Started a Goat Sanc-need you guy's help and suggestion :)

[Crest Acres Girl]

This is pretty long guys and I need some suggestion, any help would be great. I'm going to post this on BYC too

Few weeks ago we started taking in goats like crazy, we have 4 acres and suddenly we became a goat sanctuary/ goat rescue however you want to call it lol.

We've been getting goats from everywhere... all ages, its really sad how people think they can care for a goat... then abandon them when its too much to handle. The worst we heard was..."oh I got this sheep and i just feed "it" corn, it just gets so fat and eat too much this is why we need to get ride of her" My jaws dropped..I told her it was a goat...I didn't even want to explain how she should have taken care of her..Lucy(the goat) was 3 months old and shes smaller than my 2 month olds and extremely overweight...-sigh-

Today I drove 120 miles to pick up 4 goats...bone skinny full of lice and mites. Now they are in the isolation pen to get vitamin injections, and getting their fecal test done for worms. It's making my heart sink...

I have a question for you guys, this is basically turning into a goat rescue sanc thing, I'm going to keep rescuing goats because I do have the space but the food and medical bills are coming to a problem. Can anyone give me some suggestions on how I should approach this? I was thinking of starting this adoption agency thing, and let people adopt goats for a fee etc...My dear friend told me not to put a donation button on my website because she said it will make people think its all about the money. Is this true? Any ideas and suggestions would be most appreciated

 

[bheila]

You should try to contact other goat or livestock rescues to see how they run their rescues. I have 3 goat rescues within and hour of me. I would love to foster some goats for them but I'm afraid of passing disease to my goats. They'd have to test them first before they came to my property.
I would love to rescue animals, goats being one of them but they are expensive to "rescue". Besides I don't know if I could really let go of them.

 

[helmstead]

My suggestion is to make a real budget, and set real limits on how many animals you can take at a time. Too many well meaning people decide to start rescuing, and wind up needing rescued themselves when they get in over their heads. I personally abhor private 'rescues' begging for money, feed, supplies, etc on the internet - it screams irresponsibility and mismanagement.

Use the goats you have now to guage how well you'll be able to adopt these animals out once rehabed...this can be your test group. How much money do you average per animal (feed, meds, etc) to bring it to health, and how much can you really get for an adoption fee.

 

[okiron]

It would help if you got 501(c) staus to help with taxes and such though I don't know how you feel about that.

As someone else said, budget it out, set a limit and do not for whatever reason go above that limit. It'll also help if you got a PO Box and never tell people where you live but meet them somewhere to try to prevent random drop offs.

 

[cariboujaguar]

make a big huge list of all meds/supps/etc and buy it all from Jeffers at once... it will probably end up being a $500-$1000 order but in the long and short run it will save you money and last you much longer... not to mention how you survival rates in sick goats go WAY up when you can treat ASAP. I have just learned also that copper bolusing goes a LONG way towards a healthy, trouble free goat, so look into that. And deffinately disease test! I take in 5-10 rescues a yr durig winter then rehome them in summer once they're UTD on everything it's hard work but rewarding! goodluck!

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Yeah I definitely have a limit, I understand about not getting way over my head. Thanks for the advices

Donations is a no no then right? I don't want to seem like I'm begging for money or anything, I just want to make sure there is something for backup in case of serious emergencies.

If I do put some goats up for adoption, should I include an adoption fee? Is that too much to ask? Some of these goats are so beautiful, definitely show quality, I might just want to keep them oh dear

 

[farmy]

Well, this is when I usually see people getting into trouble (not that you will but be careful) you need to sit down before you take in your next goat and set a limit of goats, a budget for yourself.

We have an adoption program here at the sanctuary, our fee for goats is 75 dollars, but we also have a very rigorous process people must go through including a 4 page questionnaire and home checks.

I would also say think about what kind of situations you are going to be rescuing goats from, becuase you will be unable to help them all, so will it be only abuse and neglect or will you also take owner relinquish? If you open yourself up to anyone who just doesnt want their goat anymore, you will be full in no time at all! Just some thing to think about.

We do offer some help to people who do not want their animals anymore, and its usually to reference them to someone else, or we offer to place their animals on pet finder for them.

Do you have somewhere to quarantine new goats? we have a barn located where the other animals on our property can not gain access... this has been a life saver and it will help you control diseases that could be spread to your herd.

As for asking for donations, we do, and no one has ever said a word about it being tacky or offensive. We offer a sponsorship program where people can help an animal by making a quarterly donation and people really seem receptive to it.

Before you ask for donations though you will want to look into becoming a non for profit. Also you will need to set out what the donations will be used for, just the animals or will you need to hire an employee, will it be used to build fences, etc.

Please be careful. I see soooo many people get in over their heads by not taking the time up front to make a business plan and get everything in order.

Good Luck and thanks for what you are doing for the goats..

 

[sillystunt]

I think you could totally ask for a small fee to pick them up! Then donations from people and a button on your website. WHY NOT!!!!
Your taking these goats out of the kindness of your heart. Could you start a nonprofit? You probally should for tax purposes.

And hold a yearly fundraiser......maybe find a school or organization that you can fund with.
Like we do March of Dimes and what we sell 10% goes to them....we give 20%. They love us and give us stuff to hand out.

You could do Save the goats and team up with MOD. Sell hummmm.....waters or handmade jewelry , etc.
Walmart if your non profit will let you set up 2-3 times a month , same with target. then you keep 80% for goat non profit and give 20% to MOD(or whom ever you chose) so on and so on....check walgreens and cvs as well. you just need to be non profit!!!

Or you can look into being a petting zoo...lol INSURANCE!!!!

 

[Crest Acres Girl]

Oh these are all awesome ideas!

I do have an area to quarantine new goats, I'm learning to treat all my goats so the medical bill will prob come down quiet a bit. The vet was charging me between $80-$500 depending on the situation..
But she is nice enough to teach me a lot of things and offer to sell me medical supplies.

Also I found a feed store that are willing to sell us slightly older hay for half price! That really surprised me because its good quality horse hay with just a little yellowing going on on the outside.

I'm so touched by all the kindness!

Thanks you for all these wonderful advices! I can really see this go well! You guys are the best !!!

My hubby and I decided that we'll mostly taking in goats from people that have no idea what they are doing ( like the lady that called her goat a sheep...) , or goats that are really in need of care. As for People that are just trying to get ride of goats I will try and help them find new homes.

 

[akane]

Every single rescue I knew took donations. Every shelter and rescue I know with a website has a donate button or a list of supplies they need and where they can be sent. I don't see what the problem is with that except if you're using paypal there is a fee per transaction and a limit to what you can take in per month depending what type of account you setup.

If you really want to make this a serious effort you should setup seperate accounts and funds from your personal accounts both with your bank and any other service you use. Then you can apply to be a nonprofit organization. Donations will not count towards your personal income then and aside from other monetary issues it also can have impact on any future legal issues.