Logo for my rescue organization

I already have a copyrighted logo for Hearts For Cats Humane Society, a future no-kill organization for cats local shelters have no room for or put on Death Row, strays, and young ferals. When money permits, more cats will be accepted and a public spay/neuter service will be added. I have no idea how long it will take to go from buying a house to opening for business, but there is zero chance my logo design will change as I get it repaired.

It did not take long to find a company that repairs existing custom logos. I should get a quote tomorrow (July 7) if not later today. I need a font type change (Times New Roman was not the one I wanted) and two color changes, plus a letterhead in a usable format. The whoe design will stay intact as well as the colors of two features. I will let you know when it is done and show it to you.

This is the original logo:



The slogan at the bottom is, "Giving every cat another chance at life."

I got a response today. It will cost only $60 for two designs and two revisions, plus an additional $25 for the letterhead. I accepted the offer.

That's great! It's a beautiful logo and a wonderful idea!

Are you going to be affiliated with the Humane Society?

LDG said:

Are you going to be affiliated with the Humane Society?

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You don't need to be affiliated with HSUS to call yourself a humane society (in fact, they only support a select few shelters; the majority of local Humane Societies have nothing to do with HSUS), but I would really advise against it for a private rescue. There is some expectation in the minds of the public that a Humane Society be open-intake. You'll probably have a lot of drop-offs (particularly if you make the location known, which you might not want to do until you're firmly established).

It's a nice logo. But in my mind, a logo is the last thing to think of when starting a rescue, especially spending money on one.

Willowy said:

You don't need to be affiliated with HSUS to call yourself a humane society (in fact, they only support a select few shelters; the majority of local Humane Societies have nothing to do with HSUS), but I would really advise against it for a private rescue. There is some expectation in the minds of the public that a Humane Society be open-intake. You'll probably have a lot of drop-offs (particularly if you make the location known, which you might not want to do until you're firmly established).
It's a nice logo. But in my mind, a logo is the last thing to think of when starting a rescue, especially spending money on one.

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Yes, I agree. I would be much more worried about finances at that point.

kittylover23 said:

Yes, I agree. I would be much more worried about finances at that point.

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My thinking went like this: If I just told people i am starting a cat rescue organization and asked them for money, they would all be like, "What? This crazy cat lady wants money and she does not even have an organization yet?" To make sure they understand, it would help to show this logo to potential donors. That would assure them I am not a scammer when I request monetary donations.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

I already have a copyrighted logo for Hearts For Cats Humane Society, a future no-kill organization for cats local shelters have no room for or put on Death Row, strays, and young ferals. When money permits, more cats will be accepted and a public spay/neuter service will be added. I have no idea how long it will take to go from buying a house to opening for business, but there is zero chance my logo design will change as I get it repaired

This is the original logo:



The slogan at the bottom is, "Giving every cat another chance at life."

Click to expand...

Well shoot, Emily. I do web design and would have been pleased to offer my services. I love all things kitty, so it would have been purrrrrty much a labor of love.

Looking forward to seeing your new logo. I'm so excited for you and your new venture!! You go, girl!

LDG said:

Are you going to be affiliated with the Humane Society?

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I never even thought about doing that. The words "Humane Society" in the name are just there to emphasize what type of organization it is. A no-kill rescue organization that is based on foster homes instead of a large expensive building is definitely more humane that most shelters in America today, don't you think? That would allow me to avoid buying 200 cages and pay two mortgages!

WhollyCat said:

Well shoot, Emily. I do web design and would have been pleased to offer my services. I love all things kitty, so it would have been purrrrrty much a labor of love.

Looking forward to seeing your new logo. I'm so excited for you and your new venture!! You go, girl!

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How can I tell the company sorry, I changed my mind? They already know what I want.  An ad in your signature would have saved me a lot of money.

OK, here's a deal: I will stop trying to justify some declawing if you don't charge me.

