Our 'Status'
Our nonprofit incorporation with the state of Washington has been processed and approved, and our IRS paperwork has been filed. Federal tax exemption can take several months to process, and in some cases over two years, but hopefully ours will proceed quickly and without incident. We also asked for expedited processing, which we're hoping we'll receive.
We're very close to being able to accept online donations via PayPal. Their verification process for nonprofits requires a lot of different forms, some of which we don't have from the IRS yet, but we're confident that we'll either get it worked out with them, or we'll set up a merchant account with our bank that allows us to process credit cards over the Internet.
Posted on September 20, 2007 | Link
Sanctuary Update
Olympic Animal Sanctuary's new facility is turning out to be a great place to do our work with animals. Plans have been drawn up to increase the square footage of the existing building by about double, creating more than 40 small animal enclosures.
The sanctuary dogs are enjoying all the new space they have here; we now have eleven dogs, of which nine were euthanasia candidates prior to rescue, one had distemper, and one was near death from starvation and worm infestation. Regardless of their past, whether they were fighting dogs, killer strays, or nuisance animals, the dogs all live together in a pack here at the sanctuary. Those that are able take trips to the off-leash dog park in Sequim, where they socialize with other dogs and people. Those that are unable to handle the dog park get plenty of play time at the sanctuary, and some alone time when they need it.
We are currently replacing the old fence around the property and doing some landscaping. In the next month or so, we will be building the first four indoor enclosures, which will serve as sleeping quarters for the dogs initially, but will eventually be used to house reptiles, birds, or small mammals. We'll also be putting new siding on the front of the building, fixing up a front reception room for visitors, and building a new kitchen.
IRS and Washington Secretary of State paperwork will be filed this week! That means we can start taking much-needed donations.
Other plans for the coming year include the development of a volunteer internship program; we hope to attract a few full-time and part-time interns to help with the daily chores around the sanctuary, as well as working hands on with some of the animals.
Wish list: a half-acre property has come up for sale one lot over from the sanctuary, and we'd love to buy it to use for wildlife rehab, but can't spare the down payment right now (around $4,000). If we can raise a few hundred dollars per month, it will allow us to free up some of our personal money to save up for a down payment, and to make monthly payments on the property.
We need money for lumber, plumbing and electrical supplies, and concrete. The sooner we can buy the materials, the sooner we can get the place built out and ready for action.
Firestone 60mil rubber pond liner -- we dug a big pond in the yard for the dogs to swim in, but we don't have enough clay in our soil and it won't hold water. The rubber pond liner is the best option, as it is highly puncture resistant and can be cut and seamed fairly easily.
Posted on September 2, 2007 | Link
