Non-profit status

[Reese777]

Hi Guys,

Anyone here know what I need to do to create my own non-profit org? I have been rescuing cats for years now, (over 50 since 1997, and hubby and I have paid for each one to be tested for Aids and Leukemia, immunized, and spayed/neutered out of our own pocket - usually runs at least $200 or more PER cat!)

The reason I ask this is, if I could gain non-profit status say- as a "rescue" of some sort, I could apply for grant funds, which would help me take care of costs of maintaining the health of the ones I'm currently caring for - which is a colony. (All together, with my "inside" babies, I have between 20-30 cats - and that's just counting the ones I see regularly...some come at night when I'm not able to see them...there's a handful of those!).

The cost just for food is very high every week - and I figure if I could get a grant each year for just a couple grand it would really help us out.

I have no idea where to start though...

Reese

 

[nancy324]

If I were you, I would start by contacting this organization: http://www.lawv.net/Home/PublicWeb. They may be able to point you towards an attorney in your area who will do this for you pro bono. It's a very worthy cause, and I would think someone would be happy to help.

 

[concetta]

Hey Reese,

My husband and are were just talking about the same thing this morning! I can totally relate to the expense. All of our regulars have been to the vet, tested, vaccinated and neutered. We have been rescuing strays for awhile now and since we can no longer take in any permanent additions we have been doing our best to place them in good homes. So far we have just dealt with cats but yesterday we found a dog running loose on a highway near our house so we now officially have a canine division lol! No claims on her yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks for the website Nancy, I will definitely check it out as well.

Coni

 

[DaneDogHouse]

Depending on your state laws, you may have to be incorporated first. The 501(c)(3)status paperwork is a giant pain in the butt to fill out. If you can get a legal professional to help you, it will save you a big headache. I can also tell you (from experience) that once the IRS has it, it can take several months to get it approved. If there is one question or error, they send it make so you can fix it. Then if there is another, back it goes again - it can go on and on.

It costs $300 to apply. Once you get it, you are eligible for grants and it also can open up the doors of Petco and Petsmart. There are some good perks to being a rescue partner at either place.

One thing it does not do, and I try to explain this to people all the time, is guarantee the rescue is responsible.
(This is not directed at Reese.)
It's just a common misconception I like to correct whenever possible. The IRS does not do any checking to make sure things are being done right. I have heard of "rescues" that have non-profit status that don't even alter prior to placing. The word for THAT is "broker", I think. (or something a lot worse....GGGRRRR).

Doing cat rescue is a never-ending battle. With the Danes, we at least have one or two times a year when there is not a waiting list of dogs wating to get in. With cats, geez - I just can't imagine. You have my deepest respect for doing it!


Jeanine

We find beauty in the most incomprehensible places and the otherwise homely faces. It is our gift to see beyond the dirt, terror, sadness and defeat and find the true soul that lies within. We are Rescue.
www.cfgdr.org

 

[Reese777]

Jeanine,

Yeah, with cats it's been interesting. The bulk of my outside group is feral or partially feral too. I've worked with some of them for years - just to pet them. Several I've had to trap with live traps just to get them to the vet to be altered. So these are animals I'm not trying to "place" because they aren't suitable for inside living. I'm just trying to keep them up to date on shots, feed them, etc, and if necessary- provide medical assistance to them (I had one of my outside boys "YooHoo" get his tail caught and broken - it was cut too and infected so badly he had maggots in the wound [gag] and they had to cut his tail off to a two inch little stub - that set us back about $300 and now his name is "YooHoo Mr. Bob").

I usually have a running tab at the vet, but this past few months have been really tight in our finances so if I could do this and get some financial relief, that would be great. Have you checked out legalzoom.com? I think that's what it's called. There you can get the status for I'm thinking $130 - I'm just wondering if it's what I need....