12 Days of Giving Day 11: Why Most Nonprofits Fail (And How This Donkey Rescue Fights Back)

Episode Transcript
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Stoy Hall, CFP® (00:10):
She is back.
Right.
I promised you at the end oflast one that she did that we
were gonna talk about somethinga little differently.
A lot of you may.
No.
Or may not know, I guess dunnohow you haven't, because maybe
you haven't lived on socialmedia, but Sarah is also the
founder of Cassius Crew Rescue,which Yes, I am the treasurer
of, and yeah, we are going to betalking about that from a, a

(00:30):
nonprofit perspective, but wewanted to bring a different
episode to you that we've neverdone our 12 days of giving
before.
And that is specifically talkingabout nonprofits, not only what
a founder has to go through, notonly all of the things that we
have to go through in anonprofit, but also like the
emotions behind it, and alwayslooking for the next donation
and the things that we have togo through.

(00:51):
So sit down everybody.
We're gonna go throughnonprofits.
For those that are nonprofits ornor of nonprofits.
Maybe you'll learn something,maybe you won't.
However, I know at the end ofthis episode, what you're gonna
realize is that it is tougherthan you think for the
nonprofits, not just aboutasking for money.
There's a lot of things that gothrough it too.
So Sarah, welcome and I'mwelcoming thank you through as
well.
Let's, let's go from thebeginning with you a little bit

(01:13):
on this.
Where did it come from to have arescue?
Think about saving donkeys, andthen how that developed into
like, yeah, let's do anonprofit, because that's a
small undertaking.

Sara Weldon (01:24):
It is a very small undertaking.
You know, it's been a crazystory, a crazy ride.
But, but I think it's such animportant story to share, um,
because I don't think anyone'sborn thinking I wanna do a
nonprofit, and I certainly neverhad an idea that I wanted to do
a nonprofit saving donkeys likethat.
That was never my on my life'splan.

(01:44):
But here we are and it's thebest thing ever.
Um, so, geez, two years ago.
In a few weeks, it'll be twoyears.
We had a farm in Florida.
My husband Rick and I, we had afarm in Florida.
We were.
You know, your, your hobby farmpeople.
We were having the cute littleanimals.
We bought a couple donkeys andwe thought, Hey, let's, let's,

(02:06):
let's breed some animals.
Let's make a little side hustle.
Why not?
We love them.
Other people will.
So we bought a couple donkeys,fell in love, um, and one of our
donkeys got pregnant and, um,went through the pregnancy and
all of a sudden, one morning,um.
We were out walking in thisrandom part of the farm, and our

(02:27):
donkey had given birth, and wewitnessed her trying to
essentially, uh, can I say ithere?
Or I won't flag the word.
Okay.
We saw her essentially trying tokill her baby.
Stomping, kicking, just goingberserk.
Um, we, I ran in, I, Rick hadn'tseen that part yet.
He ran in to get a camera.
I ran up, grabbed the baby,threw it in my coat.

(02:49):
Um, all the don, she startedtrying to attack me.
Rick came back, cut theumbilical cord, we ran in the
house and, and such, the storybegan of, of cash.
Um, we basically raised him inthe house like a, a baby and fed
him bottles every two hours.
Took him out to go to thebathroom, you name it.
Um, and he became very famous onsocial media because who, who

(03:12):
raises a donkey in their houseAnd, um, he was very full of
life and mischief and craziness.
But what happened was I, uh, westarted really researching how
do we raise a donkey and, anddonkey behavior.
And I found out how mistreated,abused and just about the
slaughter industry in ourcountry.
And it was, it's America's dirtylittle secret, what happens to

(03:34):
donkeys and horses.
And I had fallen so deeply inlove with donkeys.
I was absolutely horrified.
And Stoya knows me very well.
I have a very large bleedingheart to my detriment.
And right then and there I'mlike.
We're not breeding'em, we'resaving donkeys.
So we took a leap of faith.
We saved four donkeys and webrought'em in from Oklahoma.

(03:57):
They were in the, they wereabout to go to slaughter.
Um, it took months before theywould let us touch them, but
every night we'd go sit withthem and it just became this.
Kind of beautiful practice of,of showing them to trust us.
And now they're like little lappuppies, but they, they got to
trust and love us and thatexperience was so profound to

(04:17):
take something that isabsolutely broken, broken and
show it.
A new life and getting thattrust and love, it was the most
incredible feeling I've everhad.
Um, I'd put it right up therewith giving birth.
It was amazing.
Um, and to know that we ashumans have that capability was
incredible.
And that's when Rick and Idecided we're not just gonna do

