ASPCA Shelter Outreach

The ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is one of many shelters that helps give a home to animals in need. Being a well established non-profit organization, they have lots of knowledge and expertise in running a non-profit. They have actually published a book,"Keys to a Great Shelter: The ASPCA National Shelter Outreach Guide to Starting and Improving a Humane Organization", in order to help people get started in opening a humane organization for animals in need. They specify 10 tips that are essential to starting a humane organization:

1. Assess your community- Find out exactly what the needs of your community are. For instance, are there already well-established organizations? If there are, opening another one may actually make things worse because there will be even less resources for donations.

2.Think Twice- Helping animals may sound like a dream come true. However, there are lots of responsibilities other than just spending time with animals.

3. Get Experience - Volunteer at a local shelter so you can see what its all really about.

4. Form a Team of Go-Getters - Make sure you form a group of people with knowledge and expertise in related fields. Not only will you need people with environmental knowledge, but people with accounting, marketing, management, and other business skills are a major benefit in running a non-profit organization.

5. Visit Other Shelters- Learning what other shelters do can give you a basis for your own shelter.

6. Decide What Type of Shelter You Want - There are several types of shelters. Do research to find out which one would be best for your community. (Specific types of shelters will be discussed in depth in later postings).

7. Come up with a Mission Statement and a Plan- As discussed in earlier postings, a non-profit organization has a mission statement that their entire planning revolves around. It is the core reason the organization exists.

8. Raise Funds - Fundraising is a key event of a non-profit. Without it, there would not be enough cash flow to fulfill the mission.

9. Toot Your Horn- When the organization opens, make sure its a very "grand"-opening. Make sure as many people as possible in the community know about it.

10.Don't Forget the Animals - Starting a shelter is not an easy task, just remember why you started it in the first place.

These are just the ten essential tips that the ASPCA has put in their book. There are several other responsibilities that an organization must follow in order to succeed. However, these are some of the most critical. For a more complete description of tips and other related materials from the ASPCA, visit their website:

http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pro_startashelter