Money for dirty animal shelter

rock&fluff'smom

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Have you ever thought of fostering these kitties and keeping them at your house/apartment?? I would if my hubby would let me, but I h ave too many kids to take care of throughout the day..I plan on being a a foster momma to cats someday when my kids are older....
 
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chrizluvzcatz

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haha, I am about to go pick up a litter of kittens. I believe I am going to have to handfeed this bunch. Here we go again. I love doing it though.
 

hissy

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Chriztal- here is the board rule regarding donations and solicitations:

Solicitations - the needs of rescue workers are great and we recognize this fact. The care of multiple cats, which includes finding suitable homes, good vet care, food, etc is costly. If you wish to bring our attention to the needs of a specific organization you may do so only once, and in the SOS forum only. Other than that, you may use your signature to add a link and a short message regarding the cause you are promoting. From time to time you will see some posts that request donations for a specific cause. It is YOUR responsibility to check these solicitors to the best of your ability. Ask for references and phone numbers, and call around the area to find out if this is a legitimate cause or a scam. The Catsite.com does not stand behind any solicitation of funds that appears in the forums. Be very careful before you send any money; no matter how effective the plea is, check it out before opening your wallet.



I am moving this to SOS now.
 

rang_27

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You mentioned PetCo. I know that the shelter I volenteer at is going for it's first showing at PetCo this weekend & we are taking a barrel with us that says "Donations", in the hopes that people will donate to us. I know it's expensive, but have you advertised in the paper at all? I don't know what the cost of pet finders is, but I know that we have animals on pet finders & we have people come in specificly because they saw someone on pet finders. These are just a couple of things I can think of off the top of my head. Oh I just had another quick idea, some time in the next couple of weeks we are going to have a rummage sale to raise funds. I know all of this takes money & or work, but maybe if you can really get your name out in the area you might find people who didn't know about you. Our shelter has been around like 20 or 30 years & I didn't know about it until a couple of months ago. I found it on pet finder.
 

dragonlady

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Just a few thoughts. Bring in photos of the kitties that you can't bring in to Petco/PetSmart with you. Collect at Halloween while others trick or treat. Ask if you can put up collection jars at feed stores/pet shops for cash and coupons, see if they will donate ripped/damaged bags of cat and dog food. Contact the Girl/Boy Scouts and arrainge a clean the shelter day, or collect cans day. See if they will sponcer a collection or yard sale for the shelter. Get the newspapers involved with the fundraisers. Go to High Schools and see if you can put out a trash can to collect soda cans to be recycled and donated to the shelter. YOU must be ready to collect the funds from the jars and the soda cans to recycle. Make sure to be regular in your pick ups and polite to everyone you deal with.
Let me know if this helps!
 

jeanie g.

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I would make cleaning the shelter a priority. The section of town might not be the best, but cleanliness doesn't depend on location. Perhaps these people are well meaning, but can't really afford to run a healthful environment. I do hope they find the volunteers and finances needed to take proper care of these animals. Good luck! Our members have given you some great ideas to pass along.
 

charmsdad

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Fund raising for a shelter (or any organization for that matter) is always a challenge. It is time comsuming and can be very frustrating. It's also a matter of setting priorities. Setting the priority on fund raising diverts resources (mostly personnel) from the daily operations of the shelter, but not diverting those resources creates long term hardships through lack of funds. Shelters are usually best served by approaching the people in the community they serve.

Petco/Petsmart and other companies do provide some support in the form of adoption support and space to display a few animals. In my experience they also will usually allow you to put up a series of photos and info of available animals, but someone will have to take the time to take pictures and keep this information up to date. You might also approach them about donating short dated or expired food. They can't sell it, but it's perfectly OK for the animals.

Some supermarkets will allow a bin to be placed in the exit for donations of food/toys/treats. This also involves someone committing to regularly check the bins and bring the donations to the shelter (and there is an investment involved in purchasing the bins in the first place.)

