2008 COLOR GSRNE annual Report

German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
2008 Annual Report
Providing Rescue and Adoption
for German Shepherd Dogs
throughout New England since 1996
2
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Table of Contents
GSRNE Mission Statement
3
Message from the Board
4
Abbreviated History
5
2008 Accomplishments
6
2008 Accomplishments Continued
7
Major Events
8
Financial Analysis of Operations
9
Functional Expenses
10
Organization Statistics
11
Programs and Services
12
Volunteers
13
Goals of 2009
14
GSRNE, Inc.
P.O. Box 299
Wayland, MA 01778
978-443-2202
www.gsrne.org
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
3
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Mission Statement
“We are about quality and not quantity.
Our intake standards are rigorous, and the
foster home support and training are very
professional, keeping in mind the skill
levels of our foster homes and adopters.”
German Shepherd Rescue of New
England, Inc. (GSRNE) is an all volunteer,
501(c)(3) charitable organization
dedicated to providing veterinary care,
evaluation and adoptive homes for the
countless numbers of German Shepherd
Dogs who are left in pounds to await
uncertain fate, are owner surrenders
(divorce, death, etc.), or are from abuse
or neglect situations. We help provide a
safe harbor for German Shepherds that
might otherwise end up being destroyed.
Each dog coming into our program is
evaluated for temperament and behavioral information. All accepted dogs are
spayed or neutered, updated on their
vaccinations, & receive essential medical
care.
Becky, GSRNE No. 1
Then the dogs are placed into
GSRNE foster homes, while they await
new homes. Finally, each dog is carefully
placed in a loving home with a family
that matches the dog's needs, activity
level and temperament. .
“Our organization screens incoming dogs and works
carefully with them, provides top-notch veterinary
care to the rescue dogs, works closely with our foster
homes to ensure the best outcome for the dog, and
screens people to find good adopters and the best
match for both.”
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
4
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Message from the Board
Dear Friends of GSRNE,
This year was one of great accomplishments
and also great challenges for GSRNE. Our
volunteer staff have been busy working on
each of the main areas: Intake, Fostering,
Adoptions, Events, Buddy Program, Volunteers, Publicity, Fundraising, Transport, Communications, Working Dog Program and, of
course, Finances. In this report, we’ll share
our progress for the past year, and let you
know our plans for the coming year.
Jeannie McMahon, Chris Harriman, Karen McCall
BOD/Secretary
BOD
BOD/President
We're looking forward to setting new goals at our
January Board of Directors meeting, and we'll be
counting on your continued help & support to
keep GSRNE growing in the right direction to help
the German Shepherds of New England! We're
always open to hearing new ideas or looking at
new ways of doing any of the various aspects of
rescue. If you have an idea or suggestion, please
feel free to share it with us at: askGSRNE.org
Wishing you and yours Health, Happiness and
every success in 2009!
Paul Kelley, Treasurer
As we look back over the goals that were set for
this year, we're excited to report that most have
been successfully accomplished!
“Without the support of our volunteers, financial supporters, and our dedicated all-volunteer
staff, we would not be able to save the many lives we do each year. Thank you for everything
you do to give these wonderful dogs a second chance.“
The Board of Directors
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
5
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Abbreviated History
In 1995, Janice Ritter and Pam Devlin met in a dog training program.
Janice was working with her male German Shepherd, Jagger, and Pam
was with her male GSD, Ox. Both women were interested in learning
more about dog behavior and training and were concerned about the
lack of a rescue group for German Shepherds in New England.
Janice had volunteered for years with established breed rescue groups
and already had some working knowledge of this type of non-profit
organization. She and Pam worked together for six months planning,
gathering information, talking with a lawyer, creating forms and
guidelines for a new rescue, that they would call, “German Shepherd
Rescue of New England, Inc.”
Their vision was to take in and place good-tempered dogs. Then place
them into safe, committed, appropriate homes, so that energy levels,
leadership capabilities and behavior patterns would match between
owners and dogs.
