Central Missouri Humane Society

What Central Missouri Humane Society does

Central Missouri Humane Society (CMHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit animal welfare organization founded in 1943 and headquartered at 616 Big Bear Blvd. in Columbia, Missouri. It is the only open-door shelter in Boone County that accepts and rehomes small animals, and it operates side-by-side with Columbia Animal Control under a municipal contract that covers approximately 15% of its annual budget. The organization is governed by an independent board led by President Jeff Zolkower, with Executive Director Julie Aber overseeing day-to-day operations, and is not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States or the ASPCA.

CMHS delivers a multi-program service portfolio centered on pet adoption, foster care, volunteer engagement, and low-cost veterinary services (spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping, community cat TNR). Its core products include adoption services for dogs, cats, and small animals; a foster program; a Teacher's Pet classroom placement program; a pet food bank for Boone County residents; pet rehoming assistance; lost and found resources; and court-ordered community service placements. Operations are standardized on the ShelterLuv platform, with intake, adoption, foster, and community-pet workflows all routed through this third-party shelter management system. The organization also runs recurring fundraising events such as the Whiskers & Wine Gala, puppy yoga sessions, Barksgiving, and Operation Silent Night.

The revenue model is donation-driven and diversified across multiple streams: individual contributions, monthly recurring donations, planned giving and bequests, vehicle donations via Vehicles for Charity, community giving programs (Gerbes Rewards, Schnucks eScrip), referral-based donations (Chewy), adoption fees, and modest veterinary service revenue. The Shelter Me kennel/condo sponsorship program provides annual donor subscriptions. CMHS is currently executing the 'Give Them Love' capital campaign to construct a new 17.5-acre animal care and adoption center on East Brown School Road, with over $5 million raised toward a $25 million goal, designed in partnership with Animal Arts and SOA to deliver a 'fear-free' shelter environment with an expanded veterinary surgical center in collaboration with the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine.

Name

Central Missouri Humane Society

Legal name

Central Missouri Humane Society

Website

https://cmhspets.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1943

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Central Missouri Humane Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit open-door animal shelter in Columbia, Missouri, founded in 1943, serving Boone County with pet adoption, foster, low-cost veterinary, pet food bank, and community education programs, and currently raising funds for a new $25 million facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD), Spay/Neuter & Population Control Programs (BPAGAIAE), Low-Cost & Community Veterinary Clinics (HLAMAAAE)

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption programs
• Animal welfare services
• Humane society operations
• Veterinary care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Columbia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) private nonprofit organization, CMHS relies heavily on donor support. The organization is not affiliated with the Humane Society of the United States or ASPCA and is not run by the City of Columbia. Donations cover animal care, veterinary supplies, low-cost spay/neuter services, and community pet food assistance programs.
2. Adoption Fees: Revenue generated from pet adoptions. Adoption fees are sometimes sponsored by partners like PetSmart for special events.
3. Capital Campaign Donations: The 'Give Them Love' capital campaign has raised over $5 million toward a $25 million goal for a new 17.5-acre facility. Monetary gifts, monthly recurring donations, gifts of stock, and naming opportunities support this campaign.
4. Vehicle Donations: Vehicle donation program through partnership with Vehicles for Charity. Donors receive tax documentation while proceeds support shelter operations.
5. Planned Giving: Charitable gift and estate planning including bequests through wills, charitable gifts annuity, life insurance gifts, and retirement plans.
6. Shelter Me Sponsorship Program: Annual sponsorship of dog kennels or cat condos covering daily expenses including medication, vaccinations, food, toys, laundry, cleaning supplies, and spay/neuter. Includes sponsorship signage and website recognition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Central Missouri Humane Society is a nonprofit animal welfare organization that operates an animal shelter providing pet adoption, owner-surrender intake, lost-and-found pet reunification, basic veterinary care, and community animal welfare programs for the central Missouri region.

