This is a starting point and a very rough draft of the proposal summary(The proposal is 20 pages long and is being adapted for each funder that we are sending it into), input from everyone is needed. The wording may need to change. The intent is for the rescues to collaborate on the large funding sources-joint proposal. The individual rescues still have personal autonomy and run their own affairs.
Do not perceive this as a take over proposal. This proposal is going in under every established rescue name that have expressed interest and it is being written with input from the rescues.
The intent is all rescues will have their autonomy and do their own fundraising too but we are collaborating on the larger proposals and funding sources. Relationship will need to be defined.
The BC Horse Rescue Alliance
Executive Summary
The BC Horse Rescue Alliance has been founded to assist in the area of funding horse rescue sanctuaries and emergency funds for horse owners. The BC Horse Rescue Alliance is comprised of rescue organizations, animal welfare groups, government bodies concerned with animal welfare and members of the public. Our goal is to improve the lives of horses in BC through funding, awareness, education, networking and advocacy.
The BC Horse Rescue Alliance will be incorporated under the laws of the province of BC. By forming this Alliance it is our hope that we will alleviate the corporate decision of determining which equine welfare organizations to support by making one lump donation to The BC Horse Rescue Alliance. The Alliance will then quarterly distribute this collected funding to all qualifying non profit horse rescues and sanctuaries. Any registered non profit horse rescue or sanctuary is eligible to receive funding by making application and following the program guidelines.
Charitable status will also be applied for so we can issue tax receipts to donors.
We are proposing the formation of the BC Horse Rescue Alliance that will be made up of all equine rescues in BC that have chosen to become members. Membership and participation will be extended to affiliated animal welfare organizations and government bodies as well as members of the public.
Our vision is to create a strong equine welfare program for British Columbia that will offer:
· An Alliance membership package that will include:
1) Accreditation program
2) Insurance
3) Marketing Plan/ Promotions Package that will include Road signs, brochures, advertising, group promotion in magazines, etc.
4) Web Development, linking rescues, adoption page, linkages with the public and other horse related sites.
5) Volunteer Development, Program Planning, linkage with United Way-Board Development, Volunteer Management Training, educational booklets and curriculum.
6) Fundraising support- assistance with development of a fundraising/financial plan.
7) Financial Support Quarterly as funds come in that are secured under the Alliance.
ALERT Line-Phone number for the public, horse owners, and rescues to phone with concerns or needs/requests. Assistance for the rescues to develop an emergency preparedness plan for their facilities. Foster homes will also be provided with this assistance.
9) Provincial Hay Drive-Resources distributed to the member rescues
10) Educational Opportunities-training initiatives, animal welfare courses, etc
11) Conferences
12) Communication-newsletters, email updates, web links, forums
13) Public Tours, and Awareness campaigns
14) Sale of rescue products to the public-Rescue Store
15) Youth membership-Young minds, Horse 4H links, Curriculum development
16) Aboriginal Memberships-curricullum development by elders in the Aboriginal community,
training opportunities and funding options, entrepreneurial development, links with Aboriginal
Resources.
This proposal is aiming to address the needs of establishing an equine welfare program in BC. The components of the program will include:
Foster care program for the entire province. This includes recruiting, accrediting and supporting the foster homes in all regions of the province. Financial support will come from the Alliances funders, government sources, corporate donors and private citizens.
Establishing a low cost transport program for rescue horses that will be sponsored by corporations and individual donors. The Alliance in conjunction with the rescues will establish this resource base.
· Vet care-detailed records need to be kept on horses brought into care and the vet needs to do an inspection of the horse, coggins test if necessary. A birth control program needs to be established in cooperation with BC Veterinary Association-use of contraceptives on mares and gelding of stallions. Vet cost can be very costly-Vet fund and an Emergency Vet fund will be established.
· Training and Rehabilitation Program. A list of available trainers will be compiled to assist rescues. It is recognized that when working with feral herds, only certain trainers can work with these herds and we will have that resource list available. There will be the establishment of a trainers fund to be made available to the rescues.
· Adoption network- This will be on the web and will link with provincial, national and international sites. A database will be established that can track the adopted horse over a period of 5 years to ensure a quality of care.
· A membership package for Alliance members(see above)
· Volunteer Program-development and management
· Mentorship Program-linking established rescues with newly formed rescues, help with the pitfalls and prepare a feasible and viable plan for the success of the rescue.
· Accreditation or rescues, foster homes and sanctuaries.
· Financial support from the Alliance to the rescues. (This does not prevent the independent rescues to conduct their own fundraising and be autonomous)
· Euthanasia Clinics
· Education for Horse Owners
· Youth Program-linking with 4H, etc
· First Nation program-plan with the elders, curriculum development and entrepreneurial opportunities.
· Developing alternative entrepeneurial opportunities for the horse industry involved in raising horses for slaughter, buyers, etc. Recognition that within 5 years horse slaughter will be banned and a plan needs to be in place for reducing the number of unwanted horses.
· Financial Support for Horse Owners-ALERT Line-Emergency funding-hay drive.
· Other?
