JAC, JERSEY ANIMAL COALITION, IS CLOSING archived

When is the closing date? Reason?

Wasn't there any warning? couldn't something have been done to work on this along the way?

lack of funds....that is all the info i have....

If I had the resources ... I would take JAC. So sad to hear this .. I would like to know the reason as well.

who owns the land ? its a very nice plot back there that could demand a nice chunk of cash

JAC rents the land from south orange for $1 per year

This is the first I've heard of this. I certainly would have donated money had I known the shelter was in danger of closing. This is a real shame and a loss to the Village. Now THIS is something that I could get behind the village investing in -- certainly instead of the funds we spend on the CCR. It's an actual service that the village needs.

Didn't they just build that new building 5 or 6 years ago?

First I've heard too. You would think there would be a fundraising drive, etc before just closing the doors

How did you hear about this, @onehandclapping ?

Petco and Petsmart always ask for donations at the the register to support homeless pets. How much of the monies collected go back to shelters in the local community? Guessing not much.

I smell something fishy.
Even their Facebook page has a "Oh yeah, it might be true that we are closing" attitude.
WTH?

Here is the exact answer they posted (only after someone asked):

"Unfortunately, Kathy, this is a very real possibility. We have not received anything official in writing, but rumors have been getting out, as they always do. It is heart-breaking that the only true no-kill shelter in our area is facing this financial crisis. We are receiving lots of words of encouragement and suggestions for raising the funds necessary to stay open."

kmk said:

Didn't they just build that new building 5 or 6 years ago?

Assume that's a big part of it.

The most recent 990 I could find (2011) shows their expenses to be much larger than I expected (~$400k). Didn't look any closer than that.

crazy_quilter said:

JAC rents the land from south orange for $1 per year

hmmm and if the land frees up who determines what goes there? my fear is another torpay zip car back room deal

new207040 said:

crazy_quilter said:

JAC rents the land from south orange for $1 per year

hmmm and if the land frees up who determines what goes there? my fear is another torpay zip car back room deal

Can we shut up about Torpey for one effing second and talk about the matter at hand?

Thankey.

Thank you, ridski.

Before the shelter would close, I'd think that they would have some sort of management analysis done. My experience with them (and many small community non-profits) is that the ratio of big hearts to business acumen is often 3zillion:1.

Perhaps some local business management experts could volunteer their time to assess the situation & see if it can be restructured. I know that they rely on volunteers, so the paid staff has to be completely overwhelmed.

Other community volunteers could look into the fundraising (like Petco) & organize a campaign to make sure that small, local shelters get a share (if that's not what's happening now).

Unfortunately, charitable giving is way down and all non-profits are struggling. Add to that that small places with limited resources like JAC are struggling more under larger organizations.

Before people throw money (unless it is to buy critical time to do the assessment while simultaneously finding homes for the residents), figure out the root cause. Maybe it can be solved.

Wait, what?? I had no idea. We're monthly donors on a small level but certainly would have tried to contribute more. We adopted our dog there 6 years ago and have always been grateful to them!!

greenetree said:

Before the shelter would close, I'd think that they would have some sort of management analysis done. My experience with them (and many small community non-profits) is that the ratio of big hearts to business acumen is often 3zillion:1.

1000% (although kinder than I would have been)
Honestly, before giving any money I'd want to see a whole new management otherwise in a few weeks/months they'll be back where they started.

Where did the message come from for needing fosters immediately?? Something is weird.

I agree @eliz 100%...

If this is true.. Can the town take over JAC and have volunteers to run it or something like that?? I hate to see it close ...

I'm not all convinced of this story .. I would like to know what is REALLY going on.

My gut tells me there is likely some sort of power struggle or management shake-up going on.
Perhaps someone is starting a rumor in hopes of garnering support (just like kids do in junior high.)

This couldn't be someones ill-conceived PR campaign to get more animals re-homed, could it?

What if it was the truth?

Do they have another Facebook page other than Jersey Animal Coalition Fans? I'm not seeing any communications on that.

The JAC has contracts with the municipalities. Unless they have not been approved for renewal,I don't think they can just unilaterally decide to close.

I had no idea they had 50 to 60 dogs to place. That seems like an awful lot.

Mod- I was thinking & not saying that. Well-intended & dangerous for the animals. Adopting is not a whim (preaching to choir). I had an experience w/ JAC about 15 years ago, when a well-meaning volunteer held back some info so I would foster a beagle with behavior issues. I had to bring him back in less than 24 hours. It wasn't fair to either me or the dog.

Harley- who in the town will take over? IIRC, the shelter was built so that the town would not be managing; they aren't in the business & don't have the expertise. The model you suggest is, unfortunately, common, well-intended & a recipe for failure.

My company does "marathon volunteer" work with local non-profits thru a national organization called, "Taproot." It's a great idea & probably perfect for JAC. One of the major problems I see in these sessions is that non-profits come in asking for help with X when they can't fix X until they address Y. They don't know how to assess & describe their problems so they can't fix it.

Wait... clearly the announcement of the closure and the need for all these foster homes didn't come from the JAC, who are saying they need funds and the closure is a possibility but not definite. So where DID this announcement begging for foster homes come from, and is it for real?