Some financial info about CPCRN Part 1

Contributed by Col. Potter's Secretary




As this year draws to a close, we look back on the successful fundraisers held which were instrumental in reaching our milestone of 2500 cairns saved since CP was founded. This details many of our monthly costs for those of you who have recently joined the CP family and for those of you who would like to know how your donations, large and small are spent.

One thing I learned since this was sent - which impressed me even more - is that most of our donations are not the huge $10k that many bigger charities get - we get the money we do in lots of smaller donations.... which of course can get overwhelming on paperwork (all those $15 nlol donations etc) - but it truly made my heart warm to think of everyone doing what they can - and how together we all make such a difference in so many lives. That means so much to me

Sometimes the Board seems to be nit-picking money - or pushing very hard for fundrasiers. The answer behind why is easy, and is something to be proud of, but we thought we'd share it with you. For those of us not specifically IN the money side , the actual monthly totals were shocking when we first saw them. We've decided to share this information so you all can understand what it takes financially to be Col Potter Cairn Rescue Network.

CPCRN is an established non profit. We run fun and effective fundraisers. However the downturn in the economy is impacting us - as it does with everyone - in so many ways. We get some grants (although the running for them is getting more and more heated as the economy falters), and we get donations directly from many people. While we can push and beg, we have limited control over our incoming money. To be quite frank, many areas of our donations are down - which is to be expected considering the financial state of the nation and world. What we can control - or try to - is our outgoing costs. We would like to give you all a glimpse at what CPCRN covers on a monthly basis so you understand why we on the Board sometimes squeeze the nickel so hard the buffalo screams.

Intake Fees - many of our dogs come from a mill environment - some months up to half or two thirds of them. Some shelters require a fee as well. If you consider an 'average' month to be 30 intakes, and use $100 as the 'fee' (which varies) - Lets call it a monthly total of around $1500 - since some are less, and some owner surrenders come in with no fee at all.

Hardware - CPCRN provides every foster dog with a collar, leash and harness, as well as tag. ALL products are mailed, and although this isn't monthly, it IS another huge financial factor at approximately $30.00 a dog [$30.00 X 350 dogs a year is $10,500 a YEAR for hardware (or an average of $850/Month

Crate fees - Every foster needs a crate. That's our mantra. In the past, we have not been good at TRACKING crates already in the system. That is changing with Karen M. doing a bang up job (when folks work WITH her), but we still don't always have the crate where the intake is. If we use our billing crate charge as $40 and 'assume' we need crates for half the dogs coming in - that's $600/month.

Now we have intake vet bills - We have some owner surrenders that come in fully vetted but this is rare - but on the other hand, we have some mill mama's (like Cotton) who need extensive surgery - we AVERAGE about $450 per dog - so for 30 dogs a month, that's $13,500 EACH MONTH... when you add in ongoing care it only goes up.

Check back with us later this afternoon for the "rest of the story..."