APPLICATION PROCEDURES FOR BRANCHES
The Biscuit Fund offers financial assistance to the community branches of the BC SPCA, and to the BC SPCA Animal Hospital, to help cover the costs of providing medical care and re-habilitation for stray or abandoned animals (as well as for wild animals) that come into the care of the Society. Money donated is pooled in a provincial fund.
All Branch Funds that currently exist for individual animals will be pooled into the Biscuit Fund. Any such existing ‘animal’ funds will be placed in a restricted section of the Biscuit Fund, so they can only be used for animals at the contributing Branch.
Once the Biscuit Fund starts however, all future gifts for individual animals, or for the Biscuit Fund, will be pooled for use across the province.
If your Branch has any animal funds, please contact Jen Summers jsummers@spca.bc.ca by October 31st, 2004, indicating the amount you have in the Fund, and also make sure that John Andrew is provided with your reconciliation of the amounts you believe you currently have in such accounts.
100% of the money from the Fund goes to cover medical care or rehabilitation costs for individual animals that are sponsored by the Fund.
CRITERIA FOR APPLYING TO THE FUND
The Branches of the BC SPCA and the BC SPCA Animal Hospital can apply to the fund for specific animals in their care. Each application will be for an individual animal. The criteria for making grants will be as follows:
1. The animal to be helped will be one that has no owner: has been abandoned, is an unclaimed stray, has been surrendered, or is wild. In some cases, animals that are seized in cruelty investigations may be helped; even when the Society does not have ownership.
2. Grants will not be available to the public.
3. The medical and rehabilitation costs to be incurred must be reasonable, taking into account the adoptability of the animal, or its chances for a healthy recovery and the likelihood of leading a normal life. The Branch manager or Hospital Administrator is responsible for determining the adoptability/likelihood or recovery.
4. If the Biscuit Fund is to be replenished, the Branches and Animal Hospital must support the Provincial office in heightening the public’s awareness of this vital program and in asking for donations to the Fund.
5. To be eligible to apply for the fund, the Branches and Animal Hospital have to meet the criteria below:
a. Fill out an application form for each animal, and fax or email it to the Jen Summers, at jsummers@spca.bc.ca
b. Send Jen Summers, a photo of the animal (of reproducible quality): electronically to jsummers@spca.bc.ca or by mail to Jen at Provincial Office)
c. Agree that, once approved, the Branch will make a concerted effort to raise awareness about the animal and its connection to the Biscuit Fund in the local media and community. (Jen will email you a poster with the animal’s picture that you can re-produce. You will also be supplied with laminated full colour posters of the Biscuit Fund).
d. That front line staff will ask all adopters for a $20 donation to the Biscuit Fund at the end of the adoption process.
e. That all donations for the Biscuit Fund will be identified on the Weekly Donation Reconciliation Sheet as donations to the Biscuit Fund
f. Include a VETINSURANCE flyer in the BC SPCA adoption kit given to each adopter. (VETINSURANCE is a major sponsor of the Biscuit Fund, and a Canadian based company that provides Pet Insurance).
g. Fill out a follow-up form on animals supported by the fund (two weeks after funding approval) and send it, along with a photo of the animal (after treatment), to Jen.
Application Review Process
As decisions will have to be made quickly an ad hoc committee will be struck to review each application, within 24 hours. The CEO, the General Manager of Operations, or their designates can make decisions on behalf of the Committee. Whenever possible, the Committee shall include the CEO, the President of VETINSURANCE, the General Manager of Field Operations, and the General Manager of Revenue Development.
The committee will review applications and convey their decisions to the Branches as soon as possible.
In those cases where a story raises a lot of support for the Fund, the Committee will do its best to ensure that the animal featured in the story is assisted through the Fund.
Motivating front counter staff to ask for donations to the Biscuit Fund
Front line staff can play a vital role in raising awareness and support for the Biscuit Fund. Posters will be supplied for front counters, but it goes without saying that adopters and visitors to our facilities are much more likely to give, if asked.
Burnaby shelter staff recently received a $1,000 from an individual, because they asked.
We will do our best to recognize the efforts of front line staff that successfully raise funds for the program, by asking visitors and adopters. Each month we will recognize those who get the most support per adoption. Please ask staff to keep a record of the money they raise for the Biscuit Fund. To ensure a level playing field we will divide this by the number of adoptions at the shelter.
Please ensure you have some way of separating the money raised from the general over-the counter donations.
Raising Funds through other sources
The Provincial Office will be soliciting support for the Fund in a number of ways:
a. Website promotion
b. Anim@ls bulletin, which goes out on a monthly basis.
c. Corporate sponsorship
d. Press Releases
e. Vetinsurance will be giving $30,000 to the Fund over the next three years.