Equally important would be to educate the public about the special
attributes and needs of German Shepherd Dogs. This is a highly trainable, friendly but protective-by-nature breed, whose herding and
guarding instincts have been developed over generations. German
Shepherds were bred to herd and protect their flock, working all day
with a shepherd who provided consistent rules and guidance. They
felt that owners needed to understand that & also needed to provide
confident, fair leadership, otherwise, they should consider adopting
another breed.
Janice and Pam believed that GSRNE members needed to work closely
with potential adopters on these issues. At the same time, trained
volunteers would screen the dogs that GSRNE was being asked to take
in. The dogs would be fostered in individual homes for at least a
month to be sure they could become solid, safe family companions.
This combination of efforts is working.
“GSRNE’s logo shows a rescuer and
a German Shepherd Dog’s deep
connection and commitment to one
another. This logo was made for
GSRNE from a photograph of Janice
Ritter, one of our founders, and her
beloved dog, Jagger. He was her
inspiration to help other German
Shepherds in need.”
Logo design by Deb Marvin
http://www.debmarvinartist.com/
GSRNE fills a special
niche as a high quality,
lower volume rescue
group. Our mission is
to rescue and properly
rehome German Shepherd Dogs who just
need a helping hand.
We also strive to help
educate people about
our breed and their
needs.
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
6
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
2008 Accomplishments
At the beginning of 2008, the Board of Directors held a marathon
10.5 hour meeting. We looked at each major area and decided
there were two major areas that we needed to focus on building
this year: our Foster Home Program and Communications.
The most important area that we focused on was the Foster Home
program. We completed a foster workshop which has resulted in a
number of new volunteers wanting to become involved. The Foster Home Program enables us to care for the rescue dogs in private
homes while we learn about the dogs. The workshop gave volunteers an overview of the various areas within the program. It also
set up training in specific areas, including Prescreeners, Home Visit
Interviewers and Home Set Up/Orientation team members. We
now have a written plan and process for expansion of the program
and a communications vehicle to keep the foster team updated.
The Foster Coordinator will continue to train interested volunteers,
often in a mentor style by joining her on foster visits. Other jobs
can be done from the comfort of home by telephone. We want to
continue to get the word out that fostering is great and we need
help in every facet. This program is the key to bringing in dogs in
need and expanding the number of dogs we can help.
Karen, President with Wendy
“GSRNE concentrated on three major
Another major goal for the Board members in 2008 was to improve communications and information sharing with our members
and to get information about GSRNE out to the public. To this end,
in April 2008, we began an online newsletter that will be sent out
monthly to keep members informed about what’s happening
within GSRNE. We’ll keep members updated on what’s happening
with the dogs, introduce a coordinator each month, pass along
items of interest and inform you of upcoming events.
On top of the newsletter, we’re providing: askgsrne.com for
specific questions, an “about us” section with our names and
coordinators’ names, a foster home support training workshop,
an expanded website, and numerous group meetings by board
request to tackle specific areas and needs
goals this year. The most crucial was
to build the foster team so we have
enough volunteers to help more
dogs. We must have the support in
place before we bring in the dogs.”
Foster Care Workshop
One of our major goals has always been to place at least 25 dogs
per year in forever homes. Each dog takes a tremendous amount
of work from many volunteers to go from the initial call for help,
into his/her adoptive home. The cost to support each dog is far
beyond the adoption fee, so we needed to also have financial
support for that many dogs. In 2008 we were able to exceed our
goal by re-homing 27 dogs who had either been turned in to
shelters, were found abandoned on streets or in wooded areas,
or were turned over to us by owners .
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
7
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
2008 Accomplishments Continued...
We established a new Medical Coordinator (MC) position. When
a new dog comes into GSRNE, the MC works with the Intake
Coordinator and initiates a medical records files. She works with
the Foster Coordinator to answer questions about previous vet
care or treatments and handles the vet care during the foster
period. She is then responsible for the medical piece of the
adoption contract, so works with the Adoption Coordinators to
insure that is correct.
The Buddy Program was revitalized and progress was made
toward growing this important program. We give “paw print”
pins to Buddies that contributed over $50 and designed a special
t-shirt for those that contribute over $100.
We continued developing our events and fundraising efforts. Key
volunteers gathered throughout the year to make our major
fundraisers, the Auction and Dog Walk, both huge successes.