Adopt-a-cage (make a donation and get a plaque on a cage for a year) or other visible recognition of donations helps too. Publicity about the program will be necessary. Highly visible community events such as dog washes or a dog walk as fund raisers can be very helpful in both bringing in funds directly and creating public interest in your organization.

Talk to the local papers. Ours will run a weekly picture of a "pet of the week" and also a quarterly half page (sponsored by local businesses) which features pictures of a number of available animals. These both prove to have high adoption rates for the animals featured and also provide general interest in the shelter. They will also donate a set amount of free advertising for other events.

Talk to the local cable provider. Most areas have a cable access channel and will provide a low cost (or maybe even free) half hour slot on a weekly basis to have a little show. Ours features available animals and each episode features some sort of educational topic. This requires quite a time commitment and some video recording and editing skill and resources.

Approach local businesses. Many will sponsor a cage, event, or other specific item. Avoid asking for funding for ongoing operating expenses since this has a high probability of rejection. Something that the business can put a plaque or display their name in (such as a brochure) usually allows the company to write off the expense as advertising (check with a tax professional to be sure about the laws in your area.) The laws are such that small businesses are usually not able to write off donations to charatible organizations.

If the shelter receives local county or city funding an increase in profile helps when approaching the officials about increasing the official budget support. It helps to have good records of what it takes in personnel and supplies and materials to clean cages and feed and care for the animals. Careful work load studies, accurate accounting of food and material usage, and an accurate and detailed budget are important tools to have at your disposal before approaching these officials.

The important thing is someone (or a group of people) must commit the large amount of time needed to organize, talk with businesses, design and print brochures, take pictures, take animals to adoption events, pick up donations, provide educational talks to the public, etc. It may not be as rewarding as working directly with the animals, but it is just as important. Without funds you won't be able to buy food, medicine, pay the lease or electricity, repair cages or equipment, pay salaries, etc.

Good luck,
George
 
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chrizluvzcatz

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Thank you all so much for your information and ideas. Today I went and talked to the cable company and they said that I could make some kind of commecial up for the shelter, and one day this week we are going to have a "come and help" day at the shelter. The barrels are full of dog food, we aren't low food or anything. It's an old shelter that needs a new adjustment. A Chriztal adjustment that is. Thanks
I'll keep you all updated.
 

rang_27

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Yeah!!!!!! I'm happy to hear that things are moving in the right direction & that you are staying positive. I know it's so hard when it seems that there is a never ending stream of animals that need help & a short supply of people willing to help, but I know with your desire to help & make things better those animals will be in a better situation soon. Also, I want to thank you & everyone here because this sharing of ideas has given me a couple of ideas to take to the shelter director & see what she thinks. Keep up the good work!!!!
 
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chrizluvzcatz

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Yaaaaaah!!!! I know everything will be okay in the long run. I was at the shelter today talking to one of the adoption ladies and she has such a bad attitude, it's so hard to work with someone with an attitute that is the opposite of mine!
But I'll hang in there, it's not for her, it's for the animals. Thanks
 
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chrizluvzcatz

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I need to figure out some "eye grabbing" topics for the animal shelter. So far I have been writing a "cat of the day" and "dog of the day" "puppy of the day" and ?"kitten of the day"
Of course ...these get peoples attention, But what about the little fun/help days at the shelter? What are some good topics that could catch the eye in the paper?
Thanks for helping me!!!
 

rang_27

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Chriztal,

I know what you mean about working with people who have a differnt attitude than you. Sometimes I diagree with things that are said, but I know that everyone at the shelter has the best intrest of the cats in mind. I myself try very hard to be a positive and happy person, I've found that not everyone at the shelter is the same. I firmly believe that a good attitude can be catching. Maybe this person will see how dedicated you are & their attitude will start to change. It takes a while, but the worst that can happen is that you give your shelter a good possitive image by being yourself.
 
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