Craig Street Cats

Today I heard something that upset me greatly.  It was reported to me by a valued volunteer and huge supporter whom I trust implicitly and who is the person to whom the incident happened.  This has not come to me third hand after embellishment and additions.

 The volunteer to whom I referred above is also a ‘Humane Leader’ with the Winnipeg Humane Society.  She has been upset with recent news reports of questionable practices at the WHS, and made a decision to stop her financial support of the WHS, and increase her support of CSC by that amount.  It is absolutely her right to do this.

 Instead of thanking her for her past support and asking her to consider renewing her pledge in the future, the WHS staff member (whose name I am witholding) proceeded to tell her bold faced lies about Craig Street Cats and our financial accountability, in an effort to convince her to conitnue supporting the WHS.

 This volunteer was told that CSC is not a registered charity because we don’t want to have to account for the money we raise.  She was also told that because we are not a charity we don’t have to account to anyone for the way we spend that money.

 These are lies.

 Craig Street Cats is a registered non-profit organization.  As such, we must apply to the Consumers Bureau for authorization to solicit funds (permission to ask for money).  This authorization must be renewed EVERY YEAR.  In order to have our authorization renewed we must provide an accurate accounting of exactly how much money was raised the previous year, and exactly how it was spent.  That accounting must show that we have used the money to pay for our stated purposes:  feral cat colony management, kitten rescue, community outreach and education.

 Our application must specify exactly what we are going to do to raise money.  We must have permission from the Consumers Bureau for every event and activity that raises money for us.  Our authorization to solicit funds includes a list of all the things we are allowed to do to raise money.

 We have chosen to remain a non-profit organization because we do not yet have the organizational base to support the additional reporting requirements demanded of a registered charity.  Please believe me when I say that they are substantial.  We also do not have the financial base required to do all the things necessary to become a registered charity.  The costs are substantial, and we believe that money is better spent caring for the cats.

The person who reported this to me is a great supporter of Craig Street Cats, and knows that we are very accountable for everything we do.  She knew that she was being told lies.  What worries me is the thought that these lies are being told to people who don’t know us, and don’t know that we ARE accountable.