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CHARITY REVIEW
Issued: January 2025 Expires: January 2027

Wild Animal Sanctuary

Accredited Charity
Accredited Charity

Meets Standards

2999 County Road 53
Keenesburg, CO, 80643

Standards For Charity Accountability

Governance

  1. Board Oversight
  2. Board Size
  3. Board Meetings
  4. Board Compensation
  5. Conflict of Interest

Measuring Effectiveness

  1. Effectiveness Policy
  2. Effectiveness Report

Finances

  1. Program Expenses
  2. Fundraising Expenses
  3. Accumulating Funds
  4. Audit Report
  5. Detailed Expense Breakdown
  6. Accurate Expense Reporting
  7. Budget Plan

Fundraising & Info

  1. Truthful Materials
  2. Annual Report
  3. Website Disclosures
  4. Donor Privacy
  5. Cause Marketing Disclosures
  6. Complaints

Wild Animal Sanctuary meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Stated Purpose:
"to rescue and rehabilitate animals and release them into large natural habitats with others of their own kind."

Year, State Incorporated:
1995, CO

Wild Animal Sanctuary (WAS) reports that it works to save and provide lifelong homes for exotic and endangered captive large carnivores, specializing in the rescue and rehabilitation of lions, tigers, bears, leopards, mountain lions, wolves, and mustangs. The organization states that it has over 33,000 acres in Colorado that replicate free-roaming territories, along with acreage in Texas. In 2023, WAS reports that it cared for more than 1,000 animals.

For the year ended December 31, 2023, Wild Animal Sanctuary's program expenses were:

Wild Horse Refuge: $2,126,095

Refuge: $2,021,625

Animal care: $17,488,686

Rescue: $2,157,583

Education: $5,197,156

Total Program Expenses: $28,991,144

Chief Executive
Patrick L. Craig, Executive Director

Compensation*
$258,145

Chair of the Board
Toni Scalera

Chair's Profession / Business Affiliation
Legal Administration Manager, AFM & SAG-AFTRA

Board Size
5

Paid Staff Size
99

*2023 compensation includes annual salary and, if applicable, benefit plans, expense accounts, and other allowances.

Method(s) Used:
Direct mail appeals, Grant proposals, Internet, Direct mail appeals, Radio, Special events, Foundation grants, Print advertisements, Corporate solicitation

Fundraising costs were 2% of related contributions. (Related contributions, which totaled $30,710,736, are donations received as a result of fundraising activities.)

This organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable donations for federal income tax purposes.

The following information is based on Wild Animal Sanctuary's audited financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Source of Funds
Contributions $19,242,946
In-kind contributions $11,066,053
Special events, net $401,737
Other income $3,663,652
Total Income $34,374,388

Programs: 94% Fundraising: 2% Administrative: 4%

Total Income $34,374,388
Total expenses: $31,001,233
  Program expenses $28,991,144
  Fundraising expenses $661,600
  Administrative expenses $1,348,489
  Other expenses $0
Income in Excess of Expenses $3,373,155
Beginning Net Assets $25,401,816
Other Changes In Net Assets $0
Ending Net Assets $28,774,971
Total Liabilities $20,334,057
Total Assets $49,109,028

Note: According to WAS' 2023 audited financial statements, the organization received $11,066,053 in donated animal feed.

An organization may change its practices at any time without notice. A copy of this report has been shared with the organization prior to publication. It is not intended to recommend or deprecate, and is furnished solely to assist you in exercising your own judgment. If the report is about a charity and states the charity meets or does not meet the Standards for Charity Accountability, it reflects the results of an evaluation of information and materials provided voluntarily by the charity. The name Better Business Bureau is a registered service mark of the International Association of Better Business Bureaus.

This report is not to be used for fundraising or promotional purposes.

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Report completed by:
BBB Wise Giving Alliance