Orphans Of The Storm Animal

What Orphans Of The Storm Animal does

Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN 36-6002114) founded in 1928 by Irene Castle and Helen Morton Swift in Northeastern Illinois. It operates a single regional no-kill shelter on a nine-acre campus at 2200 Riverwoods Road in Riverwoods, Illinois, alongside a satellite Pet Showcase adoption location at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills. The shelter has placed over 150,000 dogs and cats into homes since founding and achieved a 96.7 percent release rate in 2024, exceeding the 90 percent threshold for No-Kill designation.

The organization's core offerings are animal adoption services, foster care coordination, volunteer programs, and community support programs such as low-cost microchipping and pet food pantries. Operations are supported by a small paid staff of approximately 7 to 8 people, with multi-decade experience in animal care, behavior management, and fundraising, and depend heavily on a broader volunteer base. Revenue is generated through donations, including one-time and recurring gifts, planned giving via the Per*Pet*ual Partners program, stock and IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, corporate matching, and a current capital campaign for a new shelter facility. Technology is limited to off-the-shelf SaaS platforms: ShelterLuv for animal management, DonorPerfect for donation processing, Constant Contact for email, and VolunteerHub for volunteer scheduling.

The organization serves individuals and families adopting companion animals, foster caregivers, volunteers, donors, and veterans and active military through the Paws for Heroes fee-waiver program. It is among fewer than 1 percent of charities to hold both the Charity Navigator 4-star rating and the Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency. The shelter maintains partnerships with NBCUniversal's Clear the Shelters campaign, Lake County Animal Care and Control, and a network of regional veterinary clinics including Deerfield Animal Care Center, Animal Medical Center, Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners, and Veterinary Specialty Center.

Name

Orphans Of The Storm Animal

Legal name

Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter

Website

https://orphansofthestorm.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1928

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter is a 501(c)(3) no-kill shelter founded in 1928 in Northeastern Illinois that adopts dogs and cats, coordinates foster care, and supports community pet owners through donations, volunteer programs, and veterinary partnerships across Lake County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Shelter and Adoption Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB), Foster & Volunteer Network Programs (BPAGAIAF)

Keywords

• Animal shelter services
• Pet adoption services
• Animal welfare nonprofit
• Foster care program
• Animal rescue operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Riverwoods (Deerfield)

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Primary revenue stream through monetary donations from individuals, including one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, and tribute/memorial gifts. Also includes gifts of stock, IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and employee matching programs.
2. Planned Giving and Estate Gifts: Bequests, retirement account designations, life insurance beneficiary designations, and charitable trusts through Per*Pet*ual Partners program.
3. Capital Campaign Donations: Capital campaign for new shelter construction accepting monetary gifts designated for new building fund.
4. Stock Donations: Gifts of appreciated stock offering tax advantages including avoidance of capital gains and full fair-market-value deduction.
5. Supply Donations: In-kind donations of pet food, bedding, toys, cleaning supplies, and other shelter necessities through wishlist program.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Orphans of the Storm is a No-Kill animal shelter that rescues, shelters, and rehomes homeless dogs and cats in Northeastern Illinois. The shelter operates direct adoption services, a foster care network, volunteer programs, and community support services including low-cost microchipping and pet food pantries, supported primarily through charitable donations.

Product overview

Orphans of the Storm is an animal shelter offering a unified set of animal welfare services centered on dog and cat adoption. The core offering combines animal adoption services with foster care and volunteer programs, supported by donation services for financial contributions and community support programs including food pantries and microchipping. The shelter operates a satellite pet showcase at Hawthorn Mall and is undertaking a capital campaign to build a modern shelter facility. Pet care resources and community education complement the direct animal services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Animal Adoption Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 96.7% release rate achieved in 2024 (No-Kill threshold is 90%)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NBCUniversal Clear the ShelterscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2015Annual nationwide adoption and donate campaign. Orphans participates annually in August, featuring adoptable dogs and cats and promoting community awareness. The campaign has helped more than 1.3 million pets find loving homes since 2015.
• ChewyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline wishlist partner for supply donations. Chewy Wishlist allows donors to purchase and ship needed supplies directly to the shelter.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline wishlist partner for supply donations and gift cards. Amazon Wishlist allows donors to purchase and ship needed supplies directly to the shelter.
• Lake County Animal Care and ControlcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccepts unwanted animals from local municipalities and animal control centers, a practice central to the shelter's work since 1932.
• Deerfield Animal Care CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner veterinarian providing wellness exams for adopted animals. Part of the comprehensive veterinary care included with every adoption.
• Animal Medical Center (Skokie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner veterinarian providing veterinary services for shelter animals and adopted pets.
• Ruth Helen Wolf Animal Clinic & Hospital (Libertyville)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner veterinarian providing veterinary services for shelter animals and adopted pets.
• Animal Emergency and Critical Care Center (Northbrook)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner24-hour emergency veterinary clinic partner for after-hours animal care needs.
• Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners (Northfield and Skokie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmergency veterinary care partner with locations in Northfield and Skokie.
• Veterinary Specialty Center (Bannockburn)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialty veterinary care partner for complex medical cases and specialized treatments.
• Schools and Community GroupsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with schools, businesses, clubs, and religious organizations for educational presentations, shelter tours, and community engagement.
• ShelterLuvcoreTechnology or IntegrationAnimal management and adoption platform used for listing adoptable animals, processing adoption applications, foster matching surveys, and managing animal records.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OrphansoftheStorm
• Instagraminstagram.com/orphansofthestorm
• TikToktiktok.com/@ootsanimalshelter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orphans-of-the-storm-animal

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

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 Orphans Of The Storm Animal