Animal Welfare – Want to Know Where Your Money Goes?

Published on February 25, 2008 by Ryan O'Meara   ·   2 Comments

this article was first published in K9 Magazine issue no 13 – 2004  

We are a pretty generous lot, us Brits. And we love our dogs, which is why there are so many good canine causes around. But have you ever wondered what happens to the money once it reaches its final destination, the animal charity? K9 Magazine goes behind the desks of two of the country’s largest animal welfare operations as well as two smaller animal charities to find out just how our donations are spent. Here’s your chance to poke your noses into the finances of the RSPCA, Dogs Trust, Animal Concern Cumbria and the Retired Greyhound Trust.

Anthony Bauman is Head of Fundraising with the RSPCA

1. Describe your role at the charity – give us an insight into your average working day? 

 

Head of Fundraising and Supporter Services. That’s raising the money, processing and banking it, and answering supporters’ queries. Typical day – 9am to 7pm, emails, paper, meetings, and a bit of time to think or catch up at the end. 

 

2. Fundraising obviously plays a vital part in any charity, how do you achieve your fundraising goals in terms of events, promotions and media activities?

 

Broadly, we plan an annual costed schedule one year to eighteen months in advance, with a bit a of slack for the unexpected. Because we’ve been doing it for a long time we’re usually within +/- 5 per cent.

 

3. Which area of your fundraising activities are the most productive for the charity?

 

For this charity – because we are also made up of many branches fundraising for themselves – direct marketing is our greatest revenue generating activity.

4. Could you give a rough estimate of how a pound of raised funding is distributed within your operation?

 

In percentage terms it breaks down as follows: -

 

Inspectors prosecutions and their support                           43%

Running animal homes                                                            21%

Further fundraising                                                                  12%

Campaigning for animal welfare                                               5%

Educating future generations (here and overseas)                4%

Veterinary & scientific support                                                2%

Farm animal welfare scheme                                                     2%

Branch support                                                                             2%

 

And a plethora of other activities take up the rest.

 

4. Which areas of the charity would you like to be able to spend more money on if you had more available funds? 

 

Obviously we’d all like to be able to spend more on helping more animals either through inspectors’ work, animal centres, wildlife hospitals or lobbying for changes in the law to improve animal welfare.

 

8. Is there any cost that you believe a charity should not have to incur or are there ways you feel the Government could provide you with more assistance in your efforts? 

 

We are fortunate in being supported by many thousands of concerned individuals. We receive no money for our services from government, and this gives us the independence to campaign effectively for the welfare of animals. What we would like from government is greater commitment to passing animal welfare legislation.

 

9. Which areas of the charity’s spending would you like to be able to cut your costs from? 

 

One way or another, nearly all our costs benefit animals one way or another. Our underlying and essential administration costs are in line with those of similar charities.

 

10. What ways, other than cash donations and volunteer work, can people help your charity?

 

In terms of income, leaving a legacy to ensure your love for animals can carry on after you’ve gone is a great way to support the RSPCA. Donating blankets, newspapers, pet toys and food to your nearest RSPCA animal centre is also enormously helpful. Keeping your eyes open to evidence of cruelty and reporting it to us so we can take action on your behalf also helps make the RSPCA effective.

 

11. Obviously all donations are generous. But what is the most generous (largest) donation your charity has ever received?

 

The largest single lifetime gift that the Society received was £250,000 in 1978. It was anonymous.

 

The largest legacy left to the RSPCA amounted to £3.6 million over a period of 3 years during the mid 1980s.

 

12. Do you feel animal charities are perceived to be as valuable to society as other charities such as children’s charities, medical research charities etc?

 

Yes, I think so. The founding precepts of the RSPCA were that kindness to animals reflected on society’s attitude to others. I believe that holds as good today as it did 185 years ago.

 

Clarisa Baldwin is chief executive of Dogs Trust.

 

Describe your role at the charity – give us an insight into your average working day?

 

I am fortunate in having a very varied role. Visions, Missions, Strategies, Policies and Budgets form a large part of the overall job as does making sure that the Trustees are well briefed.  Having good staff is essential and we are extremely fortunate in having excellent and dedicated staff. I have been here now for over 30 years and very much enjoy going back to the floor and spending time at any one of our 15 Rehoming Centres and indeed visiting and learning from other Organisations, as well as sharing our knowledge with others.

 

Fundraising obviously plays a vital part in any charity, how do you achieve your fundraising goals in terms of events, promotions and media activities?

 

We could not achieve as much as we do without an experienced Marketing and Communications Team. Our volunteer fundraisers bring in a significant amount of money and also help to promote the Charity locally.   We should never underestimate the power of “word of mouth” publicity, particularly when it comes to getting homes for dogs.

 

Which area of your fundraising activities are the most productive for the charity?

