Lisette has let Support Our Shelters know that, although she has been on
the FML for some time, she really has no idea what S.O.S. is (or what
Kouri's fan club is).  If Lisette has no idea, then others of you don't
know about the group, either.  In fact, Lisette says 8 or 9 people have
written to her to ask about us.  So here goes.
 
I joined the FML five years ago and soon noticed how very much the
shelters were doing for the ferrets and how little support they received.
I wanted to raise money for the shelters, but I didn't think anyone would
give money to a stranger.  Instead, I started the FML Shelter List to give
people the information they would need about the shelters in order to
support them.  Their lack of financial support continued to bother me,
however, so I asked for volunteers to work with me to raise money.  I
figured that the checks and balances provided by having other people in
on the decision process would make people feel more secure in trusting
us.  Only Ela Heyn and Georgia Wood responded, all of us strangers to
each other at that point.  (Getting to know each other has definitely been
one of our rewards.)
 
Since 1997 we have sold grocery store coupon books, internet and long
distance service, ferret coloring books, ferret warrior bumper stickers
and ferret soap.  Only the last three have been a consistent success.
Ela makes soaps, Georgia came up with the idea of the bumper stickers,
and we all came up with the coloring books (I think... one of us must
have thought of it first).  Recently, along came Sharon Bearden who liked
Georgia's silly stories about her ferret Kouri so much that she started a
fan club and began to raise money for needy ferrets on the club web site.
 
Near the end of last year, I let good sense win over laziness and applied
for 501(c)3 status from the IRS so that donors could receive tax
deductions.  Support Our Shelters can accept donations to a general fund
or earmarked for a specific shelter.  Now that shelter does not have to
be 501(c)3 for the donor to receive a tax deduction.  We can also receive
matching funds.  And as soon as we were an official non-profit, the NJ
Xmas Rescue happened.  The two shelters involved found it convenient to
have S.O.S. handle all the accounting while they just concentrated on the
ferrets and sent us the vet bills to pay.
 
I still put together the FML Shelter List twice a year, and its purpose is
still to encourage all of you to find a shelter near you and get involved.
The introductory section suggests several ways you can support shelters
directly yourselves.
 
If you have any questions, please do ask us.
Judith White <[log in to unmask]>
Georgia Wood <[log in to unmask]>
Ela Heyn <[log in to unmask]>
[Posted in FML issue 3544]