Incorporation. Incorporator. Incorporate.

Some states actually require your non-profit business name to contain one of the words "incorporated", "association", "union", "company", "institute", "society", etc. Florida's bylaws requires one of the two (or their abbreviations) be used: "incorporated" or "corporation". Pretty limited, huh? Oh, and the corporate name may not contain "company" or "co" in the title.

Greener Pastures, Inc.

"Inc" just takes the nice ring out of "Greener Pastures". Hmph.

The first step in becoming a non-profit (after ensuring you should become a non-profit) is to incorporate with the state. This basically means the group will become its own entity. The state will treat the group like a single person (for legal simplicity). Make sense?
The person (me) who makes the decision to form a non-profit corporation and signs and delivers the articles of incorporation to the secretary of state is called the incorporator. Once incorporation is done, the incorporator's legal role is finished and they generally become a director and/or promoter.

Once you are a corporation you then file for tax exemption. Why, you ask? Because otherwise you would be subject to corporate income tax. And if you're not making lots of money (ie, you're a non-profit!) then you won't want to pay these fees. First you must apply at the federal level, then at the state level. As great as being tax-exempt sounds, there are downsides; lots of restrictions, for one!

But it doesn't stop there. Once you're incorporated and received tax exemption from the IRS and you're now tax-exempt in your state, you still need to file for the "charitable purpose exemption".
Wait, what? I'm a non-profit, aren't I already "charitable?"
Nope!
I have to prove that I am "providing services beneficial to the public interest."

Okay, so now I need to come up with a way to explain how a farm animal sanctuary and rescue is beneficial to the public at large. Hmmm...

Learn, absorb, attempt. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So I'm reading this excellent book and it really does offer what it says it does: someone to hold your hand through the entire process of becoming a non-profit. It even takes the first chapter to help you decide if you really need or want to be a non-profit. It has example after example for each topic to help explain the concept in real terms.
I am really liking this book!

So I learn something new, absorb the information, and start mulling it around in my head. I feel like this mulling stage is going to last forever. I feel like I am stuck in a deep pit of mulling, my only route of escaping is to fill the pit with knowledge until I can reach the ledge and pull myself out.
I know, I'm stretching my imagination here. But really, right now is so much absorbing and very little practice.

I read about the responsibility description of a director versus an incorporater versus a member and I start thinking of the people that could fill those positions. I suppose I could make some calls and say, "Hey, would you be interested in say, 5 years from now, being a director?" Seems pointless. So for now I learn. And wait. But hopefully I retain!

The good news is once this business gets up and running I will eventually have individuals filling positions with their own responsibilities and I won't have to do it all. Whew.

How to form a non-profit, the book

My book arrived via UPS yesterday. The UPS driver enjoys bringing packages to our farm because there is always some interesting creature to oggle.

I hung out with Darsy and Max, the two bovines, as I cracked open the new book, "How to Form a Nonprofit Corporation." So far it looks like this book is going to be invaluable on our journey to non-profit status.

Florida Heat

One important factor I need to take into account is location of sanctuary, not just in a specific sense like "how many miles from the nearest city", but also thinking on broader terms such as climate, accessibility to feeds and forages, etc.
Florida is hot a good portion of the year. And we're not just hot, we're incredibly humid which makes 90 degrees feel like 110! Feeds will mold, animals that sweat will need electrolytes replenished, access to cool, clean water is absolutely critical, and opportunities to cool off (especially for the non-sweating farm animals like pigs) is also important. Keeping this in mind when we search for our future sanctuary site, we will have to have access to a well. Shelters may require permits, so that should be looked into before purchasing property or accepting a land donation.

We're dealing with heat issues right now with our personal animals and our horse boarders. The cheap, plastic box fans are not producing enough breeze to cool the animals in the stalls. I'm investing in the more expensive, and hopefully higher quality, metal fans. I've been told that there is higher probability of the plastic box fans sparking than the metal fans, but I'm not sure how founded this information is however reasonable it sounds.

Staying cool in June in Florida!

Busy Weekend

My book is officially in the mail but isn't expected to arrive until June 21st. That seems excessively long considering I get books through Amazon in two days sometimes. I'm sure it will be here before I know it. The longer I wait, the more I'll want to read it, right?

In the meantime, I'm certainly not waiting around. We had a busy last few days and today will be no exception.
My school is getting squared away. I'm postponing my master's by a year and the program is fine with it. Well, "fine" is pretty vague. I had to meet with the dean of public health, the chair of the epidemiology department, and the associate director of the program, and get everyone to sign off. Apparently the dean spoke with all my professors and asked their opinion of me before I met with her. Big sigh of relief because I guess I left a good impression despite all my topics on factory farming! I'm glad to be tying up the loose ends to this part of my life.

