Finding the Money and Getting Help
These sections, 6 and 7 of 13, (all are linked here), deal with financing your new adoption startup — and finding and putting volunteers to good use.
Finding the money
If you came to this article because of the word “Start up” and you have managed to make it this far, congratulations! Here, have a puppy!
Now for the annoying news: Unlike starting up just about any kind of business, no one but yourself (and maybe one or two dedicated benefactors) is likely to finance you. There’s no profit in this work; indeed, it’s all expense. Without the sheen of money, there’s no glamour unless you have a photographer bestie who loves taking glamour shots of your pets….so, for the first few months or so, count on funding yourself. It’s pretty much the same as pet ownership, but with printing costs (posters, business cards, literature) and extra vet visits (because more animals = more emergencies, especially as the pets often come from a background of neglect).
With respect to adoption fees, you need to charge something, because it is a truism that people do not value what they don’t pay for (actually, sometimes they do. Free adoption days actually work). Also because 1) other rescues will have adoption fees, and if you offer the same kinds of pets as they do and you significantly undercut them, you will create gossip and obstacles to cooperation, and 2) adoption fees make up perhaps 10–20% of your funding. For this reason, adopters are often willing to pay a premium on adoption fees over purchases in a pet store, in order to support the kind of work you do — but be conscious to provide good value (“customer” support and care) with this premium.
So where is the rest of the money going to come from? You may have to get creative and create a social business venture that can drive its profits into your good work. This is only limited by the amount of time you already dedicate to the rescue and your other demands in life (work, family, and friendships that you should not sacrifice). Otherwise, here is the collection of things rescues do to raise money:
- throwing participatory garage sales and bake sales
- comedy nights (selling tickets, sponsored by clubs) and other benefit concerts and events
- 50/50 draws and other raffles, particularly if sponsored
- playing in fundraising or merchandise-winning contests for shelters
- selling merchandise, particularly hand-made, such as hammocks for pets
- divvying up large purchases of food and marking up each portion — an up-sell opportunity with your adoptions
- pet sitting services
- nail trimming days
- asking for donations (particularly online and GoFundMe campaigns), including sales-counter deposit boxes at relevant/willing merchants.
Getting help when you need it: Volunteers
Recruiting volunteers is always a social endeavour. The best volunteers I’ve had were ones that came through either an existing social connection, or through adoptions. Some came blindly through the internet, which is great for one-off opportunities for help. People who adopt from rescues are good people, and some of them want to help just that extra bit — either by donating, buying tickets to events, or putting in some effort from time to time. Never take these people for granted! Try to keep your heart light and a positive, giving attitude when they are helping you. Buy them coffee and donuts, give them little useful gifts.
Now, there are always aggravations in event planning and dealing with the public (remember, not everyone likes pets or the particular pet you are adopting out; I had to deal with a lot of flack regarding my pet rats and mice), and any two people can have misunderstandings or differing opinions… so you don’t have to be PR queen (or king), but you do have to be easygoing. Animal rescue is very passionate and sometimes stressful work. If you make it rewarding, your volunteers will become more available, and help you recruit more volunteers.
What should you get volunteers to help you with? Simple: simple stuff. If they indicate they are only available to do online work, you could ask them to populate your secondary adoption service website and classified ad websites based on the profiles that you yourself have created on your primary service website. Or they could manage the social media posts, do a little translation, upgrade your adoption application by turning it into a bona-fide form (taking care that if it is a webpage, that it saves and submits the information properly), or organize your digital files, which tend to get messy. Whatever task is easy for them to do, uses their expertise in a time-limited fashion, and produces an excellent result.
If they volunteer in person, these are the two areas that will give you the greatest relief of time and effort, and give them the greatest reward: cleaning and exercising the animals, and doing transport (picking up from their shelter/rescue situation and delivering them to you, help with vet visits if necessary, setting up for an adoption day, or delivery to their forever home). This way, you can concentrate on the responsible brainy stuff that only you can really do: marketing, relationship building, communications, fundraising, and adoption inquiries and screening.
Speaking of which…
Go on to read more on the Daily Business of Running an Animal Rescue.