We created a new fundraiser, The Calendar Raffle, which was
very successful and a lot of fun for everyone. This fundraiser has
widespread appeal and will allow us to move beyond our core
group of financial supporters. We continued the Lucky Ticket
Raffle, Shaws Receipt Program and the online Holiday Trim-ATree fundraiser.
We expanded our shopping page by becoming Associates to a
number of new stores, along with our Training, Health, Links &
other website pages.
GSRNE worked with one of our members
to open a new Yahoo group specifically
for senior Shepherds. This group is open
to the public & we hope that it provides
a vehicle for questions and a support to
the members.
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/
The events teams expanded their tabling to new
venues throughout New England in order to get
information out to the public about GSRNE.
Our online photo storage company crashed last
year. Fortunately, our photographers have additional backup systems. We began to move all
GSRNE’s photos into a new storage site that is
more cost effective and easier to use.
GSRNE aided in the placement of other GSD's
thru networking and placement in our In Area
Shelter's webpage. We will continue to assist and
utilize creative thinking to help in finding more
homes for dogs within & outside of GSRNE.
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
8
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Major Events
The auction was held on April 20th in Burlington, MA. Co
-chairs Lauralee Davis and Chrysan Corcione were very
successful in this major event which provides a major
portion of support for our dogs. These ladies spent
countless hours making sure that the Auction was a
great time for all!
As Auctioneer, Lauralee got us all to bid high and often!
She sums it up by saying: “I wish to conveyed my sincerest gratitude to everyone involved in bringing this auction together, especially those that dug so deep into
their pockets to help our rescued GSDs. Each and every
single person in this rescue makes a difference. I hope
you ALL know that. Thank you from the bottom of
my heart. Most of all, I hope you had a fun and enjoyable
day!”
We grossed $15.354 for the care of our dogs!
9th Annual Fundraising Auction
Members Appreciation Picnic
On Sunday, June 22, the GSRNE Membership Appreciation
Picnic was held at the gorgeous Hopkinton State Park. There
was an abundance of food that both the two-legged and
four-legged guests enjoyed. Though the weather did not, at
times, seem on our side, it broke long enough for everyone
to play some fun games. Foster and adoptive parents and
volunteers forged new friendships and renewed old ones.
The day was filled with fun and laughter, good food and
lovely dogs.
8th Annual Walk ‘n’ Wag
Our Fall fundraising event, the Walk ‘n’ Wag was
held at the beautiful Borderland State Park in MA
on October 4th 2008. Co-Chairs Stephanie Costa
and Martine Meijering planned a wonderful day
which was enjoyed by all.
Stephanie said, “I want to thank my Co-Chair Martine Meijering, the Walk 'n' Wag Committee, all our
wonderful vendors, our fabulous participants & the
volunteers who donated their time and energy to
make the Walk 'n' Wag a huge success!
The 8th Annual GSRNE Walk 'n' Wag All Breed
Dog Walk grossed a grand total of $10,263!
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
9
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Financial Analysis of Operations
Income
GSRNE relies completely on your donations to keep our rescue
operating. We’re fortunate to have of supporters that love
German Shepherds as much as we do! They support us
through direct donations, both to a general fund and to our
Special Funds. They remember us when a loved one passes
away. They support us by participating in our Calendar Raffle,
and our online Trim-A-Tree fundraiser. Our annual auction
allows us to operate for months & our supporters both donate
and bid on items. They collect Walk-n-Wag pledges and then
walk for the dogs.
Marshall needed hip
replacement surgery
For the Dogs, we thank you!
GSRNE 2008 Income as Percentage of Total
Total $75,131
Membership
Memorials
Overdraft
General Donations
Corporate Donations
Special Fund. (Moe Bear)
Special Fund. (Abby's Leg' acy)
Special Fund (Jackson Memorial)
Buddy Program
Adoptions
Merchandise
Café' Press
Auction
Dog Walk
Calendar Raffle
Trim a Tree
Misc.
