Sustainability & MickaCoo's Next Steps: Fledging from the Nest
As some of you may already know, MickaCoo and I have reached a crossroads. Even with the incredibly generous support and help of so many dedicated volunteers, I've been serving as a full-time (~55 hours/week), unpaid pigeon & dove rescuer for the past 3.5 years, living off of savings and then a small inheritance. I never meant to become a full-time pigeon & dove rescuer but, since it started, I've never been quite able to figure out an exit strategy that the birds and I could survive. There are so many pigeons and doves that need help and it takes so much time and work to find them homes... I've felt both blessed and trapped by this effort.
When I first started fostering king pigeons and helping them find homes, having 8 was scary and meant I was full up. Now we routinely manage a case load of more than 100 pigeons and doves cared for amongst about 12 homes & aviaries. We even managed to scale up and save 216 surrendered Persian High Flyers this year, despite the fact that I had considered us past full even before the call came.
Since I started doing this in September 2007, we have saved the lives of more than 550 pigeons and doves that otherwise would have been euthanized. We have placed them in amazing, safe and high-quality non-breeding, non-sporting homes. And, despite that, the need continues. I get calls and emails almost daily requesting help. There is definitely a demand for what we are doing. We always have a waiting list of birds needing to come into our care.
I'm fast approaching the end of my savings and must return to the world of paid work. After a lot of soul searching and wondering and worrying and planning and dreaming, I've decided to pursue a paid position as MickaCoo's director for at least the next year (and will be fund-raising to pay for it). Ideally, at the end of 2012, the organization will be developed enough to either be sustainable as all-volunteer or supported enough to continue with a paid director (whether me or another).
To do this, I need to split MickaCoo from Mickaboo (the Bay Area's biggest and best parrot rescue and our incredibly supportive partner), at least as far as our nonprofit status goes. Mickaboo is all volunteer and not set up to be an employer and so I need a nonprofit sponsor that is (and have applied to Community Initiatives to become one of their projects). We will know on 11/16 whether or not we are accepted and, if so, would officially begin the split 12/1. I do hope to continue to work VERY closely with Mickaboo as I believe there are a lot of efficiencies and advantages to be gained from our continuing to work together on behalf of the Bay Area's birds. I hope that my pride in, respect for, love of and gratitude to Mickaboo has always been evident. Just in case, let me say how deeply honored I am to be a part of this INCREDIBLE organization and how grateful I am for all that Mickaboo has done for MickaCoo and I and all the many birds it has helped.
Right now, one of the biggest questions that we are facing is the name. Mickaboo leaders have very generously given permission for MickaCoo to continue on with the MickaCoo name and that is a great gift. Mickaboo is the best name in Northern California bird rescue and has opened many doors for us. I have been honored to have it. But there are some considerations that make changing the name something to explore. I've created a survey about name possibilities and would really, really appreciate it if you would complete it. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2G9RQFM
And there are plenty of other questions yet to be answered:
- Will people still volunteer for MickaCoo if I'm getting paid? If not, we won't be able to continue. This job is far bigger than I can do alone. In fact, we actually need more volunteer help than we already have!
- Will people continue to donate and help us fundraise? This economy is brutal and there are so many very worthy causes in need of support!
- Will people continue to support me in a paid role? There has been something very pure and lovely about me being able to do all this work without being paid. If I had more savings and inheritance to spend, I would but I don't and so this model is no longer sustainable. I need to earn a living. I had hoped that, by now, I could have built up the infrastructure and volunteer base enough that I could cut back from 55 hours a week to 10ish and return to my prior career but we're not there yet. So I'm giving myself a year to make this work. Will it?
I want this transition to be as transparent and smooth as possible for all involved. If you have any questions, ideas, concerns or just random thoughts, I'd welcome them. Please don't hesitate to add your comments to this post and/or to email me at AdoptKings at gmail dot com.
And please do think on what the perfect name would be! (MISSION- MickaCoo Pigeon & Dove Rescue (MPDR) saves homeless domestic pigeons and doves in the SF/Bay Area from euthanasia by providing veterinary care, foster and forever homes.)
And I'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the Holiday Party on 12/3 (RSVP here now)!
posted by Elizabeth at
2:57 PM
3 Comments:
You write so beautifully I hope you will continue in a career eventually that permits you to favor readers with your talent! I will be thinking about your letter. My immediate thought is, why not seek pledges (much as the churches do.?) After all, you are saving the lives of all those precious pigeons/doves and what could be more holy or blessed than that? I believe that pledging would give you some idea what to plan on duing the initial year.
Elizabeth, people keep mentioning "Kickstart" to me -- another online fund raising opportunity, where people post projects and seek funding from the world at large. I've not looked at it yet, but...??
I will definitely continue to donate, regardless of whether the name changes or whether you are getting paid for the seemingly endless amount of work you do, and I think that most people will feel the same way. If you simply cannot survive without any income (and very few of us can!), it makes sense that you get paid so that you can continue to do this important work. You are invaluable to the group and if anybody deserves to be a paid director, you do. You are a hero to pigeons.
As you know, I have been a fan of Mickacoo for a few years now, and I'm amazed how in that relatively short period the organization has just exploded. I'm so glad that Mickaboo has continued to assist you, as well as allowing you to use the Mickacoo name (if you so choose.)
Anyway, survey time! Please keep us posted; we'll be waiting for an update (when you have time, of course!)
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