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Humane Society looks for stability Fund-raising will even out support By JOHN DARLING Since its creation in 1928, the Southern Oregon Humane Society had lived quietly on bequests and donations and was guided by a volunteer board of directors. No more. The Humane Society has entered the modern world of competitive marketing and fund raising, hiring its first development director and, two weeks ago, launching an aggressive $90,000 fund-raising campaign. "We realized we can't be dependent on bequests," said Kathy Pilolla, the Humane Society's new communications and development director. Bequests, which made up almost half the Humane Society budget, were usually dedicated to animal care and couldn't be used for operating expenses, she said. To stabilize income and give the society budgetary freedom, the organization is starting a foundation and obtaining annual gifts from lifelong donors. The campaign encompasses direct mail, radio spots, a newsletter and donor parties. The parties give society members a chance to invite friends and potential donors to educate them on the group's mission and to ask for pledges and checks, said Executive Director Bill Templeman. The capital campaign, launched Oct. 21, has netted $12,400 in cash and $18,600 in pledges, for a total of $31,000 -- about a third of the target total, said Pilolla. The society has raised 70 percent of its $290,000 budget from donors and the rest from fees, receiving no income from taxes or from the national Humane Society, she said. Templeman said the increased funding will be used next year to support a TLC (Teach Love and Compassion) program to match shelter dogs with at-risk children in local middle schools. The program was developed by the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Los Angeles and has won wide acclaim. The Human Society later plans to operate similar programs for elementary children and incarcerated and substance-abusing youths. With its expanded budget, Templeman added, the society also hopes to finance rides for the elderly and disabled to veterinarian appointments; pet food donations for the poor; placement of "senior" pets with senior humans; better training for shelter animals to make them more adoptable; better training for adopters; an expanded vaccination program; and a bigger volunteer program to reduce stress among animals during their shelter stay. The Humane Society shelters and adopts out about 1,000 cats and dogs each year and conducts about 60 hours a year of teaching humane treatment of animals in local elementary schools. With new funding, it hopes to double that teaching load, Templeman said. The society has been at its present location on Table Rock Road in north Medford since it started in 1928. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA