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$300k and some; PetRescue's new project


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At Tax Time (June) 2016 PetRescue pitched to build themselves a new website and to add a bunch of new features to the site; "The Matchmakers Project".
 

Rescue might have asked themselves if PetRescue even needed a new website, but for this discussion, we'll play along. PetRescue rebuilt their site and it was launched in May 2017.
 

In Tax Time (June) 2017, PetRescue's pitch was again for the "new features" on their website. They banked nearly $180,000 for this project, same as the last project.
 

In December 2017 another "new feature" pitch (Desexmas) was made and the organisation banked another $50,000.
 

It's now the end of March in 2018 and regardless of our feelings about these new features, they're banked and paid for. So where are they?
 

Over $300,000 is a huge amount of money for a web project. So far, I think most rescues would struggle to identify a new benefit to their experience. The next big solicitation - Tax Time (June) 2018 - is rapidly approaching. Will the current projects be finalised before PetRescue again puts their hand out for more of the community's resources?
 

 
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15 hours ago, tdierikx said:

Hey @shel... in all that time, how many payrises have they given themselves?

 

T.

PetRescue's Annual Report submitted to ACNC said the two directors ("Key Management Personnel") - one full time, one part time - earned between them, $255,609 in 2016/17. (Probably) making their base pay rate $140k pa.

We also know that in February of this year, JB hired his brother into the role of Chief Financial Officer/Major donor, bequest officer - which we can only assume is a senior management role with a similar pay grade.

PetRescue is now over 50% donation funded. Meaning rescue groups are the ones losing the animal care donations which are now funding PetRescue's generous self-reward programs.

But if you ask them, they'll tell you that the only problem here is that I keep talking about it. :laugh:

Edited by shel
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19 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

Exactly. And given he's the brother of the boss it's even more questionable. 

 

For anyone who missed it, they sent rescues an email last thing on Thursday. A kind of Happy Easter email. It was full of good will and in no way tasteless and insulting. :mad

 

http://savingpets.com.au/blog/happy-easter-from-petrescue

When I got that email I was angry. It seemed to me that all PetRescue was worried about was losing donations from people turning away from rescue.
It also shows how far away from on the ground rescue they have drifted - very quick to blame rescues but where, for all their big salaries are the heavily publicised articles telling the general public what to expect re reasonable response time frames and etc.?
Where are the emails to rescues suggesting that they update their pets with a "Hold" notice as soon as a certain number of applications have been received, to give themselves time to sort them out? Or how the rescue volunteers can set up an automatic email to acknowledge receipt of an enquiry which gives enquirers a general time frame by which to expect a response etc?
Where are the explanations to the public from PetRescue that small young fluffy dogs can attract literally THOUSANDS of enquiries - all of which have to be sorted for suitability in the time available to volunteers, some of which have been generated by enquirers who have looked at the picture but NOT read the ad and who don't offer a suitable home at all?

All that email said to me was that Petrescue is totally out of touch with true rescue.

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It seems PR have entirely stepped away from their original funding model- accessing corporate sponsorship for running costs (that small rescues wouldn't be able to access anyway) in favour of running on public donations. It's a shame because the previous model appeared to work just fine under Shel, and public donations went to where they actually needed to go: to rescues.

 

I've had people asking me why I'm no longer actively rescuing and they have trouble with the idea that donations have almost entirely dried up for small rescues. I mean, yeah, they personally don't donate, but someone must be donating, right? Right??

Wrong. I can count on one hand the donations I've received in the last two years. Adoption fees are no longer even covering the basic vet work, let alone all the other expenses involved in running a rescue. And now there's PR, hoovering up the public donations for the purpose of harvesting even more public donations, taking from rescues who desperately need that $20 to buy wormers, or that $50 to microchip a dog or even just that $10 to stretch out the food for another week. But hey, we they now have a shiny, new donate button, so that's okay.

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7 hours ago, Maddy said:

It seems PR have entirely stepped away from their original funding model- accessing corporate sponsorship for running costs (that small rescues wouldn't be able to access anyway) in favour of running on public donations. It's a shame because the previous model appeared to work just fine under Shel, and public donations went to where they actually needed to go: to rescues.

 

I've had people asking me why I'm no longer actively rescuing and they have trouble with the idea that donations have almost entirely dried up for small rescues. I mean, yeah, they personally don't donate, but someone must be donating, right? Right??

Wrong. I can count on one hand the donations I've received in the last two years. Adoption fees are no longer even covering the basic vet work, let alone all the other expenses involved in running a rescue. And now there's PR, hoovering up the public donations for the purpose of harvesting even more public donations, taking from rescues who desperately need that $20 to buy wormers, or that $50 to microchip a dog or even just that $10 to stretch out the food for another week. But hey, we they now have a shiny, new donate button, so that's okay.

Gee... I wonder which large "rescue" organisation they model that on...

 

T.

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Thanks T. :)


I hadn't actually seen this before!!!! OMG. 
https://www.petrescue.com.au/bequests

 

Should the need arise, PetRescue will take responsibility for ensuring your pets are resettled into a loving new home. We’ll work with our nationwide network of rescue groups to find a foster carer who will provide all the care your pets need until they are matched with a new family.

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23 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

We're over it. Goodbye PetRescue:wave:

Is there actually a button anywhere to allow members to delete their accounts? I've looked everywhere but the closest I can find is a mention of being able to put your account on hold, which requires emailing them.

They've certainly made is easier for rescues to just leave inactive accounts sitting there, rather than delete them, haven't they..

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I can't find anything either. Think you have to request deletion. Best I could do over the weekend was to pull the dogs down, I'll chase up the account stuff although I think there might be a queue of complaint emails there to get through first. :laugh:

Edited by Powerlegs
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2 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

I can't find anything either. Think you have to request deletion. Best I could do over the weekend was to pull the dogs down, I'll chase up the account stuff although I think there might be a queue of complaint emails there to get through first. :laugh:

Yeah, seems to be the case. And for them, probably just as well- if deleting an account was easy, I think their member numbers would drop very sharply.

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On 4/3/2018 at 5:41 PM, Maddy said:

Yeah, seems to be the case. And for them, probably just as well- if deleting an account was easy, I think their member numbers would drop very sharply.

Looks like they read my post :wave: and have offered to delete the account for us. 

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7 hours ago, Powerlegs said:

Looks like they read my post :wave: and have offered to delete the account for us. 

They didn't send me anything :(  Am I not prettttty enough, is my heart tooo broooooken *self-pity weeping*

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