 

As we aren’t a Government funded organization, initiatives such as Gift Aid are a fantastic help. Many thousands of supporters are now also helping by donating through direct debit which helps us to keep administration costs down.   Legacies form a vital part of our future planning and are most probably the biggest donation a supporter is ever able to give.

Could you give a rough estimate of how a pound of raised funding is distributed within your operation i.e. for every pound raised 10 pence would go on running costs, 10 pence would go toward further fundraising activities etc.

 

Rehoming Centre running costs              35p

Neutering/microchipping campaigns      10p

Rebuilding rehoming centres                  16p

Publicity, education and information        6p

Fundraising and goods                             31p

Management and admin                             2p

 

The neutering and microchipping schemes are a very important part of our plans to stop the destruction of healthy dogs.   The schemes help (and encourage) those on benefits to have their dog neutered at a fraction of the normal cost (some schemes ask for £25 others £10 and some are free dependent on the severity of the problem). Last year we helped 32,000 people to have their dogs neutered.  Since the scheme started in 2000 the total is 133,000.  At least two Local Authorities have now become totally non-destruction and many others have reduced their destruction rate to a fraction of the past. 

 

Rebuilding and new rehoming centres – we are building two brand new centres in West London and Glasgow and are also re-locating our Leeds site to a brand new centre.

 

Fundraising and goods – a big sum, but an investment in the future both in terms of revenue income (pure fundraising)  and capital (legacies).  We have to invest in the future and, as our figures will show over the last 10 years, this is paying dividends.

 

Everyone hates to see huge costs on fundraising but if it produces the results it has to be good for the future of dogs.

 

Which areas of the charity would you like to be able to spend more money on if you had more available funds?

 

Our Mission is very focused, we are working towards the day when all dogs can live a happy life, free from the threat of unnecessary destruction.   There are two areas where we feel we can most easily achieve this goal.   The first is the ability to take in more dogs threatened with destruction. The second is the extension of our growing neutering and microchipping campaigns.  

How would you breakdown the daily running costs of a charity like yours into        these headings:

 

In £ thousands

Admin costs                                                                             1.6

Tax/VAT                                                                                    2.2

Salaries/Wages                                                                         23.3

Feeding the animals in your care                                            .5 

Veterinary care for the animals                                              6.8

Neutering and microchipping campaigns                            8.5

Advertising / Media Spend                                                    4.1
Maintenance of Buildings / General Running Costs etc      1.4

Other                (see question 4)                                       17.2

 

In your opinion, how much money does the charity save thanks to the work of volunteers?

 

The value we place on our volunteers is immense.  The groups who fundraise for us, the pro bono work we get from professionals, the reduced fees we get from the veterinary profession are all enormously appreciated and without them we would struggle. 

 

Is there any cost that you believe a charity should not have to incur or are there ways you feel the Government could provide you with more assistance in your efforts?

 

VAT! Our annual bill on VAT is approaching £1m (£880k).

 

Which areas of the charity’s spending would you like to be able to cut your costs from?

 

In an ideal word we would like to be able to stop spending entirely for that will be the day that all dogs are well cared for.  

 

What ways, other than cash donations and volunteer work, can people help your charity?

 

Spreading the word about the wonderful dogs we have for rehoming and the message that “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas^TM”.  Walking, socialising and stimulating the dogs whilst in our care. Also, by neutering your own dog and consequently avoiding unplanned litters of puppies, you will also be helping us to cut down on the numbers of stray dogs on our streets.

 

Obviously all donations are generous. But what is the most generous (largest) donation your charity has ever received?

 

In the late 1990’s we were extremely fortunate to receive a legacy of £7m.  This gift was used to build new rehoming centres which in turn have helped us to save the lives of thousands more dogs.

 

Do you feel animal charities are perceived to be as valuable to society as other charities such as children’s charities, medical research charities etc?

 

I believe that the work of most animal welfare charities is respected by the population at large.  Most people tend to favour a particular charity sector but that doesn’t mean to say they do not view the work of others as less valuable.  It is often a personal experience that dictates how an individual gives.  We are lucky that so many people have enjoyed the great companionship that dogs bring and wish to help dogs less fortunate than their own.

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Jim Hewitson is the honorary treasurer for Animal Concern Cumbria.

 

1. Describe your role at the charity – give us an insight into your average working day?

 

I’m the honorary treasurer and of course I don’t work for the charity every day. But not only am I responsible for keeping the books, and reporting monthly to the trustees, I also maintain the Gift Aid records and I produce all our stationery and the annual report.

 

5. Fundraising obviously plays a vital part in any charity, how do you achieve your fundraising goals in terms of events, promotions and media activities?
   
   

We are organized into four branches, each of which holds fund raising activities like car boot sales, tombola and bingo and they attend local country shows and the like. When we have a particular cause (for example recently a dog needed expensive eye operations) we launch a special appeal.

6. Which area of your fundraising activities are the most productive for the charity?
   
   

Other than the special appeals mentioned above, we get most funds when we receive a legacy. We advertise in “Charity Choice” and we leave leaflets in local solicitors’ offices.