Product overview

Central Missouri Humane Society offers a comprehensive portfolio of animal welfare services centered on pet adoption, foster care, and community support. Core programs include pet adoption services (dogs, cats, small animals), foster and volunteer programs, low-cost veterinary services (spay/neuter, vaccinations, microchipping), a pet food bank for Boone County residents, and pet rehoming assistance. Additional services include the Teacher's Pet classroom foster program, court-ordered community service, and the Shelter Me sponsorship program. CMHS also operates various fundraising events including the annual Whiskers & Wine Gala, Kitten Adoption Events, Puppy Yoga sessions, Operation Silent Night, and Barksgiving. The organization is currently conducting the Give Them Love Capital Campaign for a new $25 million, 17.5-acre facility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 3,000 unwanted pets enter CMHS each year

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PetSmartcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPetSmart hosts regular adoption events at their Columbia location (229 N Stadium Blvd.). Adoption fees are sometimes sponsored by PetSmart during events. The partnership provides visibility and off-site adoption opportunities for CMHS animals.
• PetSmart CharitiescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPetSmart Charities National Adoption Week events at CMHS locations. Supports adoption events with sponsorship funding.
• Hills Pet FoodminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHills Pet Food partnership provides food shelter and resources. Logo appears on CMHS website as supporter.
• Petco FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPetco Foundation partnership supporting animal shelter operations. Logo appears on CMHS website.
• Bissell Pet FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBissell Pet Foundation partnership supporting shelter operations and adoption events. Logo appears on CMHS website.
• SOA (Architecture Firm)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal architecture firm collaborating on the 'Give Them Love' capital campaign for the new 17.5-acre facility. Working with Animal Arts on design plans.
• Animal ArtscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitecture firm renowned for designing humane and innovative animal care facilities. Partnering on new shelter design featuring modern, energy-efficient features, HVAC systems for disease control, and 'fear-free' environment design.
• University of Missouri College of Veterinary MedicinecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with MU College of Veterinary Medicine's Shelter Medicine Program. New facility will include fully equipped veterinary surgical center to enhance this partnership.
• Vehicles for CharityminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVehicle donation partner handles all towing and paperwork for vehicle donations to CMHS. Provides donors with tax documentation. Contact: 1-866-628-2277.
• Columbia Animal ControlcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCMHS shares space with Columbia's Animal Control and works alongside them. This contract covers approximately 15% of CMHS annual budget.
• Gerbes (Dillons)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCommunity Rewards program allows Gerbes Rewards Card holders to select CMHS as their nonprofit for donations.
• SchnucksminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributoreScrip giving program allows Schnucks shoppers to support CMHS when enrolling their eScrip card.
• ChewyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCMHS receives $20 donation from first Chewy.com order when customers shop through CMHS referral link. Wishlist items can be purchased and shipped directly to CMHS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kansas City Pet Project: Regional open-admission municipal-contracted shelter serving Kansas City, MO. Operates adoption, veterinary, and community programs under a similar donation-dependent nonprofit model and is a like-for-like peer on intake volume and program breadth.
• SPCA of Texas: Multi-site regional SPCA operating shelters, low-cost spay/neuter clinics, and community programs in Texas. Closely comparable scale, service mix, and donor-dependent nonprofit structure.
• Arizona Humane Society: Regional nonprofit shelter in Phoenix offering adoption, low-cost vet care, and community programs. Comparable annual intake volume and full-service shelter structure make it a strong operational peer.
• Wisconsin Humane Society: Mid-sized regional nonprofit shelter operating multiple campuses with adoption, low-cost veterinary, and behavior services. Comparable in scale (thousands of annual intakes), service portfolio, and capital campaign model to CMHS.
• Pets Alive: Multi-region no-kill shelter and sanctuary network operating adoption and veterinary services. Comparable mission and programming around community cat TNR and low-cost vet access.
• Humane Society of Missouri: St. Louis-based nonprofit animal shelter operating adoption, low-cost spay/neuter, and veterinary services across Missouri. Most directly comparable state-level peer with similar mission, service mix, and capital-campaign-driven facility expansion model.

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: National animal welfare organization providing shelter grants, disaster response, and advocacy. While not a direct regional operator in Mid-Missouri, it competes for donor dollars and shapes national sheltering standards.
• Best Friends Animal Society: National no-kill animal welfare organization operating sanctuary, shelter partnerships, and grantmaking. Overlaps with CMHS on adoption/foster programming and is a major funder/incumbent shaping the regional shelter ecosystem.

Others

• PetSmart Charities: National animal welfare grantmaker and CMHS core adoption-event partner. Not an operational peer, but directly comparable as a funder influencing regional shelter economics and adoption-fee sponsorship.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cmhspets
• Facebookfacebook.com/cmhspets
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/about

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Central Missouri Humane Society