In September 2001 I started a very small non-profit organization that was geared towards raising funds that would go directly to a spay and neuter program that would decrease overcrowding in my own community. The sadness and frustration of seeing sick, pregnant and dying wild and stray cats was more than she could bear. My past fundraising experiences had been to help human beings who needed the basics of life, such as food, clothing, and help with their public services.
Luck has always been on my side when I was fundraising for that sort of thing, and together with church members and a handful of caring residents, we were able to raise enough to reach our goals. The first fundraiser we planned and ran to help animals was one of the most disappointing events I have ever participated in. After advertising for six weeks straight, putting up flyers, posters, running ads in local newspapers and online, and getting our city to grant us permission to use the local park, not a soul came out.
We had vendors from all over the county selling crafts, food, jewelry, candles, and some even had games. We had live music and a haunted house that included games, candy, and goodie bags. As I looked around at this great event and wandered where we had gone wrong, my initial thought was the great tragedy that had just occurred in New York and I thought that maybe people were still recovering from all that sadness.
We kept the event open for six hours before we finally decided to call it a day. I went home feeling tired, but something inside me pushed me to try even harder and plan the next event on a much smaller scale. Our city was holding a Christmas tree lighting event and we signed up for a booth. We made homemade treats to sell and put them in beautiful decorative tins, brightly colored bowls, and handmade baskets. Once again, we didn’t see anyone.
The year ended with no money, no support, and absolutely no idea why our nonprofit that was created to make a difference to the community was unable to get the support it needed to reach even the smallest goals. In one case we had a lot of work to do and in another we had to figure out how we were going to start doing that work if we couldn’t get the funds that were needed.
The last ten years have not given us any kind of momentum when it comes to our own community. There is a lack of support for more than eighty percent of the businesses that are started here. The street my office is on has the look of a ghost town. Companies arrive with a burst of enthusiasm and companies leave in a cloud of dust. We have long decided that out-of-county grants and fundraisers work much better for our situation. Responses to grants are not always positive, but we have received some funding that has really meant the difference between life and death.
Many grassroots organizations will brag about their donors and sponsors and even the events they organize. They don’t want you to know that they are fighting. Most groups are afraid that if you have that small amount of information, you will think twice before making a donation. Maybe there is something wrong with the group or maybe there are questionable practices behind the scenes. In most cases, that is not why there is no support.
For our organization and for most organizations that work with animals in small rural areas, the plain and simple truth is that there is a downside to being positive. Su is an expression that is very well known in the animal world and that expression refers to what is called, “the farmer’s mentality”. It is believed that if people in rural areas cannot earn money from something like an animal, they must: eat it, stuff it, shoot it, or kill it.
Could this expression really be a fact and, if so, is that fact the reason why there is no support for what we are trying to achieve in our area? The research, hands-on experience, and years we’ve spent trying to enlist the support of our neighbors here tells us that yes, it’s definitely a great possibility. So while I’m still highly motivated to change the minds of my neighbors when it comes to their ideas about animals, deep down I know that tomorrow will be the start of a new day. Tomorrow will only be the continuation of a fight that will not end in my life.
