Good day all,
 
Our local ferret club holds as many yard sales during the spring/
summer/fall months as the weather & available weekends allow, raising
funds for the shelter.  During the colder, uncooperative winter months
we still have medical expenses, as do all shelters, that we need to fund
so we are trying to come up with some unique kinds of fundraising we can
do during those months.  We had considered the ebay thing but don't wish
to compete with the shelters already established as sellers on there &
we would really like to try something more on the local scale.  After
all the ferrets came mostly from local surrenders so it's fitting the
funds to continue to care for them be locally collected as well.
 
We do have a fair amount of talented crafters & seamstresses but don't
have a physical storefront to spotlight the wares.  Any ideas?  We are
not yet 501 but are conducting business with regards to how the money
comes to us and how we spend it as if we were already, keeping very
accurate records, kinda like practice so we don't make any financial
blunders when we do attain our status.
 
Which raises a question we have about buying items with shelter funds to
resell as fundraisers.  For examples, if we use $100 from yard sale money
raised to benefit the ferrets and buy say, ribbon magnets to sell, or if
we use shelter funds to purchase fabric to make hammies or sleep sac's to
sell to local ferret owners, the proceeds of which would go back to the
shelter, would we be in any violation of 501(c)3 guidelines?  We're not
talking about thousands of dollars here but we also don't want to try
these or similar ideas as fundraisers if they would be a violation.
Jane Bradley (our Treasurer) & I went to one of the IRS 501 seminars last
year and both remember something on the topic but neither can remember
the specifics or locate data to corroborate or dispel the actuality.
Can anyone clarify this for us?
 
Thanks to all in advance for any info.
 
Hugs to the fuzzies!
 
Debbie Saunders
 
Shelter Director & Foster Mom
Big Lick Ferret Shelter & Hospice
Roanoke Virginia
 
www.biglickferretshelter.org
 
{FYI: Roanoke VA used to be called Big Lick by the native Indians.
There were natural salt deposits in the area that attracted all sorts
of wild life so the Indians called the area Big Lick.  I couldn't
think of a better name for a shelter than that, after all, that's
what the ferrets give us for helping them in their time of need...
a great big lick!}
[Posted in FML issue 5381]