(04:37):
it for four, we're gonna do itfor as many as possible.
So poor Stoy, we gave him aheart attack and told him, we
are gonna sell everything.
We're gonna buy a giant farm inTennessee and become a rescue.
And I think Stoy was ready to ccome and find us and tie us up
and stick us in a closet andsay, don't you dare say those
words to me.
But I am I very stubborn, bound,and determined person,

(05:01):
unfortunately.
And um, through a series ofmiracles, we made it happen.
Uh, and we got here.
And, uh, we, we are now inTennessee.
Um, and obviously we had tostart a nonprofit and that's
where the, the joy began of, offorming the nonprofit.
We did all of that before wetruly started rescuing, and that

(05:23):
in itself is a can of, I mean, acan of worms.
I'll, I'll go ahead and open.
I knew I, we wanted to do it theright way.
Um, I had a great mentor, apeaceful pastures, donkey
rescue.
I had picked their brains, howdo we do this?
How do we set it up?
And obviously the first thingthat I knew we needed to do was
become a nonprofit, becauseobviously, yes, we have our own

(05:44):
business, but there is no way onearth that we could float all of
this with our business and do iton the levels that.
My bleeding heart wanted to do.
So here's where I will say STOwas worth his weight in gold.
Um, forming a nonprofit is notas easy as just filing some
papers and boom, you're anonprofit.
It was one of the mostcomplicated and intensive

(06:06):
processes ever.
However, it was stress free onour end because Stoy.
Did it from A to Z.
Sure, we had to fill some thingsout, but it was him saying,
here's what I need from you.
Let's file this, and boom, Iwould, I would get the
notification from the state ofTennessee.
I cannot stress enough, unlessyou're a pro at this, don't do

(06:27):
it by yourself.
It, it was, it was a massiveundertaking.
It took months and, and therewere many times when I'm.
And Stoy was like, Nope, this isjust part of the process.
Part of the process.
He did all the heavy lifting.
I, you know, started puttingtogether, we had to have a board
of directors.
There's so much into a nonprofitthat I think people don't
realize.
Um, it's a lot.

(06:48):
It is an absolute lot.
Um, finding the right people,and then also, you know, it's,
it's a little bit intimidatingat first because the whole
theory, obviously a nonprofit,there's so much transparency,
which I love because nobody canever question, or they shouldn't
question what you're doingbecause it's all public, right?
It's transparency to a t youknow, it was really a little

(07:09):
nerve wracking in the beginningbecause every dollar we spent,
it had to be approved by theboard.
Had to.
And every month they analyzeeverything we spend, everything
we do.
And at first it's like, youknow, ah, whoa, this is crazy.
I'm used to making all my ownchoices and suddenly I didn't
get to.
However, I will be honest, thatgave me such extreme comfort
because I knew that nobodyshould question us because

(07:33):
that's the process we gothrough.
Um, so it, it really, it, it isa, it is a lot and I, I think
most people don't realize it,and I think most people are
afraid of it.
Because they know that it's alot of work and they don't know
help is available.
They're like, oh, I gotta figurethis out, and I never will.
So, you know, that's, that'sreally where you just saved the
day.

And a lot of what we've seen, I, I was,
luckily enough, everybody, likeI've been on nonprofit boards,
I've started other nonprofits.
Like I, I was able to at leastuse my experience.
But things that you, I can'tdescribe or do Yes.
The legal documents.
The policies and procedures, thebooks, the money, that, that is
all relatively like black andwhite to a degree.

(08:15):
Like, let's be real.
There's some things that wechange within agreements and
stuff.
That's fine.
What you don't see or hear aboutis the people, and there's,
there's two sets of people here.
Right.
There's the board.
Mm-hmm.
Then there's the volunteers, thestaff, all that stuff.
Okay.
So managing people's, one of thehardest things, I think, on this

(08:35):
planet to do, and even within ayear, although CCR is not a year
old yet.
Right.
Come February, which by the wayis my birthday and CA's
birthday.
I think this is why it workswell.
Two.

Yep.

Um, is we've gone through two different board
members already.
Right.
Mm-hmm.
Going on.
And that's what I thinknonprofits sometimes get stuck
with when you're the founder andthe president of it is your
initial board is designed to getthe thing up running, organized,
and sometimes those people aregonna fall off because that was
their role and job.
Correct.
The nonprofit's also going togrow and change, and you're

(09:08):
gonna personal develop.
It's gonna move.
And you're gonna need to bringon different people as it goes.
That is probably from theoutside.
One of the hardest things thatI've seen, one you go through
within the nonprofit side ofthings and others is recognizing
that some people's time is justshort.
Mm-hmm.
And that's okay.
Mm-hmm.
Which is really tough because asa nonprofit founder that that's

(09:28):
your bleeding heart again.
Right?
Mm-hmm.
And I need people to understandthat that is okay, and that is a
proper way.
Just on the front side.
Talk about it.
Let the board, mm-hmm.
Let the board know that you'renot there forever.
Right?
You have certain skills.
Maybe at some point we grow pastyou and that is ultimately okay.
And I know that one of the toughones that obviously we're not
gonna talk about and throw onsocial media all the time, but

(09:50):
it is one that weighs on you.
A lot.

