HoundsGood: Chronicles of a Virtual Volunteer

I do a lot of “connection making” for not just dogs and rescues, but other charity ventures as well. Ever the fundraiser, I contemplated once about establishing my own non-profit, in order to either rescue animals myself or to be able to legitimately raise money to give to groups so they could focus on doing their work. I always thought I needed a good amount of seed money, or a rescue should.

I was shocked when I learned that there are a lot of rescuers out there who are not rescuing within their means, but are leveraged to the maximum with credit cards to the point of bankruptcy in the name of rescue. Of course, there are sometimes cases when an individual dog or cat or horse has a catastrophic medical condition and you tap into emergency funds. I am not talking about that, but referring to “everyday, planned and basic expenses.” Some gamble and win, by being able to adopt out a few dogs or cats that need minimal additional medical attention and can recoup some of the money before it goes past three months due. Or, they may gamble on attracting a generous benefactor.  Many gamble and lose.

There are many sites that make it easy for people to obtain credit cards.  The sites that compare cards thoroughly provide a great service to allow you to shop around rather than make an impulse decision. I do believe that individuals who have poor credit deserve to start over, of course. However, it is tenuous to go into it with an attitude of a clean slate versus the view of having a second chance.  Second chances are not just reserved for those that are rescued.

Whatever decision you make in charitable giving or doing your own, I have one piece of advice: Be smart with your credit and resources. One may think that you are the “only one” who can do anything, but if you look around, you may find maybe perhaps not a single person to take over. However, you may find many people willing to just give or do just a little bit, and that makes a difference.

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