Types of Contributions
Some donors make a one-time contribution. Others consider us each time they make charitable donations. A trust fund can be established where Service Dogs for America is named as the recipient. The same can be done with life insurance policies and wills. All cash gifts to SDA are placed directly into this fund unless they are designated for special projects. Service Dogs for America also recently established an endowment fund from a $1 million bequest received in August of 2006. Donors can request that their donation go specifically into that endowment.
Grants and Bequests (click for details on areas listed below)
Background and Significance
Geographical Areas Served
Target Audience and Performance Sites
Declaration
Objectives and Aims
Donor Recognition Opportunities
Great Plains Assistance Dogs Foundation ( Service Dogs for America) offers you the opportunity to place your family, business, or foundation name on specific areas of our facility. The Great Plains assistance dog training program has been in operation since 1989, and placed our first assistance dog Zak with Deanne Brothers of Fargo, North Dakota in 1990. Since that time, we have addressed the needs of people with disabilities, offered apprenticeships, and provided training for other programs across the country. Our program has a far reaching effect having placed dogs and provided internships on an international basis. SDA is making the world a better place for children and adults living with disabilities from coast to coast. In 2006, we are considered one of the leading programs for emergency medical response dog training.
We have put together this Donor Recognition Opportunity to give you the chance to place your mark on the history and future of this highly respected assistance dog training program. Proceeds from this fundraising effort will be used to update the specific area selected as well as for general operating expenses. A plaque will be placed identifying the donor in each specific area. Your family, business, or foundation name will remain in your specific area. Your name will also appear on the donor recognition page of our website. All signage for outdoor areas will be appropriate for all weather conditions.
To view available specific areas and current donors, click here.
The Cost of an Assistance Dog
The cost of training, placing, and providing follow-up services for an assistance dog is $15,000. Students are asked to participate in the program by contributing personal funds and organizing fund raising efforts in their community to help pay for the dog they receive. In most cases, however, it is not possible for them to gather the resources to cover the entire cost. The Dog Grant Fund helps by compensating the amount the student is unable to afford.
The Dog Grant Fund
This fund grants money on behalf of any student who is unable to pay for or raise funds to cover the cost of their assistance dog. Any student receiving an SDA assistance dog may qualify. The Dog Grant Fund is one of the best ways to help Service Dogs for America serve those who are in need of assistance dogs.
Where the Money Comes From?
Money in the Dog Grant Fund comes from people just like you. Your contribution is not a gift for SDA, but a direct link between you and the student receiving an assistance dog. Together with other donors, you make the impossible possible for someone living with a disability. The fund is also sustained by corporate sponsors and granting agencies. If you are affiliated with or represent a group which has an interest in considering the Dog Grant Fund, please contact us via email or by phone.
Student Participation
People value most the things in life which they have worked for and made strides to achieve. The skills and capabilities of an assistance dog are best retained and developed when their partner continues to work with and challenge them. The assistance dogs which have proven most successful have been placed with individuals who have participated at some level with the gathering of funds for the cost of the dog.
Each student has the opportunity to contribute from their personal funds. There are a variety of ways the student may personally contribute. Some of these include personal contributions at the time they receive the dog, financial pledges over a period of time after they receive the dog, fund raising campaigns as their dog is being trained before they receive it, and fund raising campaigns where they are able to demonstrate the way their dog serves them after they have received it.
Each student is provided with information detailing the costs of an assistance dog and the options and opportunities available for them to work towards covering those costs. Those who are unable to do fund raising, or who lack the personal resources are not refused a dog for those reasons.
Our Most Sincere Gratitude
Most importantly, you feel the satisfaction of knowing that you have done something significant in giving someone the opportunity to become the most they can be. You will receive the foundation chronicles, the semiannual newsletter of Service Dogs for America, which will keep you informed of the people you are helping, and the development and direction of the foundation. |
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