It is a toss-up. I can't decide which font to use, but it will be either Ebrima or Microsoft Tail Le. I also don't know if bold or regular is better. I do know  I want ASPCA orange for the text only. Do you think one font type looks better than the other and if it should be bold or regular?

Ebrima

HEARTS FOR CATS HUMANE SOCIETY

Giving every cat another chance at life

Ebrima

HEARTS FOR CATS HUMANE SOCIETY

Giving every cat another chance at life

Microsoft Tai Le

HEARTS FOR CATS HUMANE SOCIETY

Giving every cat another chance at life

Microsoft Tai Le

HEARTS FOR CATS HUMANE SOCIETY

Giving every cat another chance at life

EmilyMayWilcha said:

My thinking went like this: If I just told people i am starting a cat rescue organization and asked them for money, they would all be like, "What? This crazy cat lady wants money and she does not even have an organization yet?" To make sure they understand, it would help to show this logo to potential donors. That would assure them I am not a scammer when I request monetary donations.

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Well, a logo doesn't mean you're not a scammer. Tons of scammers have totally fancy logos! One thing I would want to see is a 501(c), or whatever it's called---a non-profit corporation status. If you don't have that, you have to pay taxes on all donations. Keep that in mind, because it can take years to get your non-profit status, and if you don't pay taxes on the donations before then. . .well, I'd hate for you to be posting from a federal prison :tongue2:.

Willowy said:

Well, a logo doesn't mean you're not a scammer. Tons of scammers have totally fancy logos! One thing I would want to see is a 501(c), or whatever it's called---a non-profit corporation status. If you don't have that, you have to pay taxes on all donations. Keep that in mind, because it can take years to get your non-profit status, and if you don't pay taxes on the donations before then. . .well, I'd hate for you to be posting from a federal prison.

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It is called 501(c)3. I had no idea it took so long to get that nonprofit status. I don't like the word "corporation" for that type of organization.

Even if my design is useless as a logo before then, I certainly am allowed to use it here and show it off!

Corporation means that no one person owns it, only the board can make decisions (the board can be as few as 3 people). It's somewhat safer for the individuals involved (you personally can't be sued, only the corporation can, if the corporation goes bankrupt, you personally aren't responsible for the bills, etc.). I'm sure there's some way to do it with you as sole owner but of course that's something to look into.

If starting a rescue organization were easy, we'd all do it :tongue2:.

Willowy said:

Corporation means that no one person owns it, only the board can make decisions (the board can be as few as 3 people). It's somewhat safer for the individuals involved (you personally can't be sued, only the corporation can, if the corporation goes bankrupt, you personally aren't responsible for the bills, etc.). I'm sure there's some way to do it with you as sole owner but of course that's something to look into.
If starting a rescue organization were easy, we'd all do it.

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I will definitely buy some books about how to start a nonprofit organization and of course bookmark websites for related information after I get the logo redone. (WhollyCat will help me with that if I can create a PayPal account.) But that will come later because I just bought three books about the pet food industry.

I think you are going about it totally backwards. 

Can you foster cats in your home(I know yours are declawed so can clawed cats be in house you live at?

Do you have any willing fosters? 

Down the road until you move out what happens if a foster has a cat with claws and needs to get out of the foster seen ASAP?  Can you take that cat back in?

If you plan to stay in the same area you can start to establish some fosters now-friends/family/neighbors coworkers.

At least foster for a group in meantime and build up your knowledge of cats/behaviors/medical issues.  Maybe get some special needs especially if the shelter or what not pays for medical you can really learn alot.  Sub q/meds....

Humane society brings images of a facility using cages and open intake/euthanizing for space in my head as that is the ones I know/been to or seen online.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

How can I tell the company sorry, I changed my mind? They already know what I want.

 An ad in your signature would have saved me a lot of money.

OK, here's a deal: I will stop trying to justify some declawing if you don't charge me.

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 If you haven't paid them yet, you just tell them you decided to go in a different direction (in a nice way!). Oh my...I didn't realize I could put an "ad" in my signature. I didn't want to get in trouble, so that is why I haven't. I guess as long as it's not "in your face" it would be acceptable.

