*** Re-posting this from yesterday so more people see it and because I am too lazy to write a new post ***
Hello all- as you know we decided to change animal charities from the delightful people at MARC to a new one, solely because MARC is so well established that they simply don’t need us anymore. They’re still great! There is nothing wrong with them that is causing this move. I love them 100%! But, much like fostering animals, who move along when they no longer need your help, so it is with us and our animal charities. It’s the bittersweet price of success. So if you have a recurring donation with MARC and want to keep it going, I say hell yes, they are great. But for us as a group, it is time to move on.
We asked you all a while back to help us find a new charity, and there were a lot of suggestions, but many of them just had massive operating budgets already, and what I really wanted was some place that was a shoestring operation, had a lot of heart and big ambition, was already getting a lot done with next to nothing, and who would FLOURISH with our meager annual cash injection. And so it is with WMAW.
WMAW is based in Colorado, in what was described to me as a region that is basically “poverty with a view,” and man did that strike home because it is basically the same story as around here in my parts and where our previous charities have been focused in Tennessee. They are in the 2nd poorest county in Colorado, right next to the poorest county, and man do they have their hands full. Their website is here, and I hope you all take some time and check them out. They have some big plans, and hopefully we can help them on their way and one day get them a physical space.
At any rate, that is our new charity. Our second runner up was Satby’s suggestion, the Spay Neuter Assistance Program of Michigan, but their annual budget was just too large to fit the criteria we were looking for. However, because of covid, they are low on funds this year, and are currently running a little fundraiser ($2500), so if you would like to chip in and help them out, it would be appreciated, I am sure.
Thanks for everyone who offered suggestions, and thanks to Watergirl for the legwork on the finances of different outlets.
TaMara (HFG)
I suspect Miss Bianca had a little something to do with this suggestion. Couldn’t be more excited after looking at their website.
WaterGirl
@TaMara (HFG): Maybe. :-)
What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?
Howdy!
pat
I just added up the amount of money I have given to political campaigns (and they still beg for more) and I think I can send something to this deserving lot, but can I be sure that I will not get on another
MAIL OR EMAIL LIST??
Baud
Hello.
WaterGirl
I like the logo!
zhena gogolia
@WaterGirl:
Are we getting two different calendars this year? I figure I can keep one at home and one in the office.
HumboldtBlue
@WaterGirl:
Yes, that’s well done.
satby
I’m delighted for WMAW, it will mean so much to them. Great call, our help can really extend their work. Especially this year.
And much gratitude for highlighting our groups funder too.
Our normal cash flow made us too big to qualify for what John was looking for (and boy, I was surprised by that. Bad board member, bad!) But we haven’t been able to hold a single fundraiser AND state grants are frozen right now, impacted by the pandemic spending, so we’re all paying out of pocket to keep our fosters fed and vetted. Which honestly isn’t sustainable as new animals come in. So thanks to anybody moved to chip in again. Jackals have always helped us when we’ve asked. The best people, right here!
BruceFromOhio
Awesome.
Martin
@zhena gogolia: What’s an office?
WaterGirl
@zhena gogolia: Yes, two different calendars this year. $25 each and we’re thinking that if you buy both of them, you get the set for $45.
Aleta
Well done John.
Ken
The corner of the living room where you keep your work computer.
Which reminds me, I wanted to check if any of my 401K is invested in commercial property rental companies….
Nutmeg again
Excellent! Animal Rescue people are amazing.
MazeDancer
Apparently, drastic lack of funds is a problem with all animal charities during COVID.
Because they can’t have their annual fundraisers. And are not open as much.
DCSPCA.org here in Dutchess County, NY, says they have only raised 25% of their annual operating expenses. They are a lovely shelter doing great work, adopting out 1500 pets a year.
Like satby’s group, this is not good news.
Maybe, after the Election, we can have Doug like fundraising posts for Animal Causes.
Joy in FL
@MazeDancer: “Maybe, after the Election, we can have Doug like fundraising posts for Animal Causes.”
I think that is a great idea. Maybe weekly, maybe a different one each month?
What will I do with all the unused income that I have been donating through Act Blue? Help animals!
Almost Retired
I’m in. I absolutely love this concept, John Cole — picking a small but imminently worthy organization whose finances and profile can be utterly transformed by the power of this blog.
pika
Done, and thank you, John and Watergirl!
WaterGirl
@MazeDancer: @Joy in FL:
I think some pocketbooks will probably need a little bit of recovery time first. :-)
MazeDancer
@WaterGirl:
@JoyinFyL
We can start with Valentines Day
zhena gogolia
@Martin:
We’re doing pretty well so I’m still going to my office.