The Farm:
Darsy, the blind Holstein heifer that I saved from having her head blown open at a dairy farm, is doing amazingly well in her paddock. She's grazing and finding her way around just fine. She doesn't appear to be bonded yet to Max, the mini Zebu steer, but he's with her 24/7 and he's the only other body that moos. My guess is they will warm up to each other soon. She's growing up so fast!

Karma, the mammoth jenny we took in last August, is very pregnant. The vet has a good an answer as any as to when she'll foal. At this point, with the little information we know, it's anyone's best guess. I'm checking her bag daily when I groom her. She and Kurly, the mammoth gelding donk we got to keep Karma company, both have not fully shed their winter coats. I have been shedding them daily since March! I'm assuming they shed at a slower rate than horses because they tolerate the heat so much better. Their hints of spring coats looks glossy, so I don't imagine they're lacking any nutrition. Karma is on ground flax, herbal supplements, minerals, and a joint supplement. This seems to have done the job as her under coat looks amazing.

The piggies, who all came through Rooterville Sanctuary one way or another, have crummy coats right now. Their winter coats were lush. Now they're losing hair. I'll be deworming everyone with Ivermectin today. I got them a 10x20' enclosure that we have yet to assemble. I'm excited to move them up from little dogloos to this massive mansion filled with hay!

I'm going to experiment with fly control. We have quadrillians of black flies as well as biting horse flies. They're everywhere, on everything, all the time. I'm going to buy all sorts of fly tapes and try hanging one in every stall and around the barn. We'll see in a month or two which ones seem to work best.

I'm also going to invest in high-quality fans. It is HOT. The little plastic box fans just aren't doing the job. Time to upgrade!


 

How to form a non-profit

Well, I had plans to learn about a "board of directors" but while searching I discovered a plethora of books on "How to form a non-profit". So, in the spirit of rolling with the punches, I'm going to buy some of these books!

Anthony Mancuso is a highly recommended author and attorney who has published many books on the subject. The reviews on his books are fantastic.

So I am buying his book "How To Form a Non-profit Corporation" published last year.

Getting Organized

I'm having a hard time deciding what to write about. I have what seems like a billion ideas beaming around wildly in my head just waiting for an opportunity to escape and be useful.
I hope to discuss one idea at a time, sometimes thoroughly, sometimes briefly, just to start getting ideas down on paper.

Today I met with the dean of the college of public health (where I am doing my Master's) to discuss postponing my graduation by an entire year. There are several reasons why John and I decided to make this choice, primarily so that we can get his ill mother situated and hopefully living with us. Once personal drama settles down, I will be able to focus more on my education. I tried to take a grant writing class last semester but it was canceled at the last minute.I'm sure something just as good or better will open up.
So for now I have the summer to work on the farm, continue working at Earth Vets on Saturdays and at the UF Vet School in the wee hours of the mornings several days a week. I also applied for a temporary position as an event coordinator for a non-profit bat sanctuary coordinating their yearly event.

I'm just going to list topics of the thoughts buzzing around my brain and as the days pass I will pick from this pool to elaborate on.

• Board - Who is on a board of directors? How many? Purpose?
• Grant writing - Who are the big players who give out money? 
• Fund raising - What has been shown to work and what is a waste of time? Besides donations, how else do you measure the success of a fund raiser event?
• Land - Ideally this will be donated. How much is too much? How much is too small? Needs?
• SOPs - How we operate at an individual level.
• Policies - How we operate at a broader level. Which animals do we accept? Who do we deny, if any?
• Mission and goals - What are we going to accomplish?
• Education & outreach - What programs will we incorporate?

I will elabrate on each topic as time allows. How exciting!

This is it!

I've been plotting and planning in my head for years how I will run my sanctuary. And with each passing year, I've gained skills necessary to operate a smooth-functioning happy-place for farm animals and I feel my dreams becoming more tangible. It's really happening!

Last year, 2009, we moved onto a piece of land large enough to sustain our "rescue calling." Our 15 cats thrived in our large cat yard. Our two pot bellied pigs had room to graze and the dogs had their very own dog park. Little by little animals fell into our lap or limped across our path. Each animal brought with them their own personal story, an untold history, and that amazing innocence that all animals posses. And each animal has taught me something special.

In 2010, I took a job doing research with a UF DVM on a modern dairy factory farm. The study required full-time hours for 4 weeks. The horrors that I witnessed on this dairy "farm" was what really pushed me to pursue my dream of operating a sanctuary. I kept asking myself, "Why wait?" And my rationale brain would reply, "Because there will always be animals in need. Don't rush."

I'm not giving up on my education. I will finish my Master's in Public Health by 2011, and maybe, depending on what doors open along the way, maybe I will go to vet school. In the mean time, my passion is directed towards this sanctuary goal. I need to put my thoughts to paper, so to speak, and start this thing from scratch.