We've already PM'd back and forth, but I hadn't read this post beforehand. Sorry, missy, I'm so dead against declawing, so the fee I quoted will have to stand. You have chosen a very reputable company to do your logo revision, so no worries if you don't want to use me. I will try not to hound you too much about declawing. How about your website--anyone lined up for that? (Probably not me after the declawing comment .)

I do think that even if you are getting your logo ready before the business is actually up and running is a great step to actually see some tangible evidence that you are realizing your dream. So sorry to disagree with others that say you are not doing things in the order they should/could be done. Gotta say I might be a bit biased though, as a web designer, because that was one of the first things I took care of first for my own businesses. It just makes it seem more real. It is your brand. A very important step, IMHO. Also, with the name you have chosen, it should get ranked pretty good in the search engines over time (see below about domain name).

A couple questions and comments: Have you put together a business plan? This is an important step if you'll need financing. Do you have your domain name purchased (such as heartsforcatshumanesociety.org--do NOT Google this name to see if it is taken because crawlers will snatch the name right up and it would cost an arm and a leg to get the domain name you want!)? I would secure that before it is gone.

catsallaround said:

I think you are going about it totally backwards. 

Can you foster cats in your home(I know yours are declawed so can clawed cats be in house you live at?

Do you have any willing fosters? 

Down the road until you move out what happens if a foster has a cat with claws and needs to get out of the foster seen ASAP?  Can you take that cat back in?

If you plan to stay in the same area you can start to establish some fosters now-friends/family/neighbors coworkers.

At least foster for a group in meantime and build up your knowledge of cats/behaviors/medical issues.  Maybe get some special needs especially if the shelter or what not pays for medical you can really learn alot.  Sub q/meds....

Humane society brings images of a facility using cages and open intake/euthanizing for space in my head as that is the ones I know/been to or seen online.

Click to expand...

Personally, I think experience rescuing and fostering is needed before starting a shelter you'll likely manage yourself. :dk: Rescue kitties are typically always in need of medical care, and I think it would help a lot to have experience fostering for another group - especially as live beings are involved. :dk:

No reason not to be working on logos and business plans in the meantime. But practical experience is, IMO, a really important part of this dream.

WhollyCat, don't worry about the declawing issue. I will not let that determine who helps me create my website.

Catsallaround, declawing is not a requirement to rent. The problem is the number of cats I can have at one time. When I buy a house, I will be able to take in a lot of fosters.

LDG said:

Personally, I think experience rescuing and fostering is needed before starting a shelter you'll likely manage yourself.

Rescue kitties are typically always in need of medical care, and I think it would help a lot to have experience fostering for another group - especially as live beings are involved.

No reason not to be working on logos and business plans in the meantime. But practical experience is, IMO, a really important part of this dream.

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Oh, I see. I thought Emily had much more experience with fostering, etc. So, yeah it would be an excellent idea to volunteer at a shelter (or shelters) to get hands on experience learning the business. This can also help with getting funding (added to your business plan) when the time comes as this shows you have experience and know the in's and out's of running a shelter. Very good idea, Laurie. For example, I went to college for web design, then developed my skills over time and have been doing this for many years full time from my home. Also, I went to college for accounting, so I do that too from my home office; I also worked for a corporation for many years because of my education and experience. (I'm kind of a "right brain, left brain" sort of gal. ) I guess I'm trying to say that you have to set the foundation before you can build the house, so to speak.

Since it can take quite some time to set up a 501(c)3, etc. this should be at the top of things to start doing, and you can do other things while doing this--they don't need to be put on a back-burner. This is still a very viable dream, Emily. You just don't want to take any short cuts that can hinder getting started, so I would run with volunteering as soon as you can. Funding especially will depend in large part on your knowledge of this type of business inside and out.

Hope you find this information from us helpful and don't let it discourage you from moving forward or make you angry.