7. Which areas of the charity would you like to be able to spend more money on if you had more available funds?
   
   

We’d like to establish our own sanctuary if funds were available.

 

8. How would you breakdown the daily running costs of a charity like yours into these headings:
   
   

Admin costs/Tax (if applicable)                                                          2.7%

Salaries/Wages                                                                                            0.0%

Feeding the animals in your care                                                         73.0%

Veterinary care for the animals                                                            16.4%

Investments in Stocks / Finance                                                            0.0%

Advertising / Media Spend                                                                     2.7%
Maintenance of Buildings / General Running Costs etc                            0.0%

Other (please specify) Cost of events                                                     5.2%

 

9. In your opinion, how much money does the charity save thanks to the work of volunteers?

 

This is impossible to calculate. I’ve put zero for wages because we do not employ anyone. Any expenses paid to volunteers is included in fostering costs which are included in feeding costs. I think perhaps I do need to separate these costs but they are not significant. One or two fosterers claim an amount per animal and buy their own feed. Their expenses are included in this figure.

 

10. Is there any cost that you believe a charity should not have to incur or are there ways you feel the Government could provide you with more assistance in your efforts?

 

I can’t think of any ways in which we could be helped further. Being able to claim Gift Aid was a great bonus.

 

11. What ways, other than cash donations and volunteer work, can people help your charity?

 

We are always short of people to help with street and house-to-house collections and general fund-raising activities.

 

12. Obviously all donations are generous. But what is the most generous (largest) donation your charity has ever received?

 

Other than legacies, we have received £5000 from a Trust but the largest donation of cash from an individual was £2000.

 

13. Do you feel animal charities are perceived to be as valuable to society as other charities such as children’s charities, medical research charities etc?

 

Not generally, though there are people who do see our worth and make us beneficiaries in their wills.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ivor Stocker is Director of the Trust for the Retired Greyhound Trust. He reports to the Board of Trustees chaired by Col Duncan Green, who is Director General of Battersea Dogs Home. 

Describe your role within the charity – give us an insight into your average working day?
I do not believe there is an ‘average’ working day!  My role includes attending meetings including the ‘developing’ branches, the Association of Dogs & Cats Homes, Greyhound Forum and the Board of Trustees.

I am available for advice to all of the RGT branches, I take calls from the general public, which can include questions on how to adopt a dog, the welfare of an existing dog, calls from solicitors on legacies and so on.

I take the responsibility for the promotion of the Trust.  This involves meeting with creative people, design agencies and printers.  I also meet with a media agency to plan advertising and in the Autumn of 2004 the greyhound racing industry funded a national campaign (£250k).

The Trust has a PR agency (Camargue) and the aim is to have a press release every week.  The release is normally at a local level for example Sheffield requires volunteers, but occasionally there is an interesting enough story to send to the national media.

The Trust issues an eight page newsletter twice per year and I am editor of this publication.

When I walk through the door I really do not know what will happen in the next 7-8 hours, you have to be flexible!

I also visit tracks and attend branch meetings (if requested).  In March I spent 4 days at the Cruft’s Show, which is important to the PR of the Trust.  In November I will spend 2 days at Discover Dogs at Earls Court.

The job is diverse and this creates the interest.

What is your main source of fundraising?

The main source of funding for the Trust is through a grant from the British Greyhound Racing Fund. In 2005 I anticipate that 60% of the money in the Trust will be provided by the industry.

The source of revenue is extreme, from a legacy to rattling a collection tin!

I anticipate that £600k will be raised in 2005.  This money will be derived from attending County Shows, Country Fairs, Local Fetes, Car Boot Sales and Meet and Greets.

The Trust does have nearly 1000 sponsors and this money helps meet our health programme objectives.  The most productive area of fund raising i.e. the single largest source is our generous sponsors (note this is private individuals and not corporate sponsorship).
 

How do your costs break down?

In broad terms 11% of our money is spent on administration, this includes salaries, rent and council tax, accountancy/audit, office supplies and general running costs.

Approximately 40% is spent on keeping dogs in kennels.  Approximately 15% is spent on veterinary fees, 7% on home finders expenses, 22% on advertising and 5% on PR.

In the ideal world costs could be reduced by not having to kennel dogs or pay veterinary fees for neutering and dental care.  Approximately 55% of our total spent is on these areas.  This is money which could be re-channelled into advertising and PR.

What Ways can People Help?

I suggest word of mouth about the greyhound as a pet would be the single largest contribution.

Do you feel animal charities are perceived to be as valuable to society as other charities such as children’s charities and medical research charities?

There are charities covering all walks of life and each is valuable to a number of the population.  The RGT never makes a comparison to other charities and does not ask the question, why give to charity ‘X’ and not the RGT! The value is in the eye of the beholder, we are just grateful for anything we receive.

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Tags:  Animal Charities, Animal Welfare