Non-Profits Serving Animals
Petfinder.com indicates that starting a non-profit business for animals requires both a desire to assist animals and a strong business sense. Therefore, you will need to comprehend exactly what a non-profit animal business will entail and the management issues that you will need to address if your business is to be successful. Do some background investigating, determine what it is exactly that you want to do, get support from others, locate funding and plan extensively in order to begin your organization effectively.
Instructions
Research
1. Research the animal related non-profit organizations in your area that already exist. For example, if you wish to open a no-kill shelter, you must determine if there are other no-kill shelters that provide the same services. Use the Internet, your local telephone directory and phone to call other animal related businesses to conduct your research.
2. Determine if your proposed non-profit business will aid the community or hinder the operation of another facility. In some cases, the ASPCA advises that if there are already multiple similar services in one area, opening another would create a loss of funding for those businesses that already exist. Additionally, multiple similar non-profits may mean that your non-profit will not be capable of receiving enough funding or community support.
3. Find out if there is public demand in your area for the non-profit animal related business that you wish to start. The more public demand there is for such a business, the more public support you will receive for your service. Try reading local newspapers to see if there is public demand.
Plan
4. Develop a business plan for your organization. This should include a mission statement indicating what your organization will accomplish, as well as the goals of the non-profit. Put your plan in writing.
5. Determine the staffing that you will need. Perhaps you will need a veterinarian in the area who you can consult or send animals to for care, or you may need workers to assist in the care of animals. You may also need to contract with a lawyer in order to make sure that all of your non-profit business policies meet with local, state and federal laws. Locate those within your community who are willing to either volunteer, donate their time and talents or who can be hired for a minimal cost as needed.
6. Identify individuals or groups within your community that will support your non-profit. Support can be offered in terms of free advertising, volunteer work, providing supplies or services, as well as providing financial contributions to your organization.
7. Determine if you have the facilities for your operation, or whether you will need to construct, lease, rent or purchase property to conduct your business. You may wish to consult organizations such as the ASPCA to see what is required by law for some types of non-profit animal businesses.
8. Identify supplies, office materials, paperwork, transportation needs, if any, insurance needs, operation costs and your primary role(s) in the organization.
Focus
9. The ASPCA suggests that you determine the specific service that you will provide and be capable of clarifying it. For example, you may want to open a non-profit animal shelter, but you must determine what kind. Some animal shelters will only take certain kinds of animals, others will take a certain number of animals, and some will put animals to sleep, while others are no-kill shelters.
10. Clarify in writing the services that your non-profit will provide so that contributors and the public completely understand what you can accomplish for them and the animals that you serve.
11. Just as you will clarify what you will do, you must also determine what you will not do as a non-profit business and be capable of putting restrictions in writing as well.
Funding
12. Locate individuals or organizations that will be provide funding for your non-profit. This is important because non-profits function primarily off of contributions from those who support them.
13. Hold an open house at your place of business for people within the community to get to know you and the services that you provide. At your open house, freely ask for contributions from those who attend and keep a list of those who make financial contributions so that you can contact them for more support in the future.
14. Print flyers, send mailings to people in the community, approach animal related organizations that are not non-profits, research grants, contact other community groups and make people aware of your funding needs. Your requests for funding must be continuous and planned.
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