This is something with which I'm intimately familiar, and quite frankly - it sickens me. I know nothing of OPHS, its directors or employees other than what is mentioned here.
What I do know, is that rescue organizations exist that take in thousands of animals per year, putting in countless hours and doing the job far better than OPHS has ever done. And, the kicker - most of these non-profits don't pay out one cent in salary. They are 501c3's, 100% volunteer run, and every nickel of their proceeds goes back directly to the dogs.
I've no problem with anyone trying to make a living, but there are certain endeavors where volunteers are far and away, the best choice. Anyone whose priority is themselves, either via unionization or taking a high salary as a "director" of animal rescue, quite frankly has their priorities screwed up and is not worthy of your support.
I hope anyone looking to rehome and adopt animals seeks out those who do this out of the goodness of their hearts. They are more deserving, you'll get better results, and most importantly - the animals will be in far better hands.
I have lived a life as a union member, followed by being the owner/operator of a union business. It is a definite yin yang experience. I never changed, but my status changed from being one of the brotherhood to the enemy. The birth of collective bargaining was an essential need in the time of abusive labor management practices. However, I no longer see that labor abuse. I do see collective bargaining abuse. Once union membership is achieved many members use that status to work our system for minimal work to get maximum gain. A non-productive union member cannot be bypassed when they have achieved the next man up union dispatching system. A union member cannot be terminated for being unproductive because unions never agree to nor support any derivation of quotas. Union members feign on the job injuries so they can then receive workers compensation payments for not working, causing increasing insurance rates to their employer. Frustratingly, those who game the system are a minority, but they do negatively stain the system. Today; I see no need for unions. Any person taking any measure of pride in their work has no need for some big brother. My concern is for some pet shelter employee punching the clock, rather than caring for the animals.
I too was union member for years and saw it grow into ‘per capital income’ for union bosses instead of correcting worker abuse. What abuse have these workers experienced? Sounds like the pets are the abused.
Not a dime from me then. I’ll find other animal care facilities to donate to.
Clinical staff at Olympic Medical Physicians (the brick building with the clinics across from the OMC hospital) are in the middle of unionizing but that seems to be mostly about management.
So again they are not going as they stated and again there are serious money concerns, without properly showing us where that money is going, and again the bulk if money still won't be going towards the dogs!!
Why are we all not putting our money towards the new Fox Bell Humane society?? They have already been taking in animals, horses, dogs and cats to name a few and have done so primarily with their own money, lands and some private donations. Without more of us donating to them, they can't probably get off the ground to expand to be able to accept more dogs to the facility. the ladies who are putting this together and getting it off the ground, both have tried and true running businesses that are making money have been in business for many many years and are very familiar with rescue as they themselves have rescued as many animals as possible independent of anyone else. Just out of the kindness of their heart and they don't take any animals into their families that aren't already in need of rescue. These are their personal animals that they rescue. Now they're trying to rescue more for the county and they did this as a result of the failure of the Olympic peninsula Humane Society.. I've been donating what I can to them because I've seen their other operations I know that they are success in any endeavor that they have put forth. They are a 501c3 (is that right?) and have been able to get that up and going under the umbrella of the Olympic Peninsula Equine Network (OPEN). There was an article in the PDN about this and I believe there should be more articles, letting know of the progress that they've made so far. They could make so much more progress if the rest of us will get behind them. I certainly will not ever be doing anything with the Olympic Humane Society as there a track record is awful.
So OPEN is a fiscal sponsor of Fox Bell? A fiscal sponsorhip is where an unincorporated group or project seeks to carry out charitable activities by affiliating with an existing 501(c)(3) status group. This can make for some murky financials. Until the two either fully merge, or Fox Bell receives IRS non-profit status, I hesitate.
Isn't Fox Bell also a for-profit wedding and event company? I'm all for small businesses, but which is it first --- a for profit company, or an animal rescue? I'd like clarity.
You can find out more by contacting Shelby Vaughan and here is the link to the Fox Bell Training Center that also includes information about the Humane Society
I certainly hope you take the time to educate yourself so you are clear and won't be so quick to judge them . Ladies of fox bell and the ladies of Open are incredible people who have put their lives on hold so many times to care for others pets and lost dogs and broken horses, etc. They are adedicated and selfless group of ladies and I commend them. Open has been my local charity for approximately 10 years and I love that I can see where my donations are going! Food, shelter, vets, medical supplies etc!!
