How does a non-profit organization earn income to maintain its facility?

Saving and maintaining animal species can be done in a number of ways. There are endless organizations set-up for the dedication of wildlife. One of the ways to help protect wildlife is through an animal rescue center or sanctuary. They are usually non-profit organizations. A non-profit organization is different from a normal business because it must find alternative methods of income in order to maintain its functionality.

Depending on the organization, there are different ways it may choose to obtain income. Most of the time they receive generous donations from people who care about the mission of the organization. For instance the Environmental Defense Fund reported on its 2006 annual report that its total operating support and revenue reached $71.8 million. However, 54% of that was all from individual donors. Aside from outside contributors, members of the organization may support its funds, too. With the Environmental Defense as an example, their members contributed 14% of the $71.8 million. This organization also has 500,000 members, which would roughly come to $20 per member.
Here is a link to their annual report: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/5752_2006AnnualReport.pdf. If it is set up like a union, members may just be required to pay monthly fees in order to be a part of it. If it is a wildlife rescue center, more creative ways of earning income may be used. For instance, if it is a visitor site, visiting fees may be charged, which can help pay for the maintenance of animals. Still other sources may be used as well. The Fort Wayne, Indiana children's zoo allows visitors to "adopt" animals, which gives the visitors several benefits and the zoo an opportunity to obtain more income(http://www.kidszoo.org/). Still another common form of aid, would be through the government. However, being a single organization you can not expect to receive a majority of the funds to come from the government. For the Environmental Defense, they received only 1% from the government. For more information on government aid... stay tuned....