Interest
4%
7%
1% 3%
2% 1%
15%
10%
11%
11%
0%
2%
2%
1%2%
21%
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
6%
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
10
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Functional Expenses
81% of Income Went to
Direct Animal Care Expenses
Direct Animal Care
Event Expenses
Event Mdse
Operating Expense
Bank/PayPal Fees
Misc.
6%
Thanks to the support of our
donors and the success of our
fundraisers, we were able to
fully cover the $53,387 worth
of vet care we had this year,
which included some major
medical bills for Marshall and
Vanessa, as well as routine vet
care for all the dogs we brought
into GSRNE. Fees for isolation
care, boarding when we had no
open foster homes but needed
to bring in a dog to save it’s life,
or when a foster family went
on vacation, and the countless
expenses that are connected
with caring for the dogs were
able to be met.
3% 1%
4%
5%
81%
2008 Expenses as Percentages
Total $87,190.00
Dog Supplies
Dog Care
Dog Vet Care/Meds
Dog Food
Event Expenses
Event Mdse
Operating Expense
Bank/PayPal Fees
Misc.
6%
3% 1%
8%
4%
8%
5%
4%
Lex was starved when
he first came to us.
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
61%
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
11
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Organization Statistics
Adoption Stats for 2008
How many adoption applications did GSRNE get in 2008? 130
How many home visits were done? 66
How many applications were approved? 34
How many dogs did GSRNE adopt out in 2008? 27.
One of our major goals has always been to place at least 25 dogs per
year in forever homes. Each dog takes a tremendous amount of work
from many volunteers to go from the initial call for help, into his/her
adoptive home. The cost to support each dog is far beyond the adoption fee, so we needed to also have financial support for that many
dogs. In 2008 we were able to exceed our goal by re-homing 27 dogs
who had either been turned in to shelters, were found abandoned
on streets or in wooded areas, or were turned over to us by owners .
We not only take the young, healthy dogs, but also those with health
issues and seniors, both of which often take longer to place.
Niklas in his new home
Intake Stats for 2008
Volunteer Stats for 2008
We welcomed 42 new volunteers to GSRNE
MA 17 new volunteers
41% of new volunteers
CT 15 new volunteers
37% of new volunteers
NH. 4 new volunteers
9% of new volunteers
ME 3 new volunteers
7% of new volunteers
RI
2 new volunteers
5% of new volunteers
VT 1 new volunteer
2% of new volunteers
182 Total Volunteers (from apps on file 2004-08)
MA 106 volunteers
58%
CT
37 volunteers
20%
NH
13 volunteers
8%
ME
11 volunteers
6%
RI
10 volunteers
5%
VT
5 volunteers
3%
We had 21 evaluators check out dogs
in need. 48 dogs were evaluated - 27
shelter dogs and 21 owner turn-ins.
(11 more dogs than any other year)
MA = 21
ME = 14
CT = 7
VT = 3
RI = 2
NH = 1
We took in 27 of the dogs; 10 passed
but we didn’t have foster homes so
couldn’t take the dog in; 8 didn’t pass
the evaluation; 2 the owner kept, and
1 the shelter returned to it’s owner.
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
12
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Programs & Services
Intakes
We try to take in a balance
of dogs... all ages from pups
to seniors, all colors and coat
lengths, males, females, etc.
We need to have a qualified
foster home in order to bring
a dog into the rescue and
need to match the dog to the
lifestyle and skill levels of the
foster homes.
Buddy Program
Want to make a direct impact on
a dog, but can’t foster? The Buddy
Program allows you to provide
support for a specific dog that
touches your heart by supporting
them financially. Some choose to
pay monthly for food, others to
buy the dog’s toys or medicines.
Some give a one-time payment
towards whatever is needed.
Foster Homes
Event Tables
We need you! Foster homes are the
backbone of our rescue work. Without
you we can’t help dogs. We provide
the food, medical, and supplies, and
you provide the dog with love, training
and guidance. Help these dogs to live
to see another sunrise, to fetch another ball, and to find that
great adoptive home Please open your home to a dog in
need. Sure it’s hard, but the reward is great.
Representing GSRNE at a
local event is a great way to
help get the word out
about us. Everything you
need is provided: sales
items, brochures, and other
handouts. We’d love to
expand our teams, and
especially need help in the
fall when many shelters are
putting on their dog walks.