I have a great deal of experience in the "rescue" world --- and have come across all kinds (the true, the untrue, which include con-artists). The horse world is full of horse traders, and their ilk (and yes, I have stories... I spent a great deal of money and time pursuing an outright con-artist preying on the horse community back in the PMU days). I support a PMU colt, now a huge, huge perchX, and an aging off-the-track cast-aside thoroughbred. I'm afraid, the thousands, every year, to support them, is all I can do.) I have rarely had less than a half-dozen dogs (all rescues) for my entire life. I have been involved in these issues, forever.
Horses and dogs are very different animals. Training and rehabilitating are very different. One is a prey animal, the other an apex predator.
There is a need for passionate in the rescue community. But, not ONLY passion.
But there are IRS rules to follow, accounting practices to be aware of, and transparency should be of the upmost concern. IT can't be just about the "kitties and puppies" because that is the world that allows people to prey upon other people.
I'm saying: "I wait with caution, to see what develops."
Its not accusatory, it has never been well spelled out.
The issue I have with using another non-profit's umbrella fiscal sponsorship is that it is often fraught with issues... for donors, and usually increases administrative costs (the sponsor has more overhead in accounting, etc.) I have seen the very worst side of it (in the theater world, where a struggling small theater will use their sponsorship capabilities as a "cost center" to boost their numbers -- with outrageous fees for any pass-through to those under their umbrella. A donor doesn't get much bang for their buck.)
Trying to run two businesses, at same location, one for-profit, one nonprofit is going to be an accounting nightmare. The IRS dictates that for-profits and nonprofits must operate separately -- no co-mingling of funds. Its also a mental twist to understand that a nonprofit has no owners, so a for-profit cannot "own" a nonprofit. It can align itself with a nonprofit without ownership, but coloring within the IRS rules is difficult. Legal conflicts of interest may arise if a tax exempt charity is associated with a for-profit parent, because it must have an independent board of directors, etc., and when it comes to things like fundraisers, etc., the line will be blurred. The nonprofit should not be reliant on the services or products of the for-profit company.
I am not seeing how this will happen with that particular lash-up.
Its good intentions, but how to stay legal?
The problem I have is that the current OPHS "humane" society is a great example of a bad nonprofit. Lets say, I'm wary.
In my experience a selfless group of well meaning "ladies" does not translate to those who can focus on the details required to have a nonprofit AND a for-profit.
That is your right though. I wish you weren't so skeptical about people that you don't even know. Definitely no horse traders involved in this endeavor. I've known these ladies for so many years trustworthy to the bone. In fact the people of Open helped me with the horse I had for 27 years. She was a thoroughbred quarter horse mix. She at age three had been starved so severely that when I got her, she was just bones. But when I brought her up here to Washington the folks of Open helped me with her quite a bit, including finding the right vet. Testing my soils so I knew how sand I had at my place, etc And when it was time for her to go as she developed a disease that was not curable, they were right there with me. hand in hand didn't ask for money didn't ask for anything stood there with me set it all up so I didn't have to worry about it. And the ladies a Foxbell I've known for years as well. I trust them all explicitly.
The humane society they are building has lawyers, accounts and board members. Each of the Fox Bell endeavors is a totally separate entity In itself and no co mingling has taken place. I do know that the Vaughns have donated their time and personal monies to getting it off the ground, along with many more of us who have faith in the vision. They are all aware of the differences in training a horse compared to a dog (can't believe you have that much angst for horse people. But all of these people have rescues that they have adopted as family members and have done so for years. The only 4 legged family in their packs are rescues. They have qualified people to train both the horses and the dogs. I hope you come to find that you are mistaken in so many of your views (that I just say are tainted by your past experiences) but lumping all rescues, horse people and rescue folks into one blanket opinion isnt healthy. That would be like me saying you are not the caring person you profess to be in regards to rescue according to the way you treat /conpare others based on bad experiences. People are not all bad and horse people are amazing. Of course there is always one person who will do something untoward so again giving all horse folks a bad name. Let's say I'm a pet sitter and you allow your cat to be indoor/outdoor so with that I'm of the opinion you really dont care for your cat or you would keep it safe inside. But that's not the case.... in this life, you have to give people the benefit of the doubt you wanna be a little leery. Take a step back while you're doing that right but watch and learn and grow to understand that these are good people. No one person or or category of people should be lumped into one bucket of all incorrigible people because of the actions of others. You wouldn't believe what I've been through in my life, the horrors and the trauma that I've had to experience at the best of someone else and I don't hate all men. I don't think all men are gonna abuse and beat their women just because One did that to me God forbid if I did that I would really need a lot more counseling if I was even ever to think that, but I have faith in peoplegood luck and I hope you have a great day
The humane society knows clallam county needs it's services at all cost so it will hold county hostage for more $$$.People should see organization for what it is just a $$$ grab and animals are used as pawns.
