Added thoughts on several topics....

AFA Shelter Support

AFA is IMHO the equivalent of the AKC. Yes, they provide educational
material - but a quick study of their organizational goals, their
sources of income and expenses show very limited support of shelters.
Not to slam them! That is not their purpose - though I know many of
their members are supporters and even run shelters.

That they are offering to help spay/neuter is commendable. If that have
strings attached, that is their prerogative! They are not a bottomless
pit of funding (no one is) - so if requiring a full ADV test helps meet
their organizational goals and helps some shelters - so be it.
Something is better than nothing.

Paid Personnel

FACT PAYS staff; we also PAY rent... it has taken us a long time to be
able to do that - from the days of steaming unstamped stamps off
envelopes to save $ - but we have slowly been able to come to that
point. We may be one of the few or only ferret shelter in the US to
do that. Am I ashamed or defensive over that - no way!! Our board of
directors (who , of course are not staff and receive NO compensation)
manage the finances of FACT very carefully (and Vanessa is
exceptionally frugal). Almost all have attended 501(c) 3 board "school"
offered by the local United Way organization. We are fully aware of our
responsibilities to FACT AND to the community - local, national, and in
some cases, international, in which we serve.

Volunteers are wonderful - but like ferrets, you just can't herd them
and make them show up or do things. They serve at random.....animals
do not eat or require cleaning at random. They need housing 24/7.
Newsletters don't get done at random. Financial appeals don't happen at
random. Grant applications are not completed and followed up on. All
this requires discipline, consistency and commitment. How many cars
would come off the assembly lines of auto companies if everyone showed
up as a volunteer? Even our politicians, elected officials are paid!

Of course one can argue the amount - and I can assure you that FACT
pays our Executive Director and part time staff very little for what
they do (I think flipping burgers pays better along with benefits - we
can't afford that). Nor are our 3 prime folks paid anywhere near for
all the time they truly work!!!

But I can unequivocally state that without their support, FACT would
not exist, we would not receive the financial support, nor have been
able to do what we've done over the years. As for the rent we pay for
the half a 2 family house that FACT takes up --- it is less than 20%
of market value. But a goal we set for the organization was to be
self-supporting and to be able to perpetuate should our Shelter
Director run off to Tahiti. And we are slowly and cautiously working
toward that goal.

HSUS/AHA/ etc salaries

I was a former mid-level executive in three different Fortune 500
companies. You get what you pay for these days. If you want decent
help, you have to pay for them. While I have issues with what certain
companies pay their senior executives, let's face it - many who own
stock in successful corporations don't bat an eye at multi million
dollar salaries as long as the dividends roll in. And many others don't
seem to have any problem with astronomical salaries paid to sports
stars and music stars..... Yet vet techs, animal control folks, animal
welfare workers etc are paid close to minimum wage. Even veterinarians
aren't rolling in the dough!! .... kind of strange sense of values
IMHO.

So much for my evening babble...

Ann Gruden
President,
Ferret Association of CT, Inc.

[Posted in FML 5756]