Worcester Business Journal

10 Worcester Business Journal | January 22, 2024 | wbjournal.com Animal nonprofits face rising demand while donations remain stagnant BY SLOANE M. PERRON Special to WBJ A nimal shelters conjure up pictures of sad puppies in pounds. While these shelters save numerous dogs through adoption, they offer a plethora of other animal welfare and public health programs such as spay/neuter services, veterinary aid, dog food pantries, and vaccine clinics. In a post-COVID world, the demand for these services is higher than ever, yet animal nonprofits are reporting financial crises as flattening donations are failing to cover expenses. At the end of last year 49% of people surveyed planned on giving the same as last year with an additional 8% planning to give less to nonprofits, according to a survey by the nonprofit organization Charity Navigator, a database following nonprofit trends. As inflation boosts prices, the inert donation numbers are presenting problems for animal shelters. "Donations are less, which for nonprofits is really difficult because we are funded by the generosity of businesses and the community. Our donors, just like the rest of us, are facing increased costs," said Lindsay Doray, chief development officer for the East Brookfield pet nonprofit Second Chance Animal Services. "Sometimes you're seeing a donor who used to be able to donate at a certain capacity and now that capacity might be less because they don't have as much le at the end of the month. It's making things very difficult across the board." Keeping pets and families together Second Chance Animal Services is comprised of four full-service community vet hospitals in North Brookfield, Springfield, Worcester, and Southbridge along with an adoption center in East Brookfield. e nonprofit broke its own record having helped more than 49,000 animals in 2023, compared to 44,000 in 2022. While Second Chance is proud to have helped so many animals, the data denotes just how serious the need for animal welfare services is. "ere are a couple of different reasons why we are seeing an increase in demand for services. Firstly, there is a national veterinarian shortage across the country. So, it's harder to get appointments because there's just not enough vets to cover the needs of the pet community nationwide. At Second Chance, we offer subsidized veterinary pricing to low-income STRUGGLING to keep people and pets TOGETHER families, and there's a huge need for that," Doray said. "Now, when you're looking at rising costs, the inflation in the housing, everything going up, the money is not going as far for people, especially those on fixed incomes like Social Security or disability. "It's becoming increasingly more difficult for people to be able to afford to meet the needs of their pets." While adoption is an important part of animal nonprofits, Second Chance sees the cost of pet medical bills as the biggest obstacle pet owners face and one of the main reasons owners opt to surrender their pets. As a result, Second Chance's services include vaccine clinics, low-income senior housing veterinary exams, and grants to defray medical costs. Tragedies, sudden loss of a job, and other unexpected events can change the circumstances for a pet and their families in an instant. Even with the pressure to supply more services on a tighter budget, Second Chance's goal is to provide resources to make animal ownership and care more affordable. "It's not about adopting out more and more animals. We always try and help as many animals as we can. But our goal is making sure that the pets that are in loving homes can stay there," Doray said, "It's retention. It's keeping pets with the people that love them. at's the premise of what we do: keeping the pets and people together." Second Chance generates about $6.5 million in revenue annually, with about $1.6 million coming from donations and grants, according to its 2022 tax filing with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. In January, the nonprofit received a three-year $1.1-million donation from the giving arm of national retailer PetSmart to expand its surgical center. Nonprofits overwhelmed by demand In 2023, the United Way of Central Massachusetts had 7,000 individual donors make contributions, which is a credit to the generosity of local community members and businesses even in challenging times, said President & CEO Tim Garvin. Garvin calls Central Massachusetts residents and fellow nonprofits the most generous and collaborative group he's ever worked with. However, nonprofits are seeing a huge wave in the need for their services across the board and an urgent need for action in all sectors of human welfare, let alone animal welfare. "e generosity of people in our community is stable, but the need has increased beyond that stability," Garvin said. "When you look at the crisis of the system that takes care of those who are the most vulnerable, whether they be new Americans, or Lindsay Doray, chief development officer for Second Chance Tim Garvin, CEO and president of the United Way of Central Mass. (Left and bottom right) These are two of 16 cats rescued from a challenging situation by Second Chance Animal Services, which estimated the cost of their care at $10,000. (Top right) Second Chance struggled to adopt out this dog named Houston, as he required a home without other animals.

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