i need help,,, non-profit organization - any clues!!!

Hi sweetie. I hope this helps. I was VP of a local animal rescue group for 3 years here. They are most definately non-profit so I can suggest some things to help. You are going to need volunteers, not just to help with the upkeep of the pets, but to go out and try to get pet shops involved. Some places, Wal-mart for example, will donate the bags of food that are ripped upon arrival to their store. Not just food, but cat litter. Most pet stores, will allow you to put up a bin for people to donate supplies. Pet Smart here has one for the group I am still involved in, the League for Animal Welfare, and they have one for the shelter also. They also allow you to bring the animals in from time to time to try to find them homes. If you can get people to donate old bedding and towels for the pets to have warm blankets to lay on, that is a big help too. You will also need to talk to local vets to see if any of them are willing to help with a low cost spay and neuter program. The LAW pays half and the pet owner pays half. You will also have to see if they will work with you on shots and such. Another thing is foster homes. Some people are willing to do this. It helps with young animals as they get potty trained and learn how to act around people and other pets. You will also have to determine just how much you are willing to do. The LAW would treat for heartworms. Highly contagious diseases such as feline leukemia they would have to put the cat down. They couldn't risk infecting the other animals. Then there are the adoption fees. We always upon taking an animal in would ask for a donation to help with expenses. We would then have the animal updated on it's shots, and if old enough, would have them spayed or neutered. As far as finding good homes, we always asked that if for any reason the new owners could not keep the pet, to bring it back, no questions asked. We would also ask if we could come by and check on the animal in it's new home. Generally, if someone is willing to do this, the pet will be getting a good home. Also, with dogs, we would ask if they had a fenced in yard. In other words, there are lots of things to think about. I don't know anything on getting you started, but I do hope this provides insight.

First of all - what a nice thing to do, I rally respect that :) Second - it's no problem for you and your husband to make a difference, you can just start working out of your home. The problems start if you want to be registered as a "real" non-profit organization. This is a really hard thing to do, lots and lots of paperwork.