Your passion for animal welfare has driven you to start a rescue, but it takes a lot more to get the organization up and running. An animal rescue offers a safe haven for animals in need, potentially saving thousands from cruelty and abandonment.
We’ll highlight the essential steps to start your rescue nonprofit on the right note. Discover all you need to know about establishing a 501(c)(3) animal rescue organization.
Whether you're a seasoned animal advocate or new to the world of nonprofits, you'll find actionable tips to help your rescue not just survive, but thrive.
10 steps to starting an animal rescue
- Conduct a needs assessment
- Define your brand identity
- Come up with a business plan
- Hire a board of directors
- Draft nonprofit bylaws
- Incorporate your animal rescue
- Apply for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status
- Choose a strategic location
- Create policies and standards for your center
- Start promoting your organization
What is an animal rescue center?
An animal rescue center is an organization that aims to save animals from dangerous, abusive, or neglectful situations and find them suitable homes. These organizations often operate through a network of volunteers who provide temporary foster care for animals until they can be adopted.
Animal rescues may focus on specific breeds or types of animals and work to rehabilitate and rehome them, ensuring they receive the necessary medical care.
Recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), an animal shelter receives tax-exempt status under section 501(c)(3) which is one of the 32 types of nonprofits. These organizations fall into the category of "prevention of cruelty to animals."
The purpose of animal rescue centers can range from:
- Promoting animal welfare and advocating for animal rights
- Running an animal shelter and rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming animals in need
- Educating the public on responsible pet ownership
- Providing medical care and vaccinations
- Supporting spay and neuter programs to control the animal population
- Offering behavioral training for adoptable animals
- Rehabilitating wildlife for release back into their natural habitats
- Conducting rescue operations during natural disasters
1. Conduct a needs assessment
Your passion might have fueled the decision to start a nonprofit, but you need to determine if there is an actual need for the problem you aim to solve.
By identifying a unique approach to animal rescue that others aren't addressing, you can maximize your impact and avoid duplicating efforts. This allows your rescue to make a greater difference and truly stand out in the field of animal welfare.
Take a look at the animal rescue landscape in your community and figure out:
- What animal shelters and rescues already exist near you?
- How do they operate internally?
- Does an existing animal shelter fail to meet the needs of your community?
- How is animal control managed locally?
- Do you see overpopulation or displacement of certain species?
Answering these questions will help you develop a definite purpose for your nonprofit. For instance, if many animal rescues already exist for older dogs, you can focus on maimed animals that often struggle to secure care.
2. Define your brand identity
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Your rescue's unique brand identity is important for standing out among other nonprofits. Maintaining a cohesive presence across all activities is essential as it shapes your messaging, marketing, media, merchandise, event planning, and fundraising efforts.
To establish this identity, focus on defining key elements such as:
Name
A thoughtful, mission-aligned name can boost your nonprofit's visibility and impact. Decide on a name that's catchy and immediately informs people about what you do. Consider using a nonprofit name generator for creative inspiration.
For instance, "Second Chance Sanctuary" and "Healing Paws Rescue" are great names for organisations dedicated to caring for maimed animals. The name highlights that it focuses on offering a second home and care to these animals.
Mission statement
It's a short and impactful statement that lays out why your nonprofit exists. It should communicate your organization's purpose effectively.
For the above example, the mission statement could be - “to heal, love, and find homes for injured animals, giving every creature a second chance at a happy life.”
Vision statement
It highlights what your organization wishes to become and what your future aspirations and goals are.
For instance - A world where every injured animal receives care, compassion, and the opportunity to thrive.
Color scheme and logo
People have psychological ties to colors, so pick them strategically to create the right perception of your nonprofit in their minds. See what each color symbolizes and choose a color scheme that aligns with your nonprofit mission.
For instance, soft blue and warm orange are great options for injured animal charities. Soft blue represents trust and healing, while warm orange stands for warmth, energy, and new beginnings.
3. Come up with a business plan
A nonprofit business plan is the key to mapping out an organization's future. It is a blueprint for how your organization will run, its responsibilities, and how you plan to achieve your goals.
The key elements that make up your business plan include:
- Executive summary: A general summary of your business plan as a whole, providing an overview of what's inside the document.
- Organizational structure: Explains how the nonprofit is structured, from the board members down to the executive staff.
- Products, programs, and services: Provides more information about your animal rescue center.
- Operational plan: Covers your operations and the impact of the nonprofit's program and services.
- Marketing plan: Outlines who your target audience is and how you plan to reach them.
- Impact plan: Focuses on what change you're seeking to make, how you're going to make it, and how you're going to measure it.
