FUNDING

The bulk of your group's funds will be spent on veterinary bills. The second major expense will be promotional materials and forms.

It is imperative that you establish a budget. Start your program with enough funds to keep you going for at least six months. Sometimes limited funding will force your members to make hard decisions when evaluating a cat's potential as a candidate for your program. For example, let's say you have raised $1,000 and the first cat that comes into your program requires $600 of veterinary work. How many cats will not be rescued because you spent over half your funds on one?

Most often your primary source of funding will be your own pockets if you have not made efforts to expand on sources of donations. There is no "breaking even" in rescue. Without donations from someone, there are no funds since adoption fees never come close to providing for all the expenses. Once your program gets started, you must charge a reasonable fee for the adoption of your rescue cats. While these won't pay everything, adoption fees remain a significant source for recouping at least a portion of your veterinary expenses.

Suggested Fund Raising Projects

• Raffles (on line and at cat shows), booths at cat shows, garage sales, candy sales (a big favorite with exhibitors at shows).
• Have a donation jar at the gate or at your booth at cat shows or at your veterinarian's office, pet supply stores, and/or pet stores.
• For many, many great ideas, join the HumaneFundraising group on yahoo. Though this list is geared to nonprofit charities, many great ideas for any rescue are offered there. Check their files section, too!

Alternate Sources Emergency Vet Funding

Explore Grants and Awards

• http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_foundationgranttypes_Nav_1350.aspx
• http://www.oxbowanimalhealth.com/oxbow_cares/rescue_support
• http://www.animalsheltering.org/programs_and_services/financial_assistance/ 
• http://grants.library.wisc.edu/organizations/animals.html
• http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/2animal.htm
• http://www.sheltersource.org/GRANTS%20f-z.pdf
• http://www.petsmartcharities.org/grants/faq.html
• http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_shelter_services_grants_available
• http://www.petfinderfoundation.com/program/

APPLYING TO BE A 501(c)3

After your rescue has been established and is up and running, you may well want to apply for your organization to become a nonprofit corporation in your state and to gain an animal welfare charity status from the IRS.  A 501(c)3 determination allows you to accept contributions and offer donors a tax deduction for their gifts. Obtaining charity status also allows you to apply for grants. In addition, some shelters insist on rescues having 501(c)3 status in order for them to be allowed to pull cats.

If you plan to apply, you will want to read the information on the links below, and we advise you join the the  501(c)3 Help Email List on Yahoo.

Forming and maintaining Tax Exempt organizations - Information from the IRS
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p557/index.html
http://www.irs.gov/charities/charitable/article/0,,id=122725,00.html
http://stayexempt.org/

FAQ regarding getting and keeping nonprofit status
http://www.bizfilings.com/nonprofit-b.aspx

Idealist.org Nonprofit FAQ
http://www.idealist.org/info/Nonprofits/#FAQ
Idealist,org is a resource of information about nonprofits and their work.
♦ Resources for fundraising online
♦ Multistate Filing for Charitable Solicitation

How to form a nonprofit corporation
http://www.nolo.com/article.cfm/objectID/EA3D3043-9A88-43F5-8DC869639F0F6E77/111/262/ART/

The Learning Institute for Nonprofits Strategic Planning

http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cced/nonprofits/index.cfm