P.O. Box 813, Seguin, TX 78156
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starting your own animal sanctuary
by laura seargeant and tracy frank
Below is a list of considerations when starting your own animal sanctuary - of any type. Please note this is not a "step by step" guide and we make no claim as to the success or failure of this advice. The insight found here has all been gained from running a sanctuary for over eight years.

go non-profit
Rule number one, hands down. Animal sanctuaries, except for extreme cases, make no money and serve a humanitarian purpose rather than a money-making one. It would be great if you could figure out a new use for dog manure and make money from it, but to our knowledge that hasn't been achieved yet (by the way, if you do have an idea on what we could do with dog manure to make money, please let us know!). Before spending one dime, maximize your chances of continued operation by becoming a registered 501(c)(3) corporation. You'll need to do this research yourself for your locale.

establish a board of directors
A Board of Directors serves several purposes. First, you have trusted advisors to acquire knowledge and much needed advice outside of your own expertise. The Board should ideally have: a lawyer (to advise on legal matters), an accountant (to ensure that you are keeping proper paperwork to maintain your nonprofit status), several recognized community leaders (for networking purposes), a veterinarian, and possibly several of your strongest, staunchest movers and shakers in the organization. Another purpose to the Board is to generate ideas for the organization, provide legitimacy and responsibility to granting organizations and for generating income. Your Board should be community leaders as a whole and connected. They can open doors for opportunity that may be unknown or closed to you personally.

acquire funding before gathering the animals
It's true - it takes money to make money...or to run an animal sanctuary. It is extremely important to have some type of funding set aside before starting the Sanctuary. As soon as a single animal is in your care, there are associated costs - such as food, medicine, creating a website, paying staff or creating and sending out your first newsletter. This money may come from donor pledges, your own income, or possibly granting organizations. Keep in mind, the Sanctuary quickly becomes a full time job, so do not rely on yourself (or just one person) to both work a fulltime job and to run the Sanctuary. We also recommend not relying on granting organizations to sustain your organization. Grants may cover 10% of your costs, but that is it. There are a limited number of granting organizations for animal sanctuaries (particularly domestic), and there is fierce competition for those limited dollars. Particularly after 9/11, we have seen a reduction in animal-related funding.

understand granting organizations
It's important to have a volunteer that can almost exclusively focus on submitting grants to granting organizations. Not only will this person be able to serve as a consistent contact, but he/she will become well versed in your organization's efforts. We strongly recommend pursuing local grants first and then pursuing nationally recognized grants. Local grants have an interest in the immediate community and likewise, there should be a smaller pool of applicants. Do not be discouraged if your first effort goes mostly unnoticed. Granting organizations often choose to fund the same non-profits over the course of several years. Others want you to have an established track record. If you are denied a grant, take the time to thank the granting organization and even try to contact them and nicely ask if there is any thing you should be aware of when submitting future proposals. Each granting organization wants something different and may even use a different writing style or language. Grants will be built over time - they are never quick.

get involved
As much as possible, get involved in your community. At any animal event, any parade, picnic, or Chamber of Commerce events a sanctuary spokesman should be present. Choose your outlets wisely, however, because it's unlikely with everything else going on that you will be able to attend each event. Look for events directly or indirectly tied to your effort. Look for events with patrons who may be interested in your cause. Look for events with a large attendance.

embrace the local media
Media attention can be your friend, but it can also have a flip side. The more people who know about your organization, the more who can support it - but also more who can leave animals at your gate with no donation, more possible critics, more emails and phone calls to answer, more people to organize. All of it increases exponentially. Regardless, you do need to get your Sanctuary into the already-saturated media spotlight. It is helpful to create a press kit, so you have story ideas to draw from and a quick overview of the organization. If any of your organization's contributors or volunteers have media connections, whatever the outlet, use them.

become an expert in your field
By becoming an expert in your field, whether it's the resident expert on service dogs, retired canine cops, or rescuing downed factory farm animals, you will soon have the attention of others (including the aforementioned media) who can further your efforts. This includes responding to Letters to the Editors of local newspapers, offering your expertise to local law enforcment, etc. - anywhere you can provide help as an expert. Think of it this way - you're reading this very paragraph because you consider SARA's staff to be a possible expert in a field you are still learning. See? It's already working.