Indeed, so much wrong with this. Having worked with several truly 501 c3, for over 30 years in another area, those folks worked their tails off and it really was about the animals as I saw first hand having volunteered. They went without themselves for the saving and getting medical care for the animals. It did take a village as they say, and amazing work was accomplished. After donating for years upon years to OPHS, no more. I will continue my dollars to those who truly are helping the strays and those given up who need homes, those I know and trust. Truly a bad deal for the peninsula and very sad for the animals.
As a long time donor to OPHS, I’m disappointed but not surprised.
I don’t begrudge anyone trying to improve their working conditions. What I have an issue with is the secrecy and the devastating effect this has had on our community. We saw the former director and veterinarian leave right before this all went down, and now we know why. I would be interested to know if NDAs were involved. If so, the “transparency” designation is worthless at best, and fraudulent at worst.
Once again Jeff thank you so much for your informative articles. I never gave much to the Humane Society where we use to live choosing local charities instead. When we moved here the Humane Society was the "known" charity and as such benefited from my donations. No longer. I will need to do some research now on local animal charities who actually care about the animals. Sadly the same goes for my PetSmart donation at check out.
Did we already see the first "shut down" of the humane society due to unionizing? They said the Bark House opening date was moved forward because of continued work on the kennels, but was it really because some of their staff was off doing union business?
The first shut down was because "they were broke". The long-time executive director quit (after getting mysterious raises) and, then the next guy, some poor bloke said "this is unsustainable" and recommended they shut down and sell the Bark House. He left. Then its been a shit-show ever since.
The employees weren't given a fair shake, and now they've been given a load of nonsense that unionizing is going to solve the problems.
This "non profit" is supposed to be for public benefit. They constantly solicited money from the good people of Clallam County, but didn't uphold their mission statement: to care for the animals. The place was a mess -- puppies weren't protected from Parvo (wonder how many died? Did they even keep a count), big dogs were brought here from other places with heart-worm (which was never in the county before), dangerous dogs foisted on families (how many bites?).
The place was an unmitigated disaster.
Their budget decisions were, clearly, insane. If you look at the 990N's (tax statements for nonprofits) you can see all kinds of "irregular" things.
All board meetings were closed to the public.
Even though 990Ns said that financials could be viewable, they weren't. I wonder what 2024's tax returns will look like?
(Nonprofit corporations are required to make their financial statements available to the public.)
IT IS RECOMMENDED (but not required) in BEST PRACTICES that bylaws should be available to the public. Many nonprofits do allow everything to be viewable in their offices, for full transparency. Theirs were not, and there is no rational for why not.
In the name of transparency any nonprofit that seeks donations should consider all documents viewable... especially when they receive government money (county and cities all gave money to support OPHS).
But this organization had a terrible culture -- they did not see that they had to be transparent or accountable to keep shamelessly begging for money.
This says, to many of us, that some kind of monkey-business was ongoing.
There is so much wrong with this whole scenario I don't know where to start.
Start with the “leadership”
This is something with which I'm intimately familiar, and quite frankly - it sickens me. I know nothing of OPHS, its directors or employees other than what is mentioned here.
What I do know, is that rescue organizations exist that take in thousands of animals per year, putting in countless hours and doing the job far better than OPHS has ever done. And, the kicker - most of these non-profits don't pay out one cent in salary. They are 501c3's, 100% volunteer run, and every nickel of their proceeds goes back directly to the dogs.
I've no problem with anyone trying to make a living, but there are certain endeavors where volunteers are far and away, the best choice. Anyone whose priority is themselves, either via unionization or taking a high salary as a "director" of animal rescue, quite frankly has their priorities screwed up and is not worthy of your support.
I hope anyone looking to rehome and adopt animals seeks out those who do this out of the goodness of their hearts. They are more deserving, you'll get better results, and most importantly - the animals will be in far better hands.