- Financial plan: Outlines your financial status, funding gap, and how you plan to cover your financial needs.
- Appendix: Attach extra documents, such as the board of directors list, that you find useful for your business plan.
4. Hire the board of directors
The board of directors provides high-level guidance, represents, and makes important decisions for your rescue. This is also a vital requirement to get tax-exempt status.
Not every board will look the same; the number of directors depends on which state your rescue is located in. For instance, California nonprofits need only one director, whereas in Florida, you will need three.
Most nonprofit organizations typically follow the given structure for board members:
- Board Chair (or President)
- Vice Chairperson (or Vice President)
- Secretary
- Treasurer
Look for board members in your community with the same passion for animal care and an entrepreneurial background. While it's all about animal care, you're also running an organization and will need business knowledge and expertise.
5. Draft nonprofit bylaws
While your business plan serves as a roadmap, your nonprofit bylaws are the operating manual for your nonprofit organization.
Bylaws provide a clear protocol for how your internal operations will run. Not every state will need nonprofit bylaws, but it's good practice that goes beyond legal needs. It ensures everyone is on the same page.
Your bylaws will cover details like:
- Duties and responsibilities of your directors and officers
- Membership structure
- The fiscal year of the organization
- Conflict of interest policies and procedures
- Whistleblower policy
- Processes for amending bylaws
6. Incorporate your animal rescue
It's time now to incorporate your organization. Here’s what you need to do:
Secure a name reservation
Check whether your state requires you to register your animal rescue name with them. Once the name is reserved, most states will issue a name reservation certificate.
File articles of incorporation
The articles of incorporation refer to a legal document that serves as your organization's birth certificate. It covers your basic information, including, but not limited to, the nonprofit's name, purpose, and location.
Get an Employee Identification Number (EIN)
Your EIN is the Social Security Number for your animal rescue. It allows you to open a bank account, apply for federal tax exemption, and submit legal paperwork like the 990 tax return to the IRS. To apply for the EIN for your nonprofit, you will have to fill out IRS Form SS-4.
7. Apply for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status
To secure tax-exempt status under IRS Section 501(c)(3), your animal rescue organization will have to file IRS Form 1023. Apply for it within 27 months of the date you file your nonprofit's articles of incorporation.
The filing fee is $600 and it takes 3-12 months to process the application. You can also file Form 1023-EZ instead, which is the simplified version of Form 1023 for smaller nonprofits and the filing fee is $275. It is suited for organizations with annual gross receipts of less than $50,000 and total assets of less than $250,000.
Once your application is approved, you will receive a determination letter.
While the nonprofit status has no end date, you must file Form 990 annually to maintain 501(c)(3) identification.
8. Choose a strategic location
Once you’ve completed the legalities of starting your animal rescue nonprofit organization, you'll need to find a place to run it.
You can choose to invest in a stand-alone structure, providing accommodation as a small indoor animal shelter in your backyard or adapting an existing outdoor area. Your animal rescue organization can also partner with existing shelters or foster parents.
When picking a location, consider these factors:
- Ensure the location is suitable for the types of animals you plan to rescue
- Check the cost of rent or buying, as well as ongoing expenses like maintenance and utilities
- Choose a location where local community residents are likely to visit and volunteer
- Check whether the area is zoned for animal rescue operations
- Look for proper space for kennels, exercise areas, quarantine areas, storage
- Assess if it can scale with changing needs and the increasing number of animals
9. Create policies and standards for your animal rescue
Determining policies and standards for your animal rescue organization is critical. These guidelines help everyone - your team, volunteers, and board members - know what's expected of them.
They also make sure the animals get the best care possible and keep everyone safe. Think of it as creating a playbook that helps your rescue run smoothly and do its best work for the animals.
Consider setting guidelines for the following:
- Protocols for rescuing and handling sick or injured animals
- Daily care and maintenance of the rescued animals at the shelter
- Types of training to be offered at the rescue organization
- Regular health check-ups and vaccinations
- Clean, safe, and spacious housing
- Adoption and fostering services
- Volunteer recruitment and training
10. Start promoting your organization
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Donors, volunteers, and adopting families won't discover your animal rescue without intentional marketing. With your organization set up, it's time to start spreading the word about your mission. Here are some effective promotional strategies:
- Create an attractive, informational website with details about your mission
- Develop a social media presence, starting with Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram
- Post visually engaging content and engage with followers' comments to build a strong online community.