use geographic concentric circles
Think small, then think large. Your best bet is to become strong in your immediate locale, then grow in an outward radius. This makes sense on many levels. Look to your strongest supporters: volunteers, media, food supplies, and who you serve, as those coming from nearest you. For example, SARA has larger coverage in the Seguin Gazette newspaper (immediate community) and the San Antonio Express News (closest metropolitan area) than in Austin to date - even though many of our animals come from Austin. Our most reliable volunteers are either closest to the Sanctuary or have a very deep commitment and personal connection. Likewise, the closer your food supply, the easier it will be in terms of time and cost (gas, car maintenance, etc.).

create a website
This section probably doesn't need an explanation. We all know the value of websites - furthering our reach through cyberspace. The only points to make here are: a) it pays, literally, to have a professionally designed website. You may be able to get this created pro bono (as in this current website), or for a reduced cost. Many people say they can create a website, but it's important for your website not to be someone's experiment. b) it also helps to have a consistent volunteer who is willing to update the site's content (not play with the design). It can be extremely hard to find someone willing to only update content without changing the very nature of the site. c) it's extremely important for the website to be part of the overall image you convey to the larger community. Ideally, your printed newsletters, your press kit, your logo, your message and your website should all be an integrated whole. They need to look and feel synonymous. This strengthens your image and your brand to the community.

find and maintain volunteers
You must keep in mind that your volunteers are simply that - regular people volunteering time for YOUR cause. Your Sanctuary may be your lifeblood, always on your mind during your waking hours, and a consistent depletion of your resources - but volunteers typically are not the same. They are helping you in their free time and that must be respected. Volunteers need to be nurtured, informed and made to feel important - because they are. Volunteers may promise big rewards like designing a website, creating and running an event, finding donors, or even working at the Sanctuary and not come through. Thus, you must have a large bank of donors on which to call. Over time you will find a handful that remain with the organization and can be depended on, but make sure not to overuse these resources. Call them in for when you really need them and understand that even your most reliable volunteers have a life and job outside of the cause to which they donate free time.

free the director's time to focus on the big picture rather than the grunt work
In the beginning, the founder/director will be responsible for many of the logistics, planning and downright grunt work. But at some point, when operations are running more smoothly, the Director's biggest contribution is in keeping the cause alive, networking, responding to the media, and planning the organization's future. As the backbone, this person is most likely responsible for the overall effort - whether it's successful or a failure.

find a consistent food source
Look to distribution centers in your locale for pet food. Many large supermarkets have broken bags of food that cannot be sold and are available to non-profits at the warehouses. Likewise, veterinarians may get a surplus of food samples and be willing to share with your organization. It helps to have several "food drives" during the year to keep a surplus on hand.

find a niche market
Like any successful business, it helps to have a niche market to avoid competition. If there are 5 other non-profit Siamese cat rescue organizations in 100-mile radius of you, then that idea for a Sanctuary is not going to be your best bet. Anything which helps distinguish your organization from others is worth considering. And even though you might be the only rescue organization in a town, you may not be forever, so give some thought to what you really want to focus on and why. A great analogous example is used truck parts. There are a lot of junk yards and used truck parts, but one millionaire found that no one within a radius of 5 states had used truck parts for big-wheel trailers - no one, which is why he is the expert, the sole source and literally the guy with the richest junkyard.

plan smartly
SARA has grown exponentially in the last eight years, and there is no way we could have predicted that we would have 700 animals and counting. It helps to think ahead, and to try to plan your operations and sanctuary layout accordingly. Over time we have learned how to best design the Sanctuary to feed and water the animals, how to best separate the healthy cats from the FIV/leukemia cats, and how to make best use of shade trees in the hot Texas summers. It could always be better, but you can also only grow as your income allows. Keep in mind your plan, and then build out slowly according to that plan.

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» frequently asked questions

» finding a home for your pet

» special thanks

» starting your own sanctuary

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