Will, you are right on. When did OPHS become refocused from the animals care to the peoples care? Hiring a PR firm? Really? A union??? Really?
You’re quoted: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Yes
This is just repulsive. It really is more about "me" than the puppies and kitties...
It’s disgusting to read these lies: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I have lived a life as a union member, followed by being the owner/operator of a union business. It is a definite yin yang experience. I never changed, but my status changed from being one of the brotherhood to the enemy. The birth of collective bargaining was an essential need in the time of abusive labor management practices. However, I no longer see that labor abuse. I do see collective bargaining abuse. Once union membership is achieved many members use that status to work our system for minimal work to get maximum gain. A non-productive union member cannot be bypassed when they have achieved the next man up union dispatching system. A union member cannot be terminated for being unproductive because unions never agree to nor support any derivation of quotas. Union members feign on the job injuries so they can then receive workers compensation payments for not working, causing increasing insurance rates to their employer. Frustratingly, those who game the system are a minority, but they do negatively stain the system. Today; I see no need for unions. Any person taking any measure of pride in their work has no need for some big brother. My concern is for some pet shelter employee punching the clock, rather than caring for the animals.
I too was union member for years and saw it grow into ‘per capital income’ for union bosses instead of correcting worker abuse. What abuse have these workers experienced? Sounds like the pets are the abused.
Always remember: It's never "about the children", "for the children", "for the kittens and puppies." It will always be about and for the unions.
The second anyone does a "hey look over there" distraction, you can be sure they are lying.
Squirrel!
Talk about distractions, did you see how Jeff manipulated his 990 screenshots? https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
NO MORE $ FROM US EITHER. HOW'S THAT FOR CLARITY!
The animals receive $8 to every $100? It should rename itself Olympic Peninsula HUMAN Society
You are SO clever!
False: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Not a dime from me then. I’ll find other animal care facilities to donate to.
Clinical staff at Olympic Medical Physicians (the brick building with the clinics across from the OMC hospital) are in the middle of unionizing but that seems to be mostly about management.
Appears employees felt the need for union protection. Need an audit to see where the money goes.
They will not do it! They just plain don’t respond. They won’t let anybody see the books.
Insightful—thank you! You’re quote is featured: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
So again they are not going as they stated and again there are serious money concerns, without properly showing us where that money is going, and again the bulk if money still won't be going towards the dogs!!
Why are we all not putting our money towards the new Fox Bell Humane society?? They have already been taking in animals, horses, dogs and cats to name a few and have done so primarily with their own money, lands and some private donations. Without more of us donating to them, they can't probably get off the ground to expand to be able to accept more dogs to the facility. the ladies who are putting this together and getting it off the ground, both have tried and true running businesses that are making money have been in business for many many years and are very familiar with rescue as they themselves have rescued as many animals as possible independent of anyone else. Just out of the kindness of their heart and they don't take any animals into their families that aren't already in need of rescue. These are their personal animals that they rescue. Now they're trying to rescue more for the county and they did this as a result of the failure of the Olympic peninsula Humane Society.. I've been donating what I can to them because I've seen their other operations I know that they are success in any endeavor that they have put forth. They are a 501c3 (is that right?) and have been able to get that up and going under the umbrella of the Olympic Peninsula Equine Network (OPEN). There was an article in the PDN about this and I believe there should be more articles, letting know of the progress that they've made so far. They could make so much more progress if the rest of us will get behind them. I certainly will not ever be doing anything with the Olympic Humane Society as there a track record is awful.
So OPEN is a fiscal sponsor of Fox Bell? A fiscal sponsorhip is where an unincorporated group or project seeks to carry out charitable activities by affiliating with an existing 501(c)(3) status group. This can make for some murky financials. Until the two either fully merge, or Fox Bell receives IRS non-profit status, I hesitate.
Isn't Fox Bell also a for-profit wedding and event company? I'm all for small businesses, but which is it first --- a for profit company, or an animal rescue? I'd like clarity.
You can find out more by contacting Shelby Vaughan and here is the link to the Fox Bell Training Center that also includes information about the Humane Society
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BE3h9u8dp/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I certainly hope you take the time to educate yourself so you are clear and won't be so quick to judge them . Ladies of fox bell and the ladies of Open are incredible people who have put their lives on hold so many times to care for others pets and lost dogs and broken horses, etc. They are adedicated and selfless group of ladies and I commend them. Open has been my local charity for approximately 10 years and I love that I can see where my donations are going! Food, shelter, vets, medical supplies etc!!
