2008 Annual Report Providing Rescue and Adoption for German Shepherd Dogs throughout New England since 1996
2 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
3 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. 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.. Becky, GSRNE No. 1 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.
4 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 As we look back over the goals that were set for this year, we're excited to report that most have been successfully accomplished! 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 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
5 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.
6 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. 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 Karen, President with Wendy GSRNE concentrated on three major 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.
7 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-A- Tree 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.
8 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! Major Events 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!
9 Financial Analysis of Operations Marshall needed hip replacement surgery 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. 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 10% 7% 4% 1% 3% 2% 1% 15% 11% 11% 0% 2% 2% 6% 21% 1% 2%
10 Functional Expenses 81% of Income Went to Direct Animal Care Expenses Direct Animal Care Event Expenses Event Mdse Operating Expense Bank/PayPal Fees Misc. 5% 4% 6% 3% 1% 81% 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. 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. 4% 5% 4% 6% 3% 1% 8% 8% Lex was starved when he first came to us. 61%
11 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 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. 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%
12 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 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. 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. 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.
13 GSRNE is all Volunteers Board of Directors President/Board Member Karen McCall Board Members Chris Harriman Jeannie McMahon Treasurer Paul Kelley Danny Thompson 2007 Foster Home of the Year 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 Jackie Ricca 2007 Volunteer of the Year All dog rescue groups need volunteers to operate successfully, and German Shepherd Rescue of New England, Inc. (GSRNE) is no exception! Volunteering a little bit of your time can make a huge difference in the life of a needy German Shepherd.
14 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.