- Write and distribute a press release about your new nonprofit to local newspapers and magazines
- Get subscribers for your email list and send regular updates of your work
- Network with animal organizations within your local community to find opportunities for your nonprofit
- Collaborate with existing animal rescue organizations to save more animals and reach a broad audience
When it comes to promoting your animal welfare organization, there is no limit to what you can do. Focus on creating a unified presence across all marketing platforms. Post about your mission regularly and continuously stay in touch with your audience.
6 tips for running a successful animal rescue
1. Find and recruit volunteers
You could take in all the animals in the world, but without a strong team to advocate for them, they won't receive the care and home they need. That's why it's important to spend time engaging with and recruiting animal lovers who are willing to get involved.
Animal rescue volunteers can help with animal care, outreach, and administrative work. Consider the following when recruiting volunteers for your organization:
- What different types of work would volunteers take up?
- What roles would you pay for?
- What will your onboarding process look like?
- What kind of training would you provide volunteers?
- How would you incentivize their efforts?
2. Fundraise to reach your goals
To save, care for, and rehome animals, your nonprofit needs to raise funds. Develop a mix of fundraising tactics to build a solid financial foundation for your animal rescue mission.
Setting up a donation page
Create a donation page on your website or a simple donation form to collect donations. Add the option to set up recurring gifts. Include intervals like weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly to encourage your supporters to make recurring donations.
Run fundraising events and campaigns
Putting together a great event can raise money and grow visibility in your community. It also offers an opportunity to attract new supporters and partners for your animal rescue center.
From peer-to-peer fundraising to crowdfunding, bake sales to dog walks, there are many fundraiser ideas available.
Seeking in-kind donations
Instead of only pushing for financial donations, consider what goods or services you can request from the community. Pet food, blankets, and services like photographing animals to put them up for adoption can help you out in a practical sense, too.
Selling branded merch
Partner with a local graphic design company or freelancer to create branded merch for your rescue center. Animal lovers will be excited to buy branded dog bandanas or cute animal calendars, especially around the holidays.
To help with gathering more donations, many rescues also charge adoption fees for animals to help recover their cost of care.
3. Form partnerships with local vets
All the animals in your animal rescue will need regular medical care. It’s best to establish a partnership with an established and trusted veterinarian.
A partnership program will benefit both parties. Vets will get new clients and positive community exposure, and you secure quality care at reduced prices.
Start by finding local vets in your area. Introduce your new animal rescue nonprofit by email or direct mail, or request a face-to-face meeting.
You can recommend the vet clinic to pet parents who adopted from you. Provide volunteer opportunities to vet students. In exchange, you can ask for:
- Pro bono or low-cost medical aid to animals
- Consultation on unique medical cases
- Health screening for newly rescued animals
- Spay/neuter programs
- Emergency care agreements
- Training workshops for your staff
4. Build a strong foster network to increase capacity
A strong foster network allows animal rescue nonprofits to save more animals without expanding physical infrastructure. With temporary foster homes for animals, you can free up space in your animal shelter to bring in more injured animals.
Partner with individuals with pet experience and ample time to watch over and care for animals. Set policies for proper care, including responsibilities and communication protocols.
To maximize the effectiveness of your foster network, invest in comprehensive training and ongoing support with workshops, regular check-ins, and a responsive helpline.
5. Sign up on a 100% free fundraising software
As a new animal rescue, every dollar counts towards your mission. Traditional fundraising platforms often come with hefty fees that can significantly eat into your donations. This is where a free fundraising solution becomes crucial.
Zeffy offers a 100% free fundraising platform designed specifically for nonprofits like yours. By eliminating platform and transaction fees, Zeffy ensures that every cent donated goes directly to animal care and rescue operations.
6. Get accounting software to streamline finances
Proper financial management is important to ensure the sustainability of your animal rescue. Consider using accounting software designed for nonprofits to monitor income and track expenses accurately.
You can create and manage budgets for different projects and departments. This offers financial transparency to identify cost-saving opportunities, effectively allocate resources, and ensure compliance with the IRS.
By generating comprehensive and year-long financial reports, accounting software helps you make data-driven decisions for sustainable growth.
Concluding thoughts on how to start an animal rescue
Forming an animal rescue nonprofit is challenging yet incredibly fulfilling and worthwhile. It's estimated that around 920,000 animals are euthanized in America every year, but your nonprofit can play a significant role in reducing this number.
Whether you're rescuing dogs, cats, or exotic animals, our guide will help you transform your compassion into a thriving and long-term mission that makes a real difference.
With Zeffy, you can establish your nonprofit animal rescue center for free. Start making a greater impact without the burden of platform or transaction fees, ensuring all your funds go directly towards saving the lives of these cute creatures.
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