I have a great deal of experience in the "rescue" world --- and have come across all kinds (the true, the untrue, which include con-artists). The horse world is full of horse traders, and their ilk (and yes, I have stories... I spent a great deal of money and time pursuing an outright con-artist preying on the horse community back in the PMU days). I support a PMU colt, now a huge, huge perchX, and an aging off-the-track cast-aside thoroughbred. I'm afraid, the thousands, every year, to support them, is all I can do.) I have rarely had less than a half-dozen dogs (all rescues) for my entire life. I have been involved in these issues, forever.
Horses and dogs are very different animals. Training and rehabilitating are very different. One is a prey animal, the other an apex predator.
There is a need for passionate in the rescue community. But, not ONLY passion.
But there are IRS rules to follow, accounting practices to be aware of, and transparency should be of the upmost concern. IT can't be just about the "kitties and puppies" because that is the world that allows people to prey upon other people.
I'm saying: "I wait with caution, to see what develops."
Its not accusatory, it has never been well spelled out.
The issue I have with using another non-profit's umbrella fiscal sponsorship is that it is often fraught with issues... for donors, and usually increases administrative costs (the sponsor has more overhead in accounting, etc.) I have seen the very worst side of it (in the theater world, where a struggling small theater will use their sponsorship capabilities as a "cost center" to boost their numbers -- with outrageous fees for any pass-through to those under their umbrella. A donor doesn't get much bang for their buck.)
Trying to run two businesses, at same location, one for-profit, one nonprofit is going to be an accounting nightmare. The IRS dictates that for-profits and nonprofits must operate separately -- no co-mingling of funds. Its also a mental twist to understand that a nonprofit has no owners, so a for-profit cannot "own" a nonprofit. It can align itself with a nonprofit without ownership, but coloring within the IRS rules is difficult. Legal conflicts of interest may arise if a tax exempt charity is associated with a for-profit parent, because it must have an independent board of directors, etc., and when it comes to things like fundraisers, etc., the line will be blurred. The nonprofit should not be reliant on the services or products of the for-profit company.
I am not seeing how this will happen with that particular lash-up.
Its good intentions, but how to stay legal?
The problem I have is that the current OPHS "humane" society is a great example of a bad nonprofit. Lets say, I'm wary.
In my experience a selfless group of well meaning "ladies" does not translate to those who can focus on the details required to have a nonprofit AND a for-profit.
Lets say I AM CAUTIOUS.
That is your right though. I wish you weren't so skeptical about people that you don't even know. Definitely no horse traders involved in this endeavor. I've known these ladies for so many years trustworthy to the bone. In fact the people of Open helped me with the horse I had for 27 years. She was a thoroughbred quarter horse mix. She at age three had been starved so severely that when I got her, she was just bones. But when I brought her up here to Washington the folks of Open helped me with her quite a bit, including finding the right vet. Testing my soils so I knew how sand I had at my place, etc And when it was time for her to go as she developed a disease that was not curable, they were right there with me. hand in hand didn't ask for money didn't ask for anything stood there with me set it all up so I didn't have to worry about it. And the ladies a Foxbell I've known for years as well. I trust them all explicitly.
The humane society they are building has lawyers, accounts and board members. Each of the Fox Bell endeavors is a totally separate entity In itself and no co mingling has taken place. I do know that the Vaughns have donated their time and personal monies to getting it off the ground, along with many more of us who have faith in the vision. They are all aware of the differences in training a horse compared to a dog (can't believe you have that much angst for horse people. But all of these people have rescues that they have adopted as family members and have done so for years. The only 4 legged family in their packs are rescues. They have qualified people to train both the horses and the dogs. I hope you come to find that you are mistaken in so many of your views (that I just say are tainted by your past experiences) but lumping all rescues, horse people and rescue folks into one blanket opinion isnt healthy. That would be like me saying you are not the caring person you profess to be in regards to rescue according to the way you treat /conpare others based on bad experiences. People are not all bad and horse people are amazing. Of course there is always one person who will do something untoward so again giving all horse folks a bad name. Let's say I'm a pet sitter and you allow your cat to be indoor/outdoor so with that I'm of the opinion you really dont care for your cat or you would keep it safe inside. But that's not the case.... in this life, you have to give people the benefit of the doubt you wanna be a little leery. Take a step back while you're doing that right but watch and learn and grow to understand that these are good people. No one person or or category of people should be lumped into one bucket of all incorrigible people because of the actions of others. You wouldn't believe what I've been through in my life, the horrors and the trauma that I've had to experience at the best of someone else and I don't hate all men. I don't think all men are gonna abuse and beat their women just because One did that to me God forbid if I did that I would really need a lot more counseling if I was even ever to think that, but I have faith in peoplegood luck and I hope you have a great day
The humane society knows clallam county needs it's services at all cost so it will hold county hostage for more $$$.People should see organization for what it is just a $$$ grab and animals are used as pawns.