We have to determine the factors influencing this proposal, including the necessary resources, such as, the number of foster homes available, current capacity in the rescues, the political climate of animal welfare in this province, the motivation for rescues to work together and break down competitive barriers, the horse industries involvement, the SPCA involvement, the provinces farm animal care involvement and developing a dialogue to overcome the political barriers. No more mud slinging, create an atmosphere of cooperation and true collaboration.
The definition of true collaboration is:(quoted by Anne Douglas Director of Programs, Southwest Florida Community Foundation from the website
www.fortmyers.floridaweekly.com/news/2009/0311/Arts_Ent/076.html Collaboration was one of the big buzzwords in the nonprofit and philanthropic world even before the economic crisis hit, as there has been concern for a number of years about the rapid growth in the number of nonprofits across the country and the limited number of resources to support them. Even in better economic times it is best practice to collaborate. Now, for many organizations, it will be essential to their survival. A number of studies have demonstrated that collaboration has a beneficial impact on organizations, resulting in less duplication and overlap of services in addition to more efficient and effective services and better outcomes (Nonprofit Sector Research Fund of the Aspen Institute). Funders like to see collaboration among their grantees because it increases the likelihood that their dollars will be spent on higher impact efforts.
Although collaboration is one of those words we hear often, I also think there are misconceptions about what collaboration really means. It is more than just the staff and volunteers of an organization referring clients to another organization for services but not having an agreement or arrangement for how those referrals are to take place. According to collaboration guru Paul Mattesich, true collaboration is a mutually beneficial and well-defined relationship entered into by two or more organizations to achieve common goals.
Collaboration can take many forms, from informal information-sharing arrangements to more formal joint-administrative and joint-programming activities, and even to the merger of two or more organizations. For example, organizations might consider combining their fundraising efforts to share in the costs associated with a fundraising event, or collaborate to develop a new joint program. Sharing office space and other administrative costs is another form of collaboration, and the United Way Houses in Lee County provide a great model for this type of partnership. Although mergers are often thought of negatively in terms of hostile takeovers and acquisitions, a well-executed merger of two or more nonprofits with complementary missions and values may result in an organization that is more efficient and effective and able to achieve much more than the individual organizations could have achieved alone. An example of a merger in our community that created a much stronger, more effective and sustainable organization is the merger of Community Cooperative Ministries, Faith in Action, and Meals on Wheels into one agency, CCMI.
As a funder, we at Southwest Florida Community Foundation are not just sitting here telling our nonprofits that it is important to collaborate.
We actually practice what we preach, as we look for opportunities to collaborate with other funders to leverage our resources for more impact. For example, we have a close working relationship with United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades, most recently partnering to provide funding for the creation of the Volunteer Physician Network. We are also partnering with the three other community foundations in Southwest Florida, Cape Coral, Charlotte, and Collier, to conduct an assessment of the needs of our local nonprofit community and explore the feasibility of developing additional resources to meet those needs.
SWFLCF feels so strongly about the importance of collaboration that we ask our grant applicants to tell us how they are collaborating with other organizations, and our new Hunger Initiative Request for Proposals released in January actually requires that organizations partner with multiple nonprofits in order to be eligible for funding. Additionally, our quarterly Capacity Grants (next deadline March 15) are available for the hiring of consultants, as it might be beneficial for nonprofits considering a collaboration to work with a consultant with expertise in facilitating community partnerships.
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The BC Horse Rescue Alliance aims to establish a true collaboration model with the rescues in BC, animal welfare organizations provincially, federally and internationally, government groups provincially and federally, veterinary associations, industry groups, and other interested parties.
These relationship will be defined and operationalized using the Logic Model.
The activities necessary to make this happen are:
1) Open dialogue with all stakeholders. Membership package and incorporation established.
2) Roundtable meetings, Focus Groups in all regions of the province to encourage input from community members, rescue groups, animal welfare organizations, SPCA, government groups, industry groups corporate donors and funders and other interested parties. Inclusion is important.
3) Conflict Resolution plan needs to be put in place and there needs to be an acceptance that we are bringing together diverse groups with conflicting values-We are trying to find a middle ground, a shared goal-Improve Equine welfare in this province.
4) The proposal for the Alliance needs to go in to the funding sources to secure funds for the five phases:
Phase One-Developing the Alliance and building bridges
Phase Two-Resource Development-Increase funding, support, interest, profile in the communities, foster homes, adoptions, etc.
Phase Three-Program Planning-How is it all going to work-quarterly funding to the groups, establishment of new programs, hiring a coordinator, volunteer coordination, overseeing and implementation of program goals-establishment of the welfare net for equines, horse owners and the rescues.
Phase Four-Assessment and Evaluation of the needs. Are we achieving the outputs and outcomes.
Phase Five- Follow through with evaluation recommendations.
Our Vision
A self-sustaining equine welfare program in the province of BC that meets the needs of the horses and the caregivers.
Our Mission
The British Columbia Horse Rescue Alliance will promote a healthy and sustainable equine welfare program by facilitating and supporting: strategic partnerships, quality standards, market and product development, and education and awareness for British Columbia's horse rescue groups, horse industry, horse owners, animal welfare organizations and the public, thereby enabling the rescues to deliver a diversity of quality horse welfare programs with ample funding.