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
Adoptions
Hearing “Happy Tails” from our
adopters is the reward for all our
hard work. Seeing pictures of a
dog born into a puppy mill that is
now frolicking happily in their
new kiddie pool, or a dog that
was starved and found wandering in a forest now healthy and
happy, is why we are here. We
placed 27 dogs in 2008 and we
hope the foster program continues to grow so we can help even
more in the coming year.
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
13
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
GSRNE is all Volunteers
Board of Directors
President/Board Member
Karen McCall
Danny
Thompson
Board Members
Chris Harriman
Jeannie McMahon
2007
Foster Home
of the Year
Treasurer
Paul Kelley
GSRNE Coordinators
Tara Boucher
Supply Team Coordinator
Chrysan Corcione
Events Co-Coordinator
Jill Cuddihy
Adoption Co-Coordinator
Lauralee Davis
Events Co-Coordinator
Joan Doucette
Publicity Coordinator
Mary Farren
Foster Dog Training &
Working Dog Coordinator
Betsy Furlani
Medical Coordinator
Milou Grelle
Foster Home Coordinator
Marie Guide
Follow-up Coordinator
Chris Harriman
Intake & Web Coordinator
Linda & Mark Heffron
Transport Coordinator
Barbara Jones
Adoption Hotline Coordinator
Donna Joseph
Photography Co-Coordinator
Laurie Keating
Adoption Co-Coordinator
Sharon Keenan
E-Newsletter Coordinator
Loueen LaVallee
Photography Co-Coordinator
Karen McCall
Home Visit Coordinator
Jeannie McMahon
Volunteer Coordinator
Allison Perry
Membership Coordinator
Judi Poirier
Mail Coordinator
Jackie Ricca
Intake Hotline Coordinator
Priscilla Richardson
Buddy Program Co-Coordinator
Stacey Spillane
Buddy Program Co-Coordinator
“All dog rescue groups need volunteers to operate
successfully, and German Shepherd Rescue of New
England, Inc. (GSRNE) is no exception! Volunteering
Jackie Ricca
2007 Volunteer of the Year
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
a little bit of your time can make a huge difference in
the life of a needy German Shepherd.”
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202
14
German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc.
Goals for 2009
Next year will bring even more challenges as the economy begins to effect
more and more animal owners. In turn, we expect that it will be a struggle to
continue with the level of services we have been able to provide the dogs.
Even so, we are planning more exciting opportunities for our volunteers.
We will continue to focus on expanding our foster home program, by training
volunteers to help with foster home visits, set-ups, and coordination. Getting
more help with this program is crucial to being able to save more dogs.
We will work to train volunteers to help in the jobs that require a deeper
understanding of GSRNE policies and practices. We would like to have backup
volunteers trained in most of the coordinator positions, and when possible to
have trained co-coordinators to share the load.
We would like to expand upon the local event teams to help enhance communication of program innovations to
the public . We need several new team leaders and also local volunteers willing to get together for events in
their communities. GSRNE provides event kits to teams.
We plan on further expanding the use of technology by moving away from paper mailings of adoption and foster
applications by adding sections to the website as needed. We’d also like to add a Facebook page and make more
use of our photo storage site.
We will review our business activities, annual reports, volunteers and organization. We will focus on our
organizational documents and information reporting requirements.
We need an organizational chart, one that is complete with all members and their jobs, to give us a better understanding of where we need more help, and how many people are doing multiple jobs. We’d also like to compile a
coordinator directory.
We have made many positive steps this year. The most rewarding is that we placed our second highest number
of dogs and provided top medical care to all of our dogs. We know there is so much potential for us in the future
and appreciate the talents and enthusiasm given by our volunteers to do
even more. We look forward to 2009 with great hope and thankfulness.
GSRNE Board of Directors
“GSRNE is a niche that is 50% about the dogs and 50% about
people. This includes our volunteers, foster homes and adopters.
It also includes dog education for ourselves and the public, and
room to grow for anyone within the organization. “
PO Box 299; Wayland, MA 01778
www.gsrne.org
24-hour hotline 978-443-2202