Indeed, so much wrong with this. Having worked with several truly 501 c3, for over 30 years in another area, those folks worked their tails off and it really was about the animals as I saw first hand having volunteered. They went without themselves for the saving and getting medical care for the animals. It did take a village as they say, and amazing work was accomplished. After donating for years upon years to OPHS, no more. I will continue my dollars to those who truly are helping the strays and those given up who need homes, those I know and trust. Truly a bad deal for the peninsula and very sad for the animals.
So, do you know how to read a 990. Maybe fact check Jeff? I did https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you CAS for your volunteer work in OPHS, You represent why the OPHS actually was established.
As a long time donor to OPHS, I’m disappointed but not surprised.
I don’t begrudge anyone trying to improve their working conditions. What I have an issue with is the secrecy and the devastating effect this has had on our community. We saw the former director and veterinarian leave right before this all went down, and now we know why. I would be interested to know if NDAs were involved. If so, the “transparency” designation is worthless at best, and fraudulent at worst.
I don't think they were smart enough to do NDAs, this is more guilt and the tell-tale signs of white-collar crime, to me.
What is an NDA?
It means the person can’t discuss anything about the business. Non disclosure agreement.
Thank you.
Eve, you raise good points, but also know Jeff is lying to you: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Once again Jeff thank you so much for your informative articles. I never gave much to the Humane Society where we use to live choosing local charities instead. When we moved here the Humane Society was the "known" charity and as such benefited from my donations. No longer. I will need to do some research now on local animal charities who actually care about the animals. Sadly the same goes for my PetSmart donation at check out.
You're welcome, Christy. Report back to us if you find an animal rescue worthy of our support.
Lies: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Did we already see the first "shut down" of the humane society due to unionizing? They said the Bark House opening date was moved forward because of continued work on the kennels, but was it really because some of their staff was off doing union business?
The first shut down was because "they were broke". The long-time executive director quit (after getting mysterious raises) and, then the next guy, some poor bloke said "this is unsustainable" and recommended they shut down and sell the Bark House. He left. Then its been a shit-show ever since.
The employees weren't given a fair shake, and now they've been given a load of nonsense that unionizing is going to solve the problems.
This "non profit" is supposed to be for public benefit. They constantly solicited money from the good people of Clallam County, but didn't uphold their mission statement: to care for the animals. The place was a mess -- puppies weren't protected from Parvo (wonder how many died? Did they even keep a count), big dogs were brought here from other places with heart-worm (which was never in the county before), dangerous dogs foisted on families (how many bites?).
The place was an unmitigated disaster.
Their budget decisions were, clearly, insane. If you look at the 990N's (tax statements for nonprofits) you can see all kinds of "irregular" things.
All board meetings were closed to the public.
Even though 990Ns said that financials could be viewable, they weren't. I wonder what 2024's tax returns will look like?
(Nonprofit corporations are required to make their financial statements available to the public.)
IT IS RECOMMENDED (but not required) in BEST PRACTICES that bylaws should be available to the public. Many nonprofits do allow everything to be viewable in their offices, for full transparency. Theirs were not, and there is no rational for why not.
In the name of transparency any nonprofit that seeks donations should consider all documents viewable... especially when they receive government money (county and cities all gave money to support OPHS).
But this organization had a terrible culture -- they did not see that they had to be transparent or accountable to keep shamelessly begging for money.
This says, to many of us, that some kind of monkey-business was ongoing.
Prove us wrong OPHS... prove us wrong.
You raise important points, though I haven’t experienced your concerns about the quality of the place. Do note, Jeff’s articles are full of lies: https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/vegan-in-furs?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web