Happy Giving Tuesday!
Giving Tuesday (the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving) is a national "day of giving" focused on nonprofit organizations. And we hope you'll include Austin Dog Alliance in your holiday giving plans this year, because we need your help.
I know that this time of year, you receive many requests for donations. I want you to know that your donation to Austin Dog Alliance is spent carefully to provide as much service as we can to the community. In 2013, your donations helped Austin Dog Alliance provide:
- summer camps for 150 children, including a special session for those with autism
monthly activities for 40 teens of all abilities in our Youth Association program- weekly therapy dog visits for 350 children in 40 elementary schools
- about 2500 therapy dog visits to nursing homes, hospitals and recovery centers
- approximately 1000 visits to libraries, including visits to college campuses during finals weeks
- K9 Club Autism therapeutic classes for 25 students
- new job skills training classes for 13 students
- training and placement of 4 Special Dogs for Special Needs
- dog training classes and seminars for more than 1,000 students
- rescue and placement for 85 shelter dogs
In addition, we served as our own general contractor to build our beautiful new Ranch in Cedar Park.
We accomplished all of this with one full-time employee, one part-time employee and a team of commission based instructors. The rest are volunteers. Our wonderful volunteers perform most of our office and maintenance tasks (mowing, event coordination, cleaning, PR, website maintenance, legal, graphic design, therapy dog evaluations, front desk support, volunteer management, inventory management and more).
Unfortunately, this is not sustainable. Our programs are growing much more quickly than donations and we need your help to fund another staff member. Without additional staffing, we will have to cut programs.
Austin Dog Alliance is funded primarily by donations and user fees. As a non-profit, all our financial information is available to the public. Here is a great website for reviewing the financial aspects of our organization: Guidestar
It's easy to put this newsletter aside and think, "I'll get to this later," but please don't. With a new year coming and the demand for our services constantly increasing, we need to know whether we will have the funds to hire another staff member - or cut back services.
At the top of this page is a Donate Now button. Please press it now - before you leave your computer. Then make a donation that fits your budget and is meaningful to you. Or become a sustaining member, and we'll know we have a dependable revenue stream all year long.
Did you know that through our S+CORE (Students + Canines equals Opportunities for Rewarding Employment) job skills program, Austin Dog Alliance may be the only organization in the U.S. providing dog-assisted job training for young adults on the autism spectrum? Our ability to continue providing amazing programs like this depends on your help.
Thank you for considering,
Debi Krakar
Executive Director and Founder
Austin Dog Alliance
Capital Area Veterinary Specialists - Texas Veterinary Oncology is holding a Holiday Pet Photo event, with proceeds benefiting Austin Dog Alliance programs.
Pet Therapy teams will be headed out to spread holiday cheer to assisted living centers and rehabilitation/nursing facilities in the Austin area. Keep an eye out for them on Christmas Eve, December 24.
