br> about these dogs. <br> <br>Custody dogs are impounded for a variety of reasons, such as those taken from their owners on charges of neglect, abuse, and cruelty. We see dogs who have been made to fight one another; victims of people from all levels of life. Dogs are in custody due to owners who cannot care for them at present, due to hospitalization, arrest, eviction, or death, and we have a few dogs every year who enter the shelter to be placed in the Safe Pet Program – canine companions of domestic violence victims who are in a shelter themselves. Some of our dogs are impounded on an investigation due to a complaint. Our buddies in medical quarantine are also behind that locked door. Each dog’s case is different and no outcome is predictable. <br> <br>In Give a Dog a Bone, we attend to the dogs holistically. Our focus is quality of life. Crucial to our buddies’ well-being while they are with us is recognizing their needs and interests as individuals, and tending to those needs in a species-inappropriate environment. <br> <br>We incorporate mental and physical exercise, emotional care, play, manners training, object play, and real world socialization as much as we can within our limited environment. <br> <br>Give a Dog a Bone changes the bleak existence of these dogs one chew toy, one play session, one belly-rub at a time. <br> <br>Volunteers with GADAB have learned to work with some very challenging dogs. Most dogs in custody arrive with behavior issues, such as fearfulness, aggression, extreme shyness, no set boundaries, no training, etc. As the dogs’ progress through socialization, handling, and training, we find we also benefit. Our relationships with our dogs is very reciprocal. The dogs show us love, make us laugh, respond to us in new and more confident ways. The work can be intense and demanding, but ultimately, we are fortunate to be able to say that we love what we do. <br> <br> Quality of life itself plays a huge part <br> in these animals being adopted. <br> <br>Enhancing the lives of these dogs also impacts staff members, volunteers, and ultimately, the public. Staff morale is lifted by the visible difference that love, care, training, exercise, and companionship make in these dogs. Success is measurable. <br> <br> Education is a key focus. <br> <br>Give a Dog a Bone is a pilot program for every animal agency in the country, a work-in-progress goal of ours. We offer our programs nationwide. <br> <br>Give a Dog a Bone has been commended and <br>recognized as a vigorous, indispensable element of sheltering by the San Francisco Department of Animal Care and Control, the San Francisco Commission of Animal Control and Welfare, the San Francisco SPCA, the ASPCA, and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. <br> <br> And little Dandelion? She has found her perfect home! <br> <br>We welcome donations in any amount and offer many ways for you to make your contribution. All donations are tax deductible. <br> <br>You can make a secure online donation through PayPal via credit cards or bank debit. If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please send to Give a Dog a Bone, 1200 15th Street, San Francisco, CA, 94103. <br> <br>A Giving Account through The Fidelity® Charitable Gift Fund can be set up. For more information, call 800-262-6039. <br> <br> Nonprofit Organization IRS ID#94-3394582 <br> <br>We’re not new in the animal welfare community, <br> but we may be new to you. <br> <br> Give a Dog a Bone <br> 1200 15th Street <br> San Francisco, CA 94103 <br> 415.934.4820 <br> gadabmail@gmail.com <br> <br> www.gadab.org (info, volunteering, donating FAQ) gadab.blogspot.com <br> who are our dogs? <br> <br>Nonprofit Organization IRS ID#94-3394582 <br> <br>Give a Dog a Bone was honored by the local Chapter of the American Red Cross by being selected as the <br> 2008 Animal Rescue Hero Of the American Red Cross. <br> <br>“These dogs are true victims. Having someone to <br>work specifically with the neediest of the needy <br>could literally be the difference between life and <br>death for many of them.” <br> <br>CARL FRIEDMAN, former Executive Director, Department of San Francisco Animal Care & Control <br> <br> <br>“The ASPCA National Shelter Outreach Department is proud to award a ‘Partners in Caring’ grant to Give a Dog a Bone for their innovative program. GADAB exemplifies how successful partnerships between volunteer/non-profit groups and municipal agencies can make a positive difference for the needy animals in a community.” <br> <br>SAM MARSTELLAR, Western Region Manager, ASPCA <br> <br> <br>Give a Dog a Bone was awarded a Certificate of Honor by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, February 2003. <br> <br>Corinne Dowling, Founder and Director of Give a Dog a Bone, was awarded The Humanitarian Award in 2002 by former San Francisco SPCA President Edward Sayres <br> (now serving as the President of the ASPCA). <br> <br> <br>Give a Dog a Bone* <br>1200 15th Street <br>San Francisco, CA 94103 <br>415 934.4820 phone <br>415 557.9950 fax <br>gadabmail@gmail.com <br>www.gadab.org <br>www.gadab.blogspot.com