RoonieRoo
Gave my first donation to them. I like the cut of their jib reading the website. Excellent choice for this year.
Miss Bianca
@TaMara (HFG): Yay-ee, I did!!
And I can’t tell you how it made my heart sing to hear John say he favored them!
It was *high-larious* to tell the good folks at WMAW what I was up to, and have them go from all, “oh, a pet calendar thing, that’s nice, thank you!” to having talked to John and then come back with “HOLY SHIT, THIS IS AMAZEBALLS, THANK YOU SO MUCH!!” lol!
satby
Thanks to all the people who donated! You can’t imagine how much it helps.
Luthiengineer
Thanks. I gave $20 to both charities. It’s not much, but hopefully a bunch of us lurkers chip in when Cole mentions places like this.
Miss Bianca
@Luthiengineer: Thank you. I think a lot of people did. I checked in with Heidi from WMAW last night and her quote was “donations are coming in faster than we can process them!”
They’re stunned. Little did they know the awesome philanthropic power of the jackaltariat, but they’re learning!
Sab
Sun came out today finally, so I got many cat pictures. I can send them to you via e-mail at BJ address? Will that work? Most on my android, best on my husband’s iphone
ETA To Watergirl.
Sab
We need to get those critters off that wet mountain // ;)
WaterGirl
@Sab: Actually it’s best to upload the photos at the link I sent you a couple of weeks ago. Would you like me to send you the link again?
If you are on a computer, you can put all your photos in a folder, and upload the whole folder at once.
raven
Ya’ll see this
Over 600 shelter dogs and cats from Hawaii boarded a chartered plane and were flown to mainland shelters on Oct. 28 to be adopted in efforts to relieve overcrowded pet shelters in the state.
WereBear
I remember John announcing this advancement. Excelsior!
Also, will share both on my Twitter feed, I do #GivingTuesday for a worthy cause.
TomatoQueen
@raven: Noting Lanai Cat Sanctuary’s website is marked at top Closed Until Further Notice, on the island of Lanai, which is 98 percent or more owned by that mofo Larry Ellison, I wonder whether Larry is out of the cat business, as it’s surely purely coincidental that 600 cats were transported, and 600 cats have lived on Lanai since before Larry bought the island in 2012. Oh look another opportunity to call a prominent person an asshole. Larry is an asshole.
J R in WV
Well, I kicked in, and told them I was part of the B-J fundraiser. I hope their shock and awe lasts, and that the funds do what is needed. Rural poverty may not seem quite as bad as urban poverty, but either way it grinds people down terribly.
Lymie
Donated! It would be nice to see how we are impacting them, good news in desperate times…..
Miss Bianca
@Lymie: I promise I will forward on their comments and I’m sure John and WaterGirl will let me do a guest update post. (Err…right, JC and WG?)
WaterGirl
@Miss Bianca: That’s a pretty good guess. :-)
Miss Bianca
Also, you all have no idea how grateful I am that John picked these gals (I say “gals” because, as John suspected, the vast majority of our rescue group are women). I had been having just a really shitty couple days/weeks before John announced that he was looking for a new animal rescue for the pet calendar fundraiser, and I don’t know why I just felt so damn determined that WMAW had to be THE ONES.
Anyway, just to let you all know that the day John called and then said, “yeah, they’re the ones,” my heart just flew up into the sky and managed to stay somewhat airborne even after some really shitty stressful days that followed. Just because I knew that thanks to Balloon Juice, my gals and the animals they are caring for would be all right. Pet food donation, spay/neuter/vax clinics, rescue and rehome operations and most of all, the permanent shelter fund will all get a boost they really really need this year.
Thanks so much again and again. This community of jackals JC has put together is just the best.
heidi E.
@Miss Bianca: we are so thrilled to be the recipient of anything! but we are always cautious cuz that’s the way it is in rural Colo! and we never want to loose hard won credibility and the support of some of the most generous (yet poor) people here in Custer county!
heidi E.
We at WMAW want to thank each and every one of you for your welcomes, support, appreciation and donations! John Cole you did a great job of describing where we are, who we are and what we try to do, so thank you. Cannot wait to buy some of the calendars for gifts to rele’s on the holidays! and, if any of you would like to follow us on FB, please ask for admittance, be sure and answer the questions (they are easy), and since we are pretty active, it’ll give you a good over view of what we try to help with!