Shep’s Place Strategic Plan, Version 1.0
Approved by the Board, 8/21/17
Overview
The end goal for Shep’s Place is to have a permanent, free-standing facility, backed by a robust group of volunteers and staff, to care for several dozen homeless senior dogs in the Kansas City area.
The best outcome for the dogs is to find them new, permanent homes, and we will make every effort to do so. For the dogs who remain, though, we will be their family and home, and they will be free to live at Shep’s Place for the remainder of their days.
Since we plan to have permanent residents, we must design our program and facility to maximize the dogs’ quality of life. Shep’s Place should feel more like a home than a way-station. The dogs should be free to roam and play as much as possible, with lots of personal attention and human interaction, while minimizing the time spent in a kennel.
Turning this dream into a reality will require a lot of effort and funding. Unless we win the lottery, the only way to achieve this is to start small and build slowly. We will have to grow by stages, gradually expanding our program and base of support, and pausing after each step to show we are sustainable before moving forward. We’ll go as fast as we can, but no faster than we can manage.
In terms of facilities, we currently envision a Two-Stage approach. Once we locate and purchase a house with some land, Stage 1 will be to build an addition onto the house large enough to care for 6-8 dogs. We’ll start slow, by fostering a few dogs from the SPCA, while we recruit a small group of volunteers and develop procedures. As we raise money, we will convert the foster dogs to our care, and add more dogs until we reach capacity. We will probably have to remain at Stage 1 for some time, perhaps several years, to prove that we are sustainable and to build the case for expansion.
Once we have shown donors that we are capable of managing a small facility and program , we can begin planning for Stage 2: a new, larger, separate facility that can house 24-30 dogs. This will require a major fund-raising effort, of course, and there is no guarantee of success. But to help as many dogs as possible, we’ll need a bigger place, so this has to be our long-term goal. Stage 2 will likely need full-time staff as well as a large group of dedicated volunteers.
It’s a lofty dream, but I truly believe we can achieve it together. The support is out there. We just have to be smart enough and work hard enough to find it.
Step-by-Step Process
Step 1: Acquire Property
Locate property in the KC area with the following characteristics:
- A house for us to live in
- Multiple acres of land for the future facility
- Zoned Commercial or Industrial
- Minimal number of neighbors
- Accessible to volunteers
- Affordable!
- Peaceful setting
- Room for Stage 1 addition to house
Sell our current house
Sell or dispose of unneeded stuff: old VW, collections
Effect repairs of new house:
- Install fence for our current dogs, if necessary
Step 2: Build Fundraising Capability
Receive 501(c)(3) status from IRS
Apply for Missouri sales tax exemption
Set up online donation capability
Receipt & notification procedures
Record keeping procedures
Set up GoFundMe, other online fundraising tools
Step 3: Plan for Stage 1 = Small facility located in an addition to the house
Design Stage 1 addition to house, for 6-8 dogs
Addition: kennels, prep room, storage, grooming room
Fenced access to Play yards
Walking path, trails
Volunteer parking, access
Establish relationships with other shelters, Animal Control
Identify vet to approve dog care program
Develop dog care program with vet; clear with city, state
Fundraise for equipment, medical expenses
Build Stage 1 addition
Step 4: Early Stage 1, Getting Started
Take in 2-3 foster dogs from SPCA
Set up small-scale volunteer program, 6-10 volunteers
Develop recruiting, training, scheduling, retention, dog care procedures
Develop small-scale volunteer Outreach program, procedures
Design T-shirts, other swag
Start Twitter, SnapChat, etc.
Step 5: Mid Stage 1, Build the Program
As funds become available, convert foster dogs to our responsibility
Add new dogs only when we have sufficient funds for their care
Proceed dog by dog until we reach capacity
Find sustainable funding sources
Expand volunteer, outreach programs to match
Start adoption program
Step 6: Late Stage 1, Prove Sustainability
Prove over time that Stage 1 is sustainable, valuable, and necessary
Design and build upper play area: fence, Tuff Shed, generator, golf cart
Build adoption program
Keep track of placement requests to build case for expansion, new facility
Step 7: Develop plans for Stage 2 = New, separate facility for 24-30 dogs
Architect plans, drawings, price estimate
Apply for Zoning changes, if necessary
Hire Lawyer to guide through government approval process
Recruit Board members for development, fundraising
Develop plans for staffing, training, dog care for larger facility
Step 8: Make the case for Stage 2
Develop the case for expansion into Stage 2
Get approval for Stage 2 from state, etc.
Roll out plans, design for Stage 2 expansion to public
Search for major donors, grants
Ramp up Outreach program
Step 9: Stage 2
Build larger, separate Stage 2 facility
Hire full-time staff
Ramp up volunteer program
Add dogs as funds become available
Live happily ever after in blissful doggie paradise