Absolutely.

The other is regular staff.
Right?
So now we're talking about thenonprofit running it as a
business and the things that weneed to do in order note taking,
all the things to make anonprofit compliant with IRS, so
that way we can be a 5 0 1 C3,but then you still have the
actual rescue itself briefly.
'cause it's not easy.
And I know we teased this on thelast episode, but when we, when

(10:15):
I joke with Sarah about she hasso much time on her hands, you
guys obviously, hopefully yousee this sarcasm because it's a
complete utter bullshit lie.
Talk us through, just from therescue side of things, what a
day in your life looks like.
Oh,

I'm gonna wear you out just hearing this.
It's a lot.
I'm not gonna lie.
I wanna preface this though.
I've never felt so personallyfulfilled in my life.
So I'm not complaining bytelling you how heavy this is.
I'm just sharing it.
'cause I want the transparency.
Every morning has to start withcoffee.
Rick and I usually, I will behonest.
This has been a must for us.

(10:48):
We do not jump out of bed andstart our day.
I cannot do it because I amgoing all day and there's so
much.
I take a good half hour, 45minutes, I read, I do stuff.
That's for me and it quiets mymind because the moment we step
out of this house, it is 10million miles an hour.
Phone calls, texts, animals, youname it.
We start with feeding the entirecrew, which is a lot.

(11:11):
We have a hundred donkeys here,four horses.
We've got our own animals.
We've got 11 cows, we've gotgoats, we've got chickens, we've
got geese.
We've got ducks.
I think I've.
Oh my gosh, we've got 10 dogs.
Um, I mean, it is like a literalzoo here, and it's a lot because
we, the care of these animals isthe most important thing for us.

(11:33):
And so it's not just, oh, sayhello.
It is preparing special feed forall the horses because they were
so severely neglected.
Like, rescue isn't perfectanimals.
We have the damage, the broken,the starved, so everyone has.
Special needs.
Everybody has special feed.
The feeding process takes awhile because we get everybody

(11:54):
fed in their areas, everyone'seating, and that's when Rick and
I, as cheesy as it sounds, welay hands on everyone.
So I go around, I touch thedonkeys, I socialize, I check,
are there sicknesses?
Are there wounds?
That is my, because we do it ina contained area, that's my only
way.
'cause we're on a bunch of land,they all spread out.
It's my only way to really,really get up and close and
personal.

(12:15):
That process takes a good hour,hour and a half.
Um, and, and it's a lot.
And then the rest of the day isspent.
Huh, maybe going on a feed run,maybe taking some animals to the
vet or having the vet here.
We have to, a lot of what werescue is Jack, so I feel like
we're castrating every week.
Um, the other big piece, thefundraising, obviously

(12:39):
nonprofits.
Don't, don't fund themselves.
And we've got a lot of mouths tofeed and we've got a lot of
expensive mouths to feed.
And, and again, it's reallyimportant for us that they are
doing better in life.
So we feed them well, it, it isall very expensive.
Uhto figured out'cause he's gotthat great brain.
It costs us$4 a day per donkey.
We've got four, we've got ahundred.

(13:00):
That's$400 a day.
That's 2,800 a week.
See I can do a little math.
Um, it's a lot and.
Don't, don't forget, there's bigexpenses with the vet.
We're building a barn right now.
Like there's so much expense andI have to fundraise.
It is, it is solely on me.
I haven't found that amazingangel that can figure it all out

(13:20):
or, or give us the money for ityet.
But each time we're about to dosomething, I have to really
think through how can I do this?
So every day I'm working ondifferent fundraising efforts.
Right now we're doing a reallycool one.
We're, we're doing hands.
Everyone that donates$50 or moregot their hand on our barn.
Um, I try to be creative, sobecause I don't want people to

(13:41):
feel like I'm just going likethis all the time.
Give me, give me, I try tocorrelate something meaningful
with every gift, and I thinkthat's important.
We sell merchandise, so I haveto manage the store.
I manage all the ship.
I manage all the orders and allthe endless people that are
like, where is this?
Why isn't this here?
When is that coming?
I got the wrong size.
I actually wanted it only thisway.

(14:02):
I mean, and it's on all thedifferent social media platforms
plus email.
It's, it's insanity.
I mean, and then at any, at anygiven time, you know, if I am
out doing an activity and I comeback and check my phone, there's
a minimum of 30 to 40 textmessages just sitting there.
All day, every day.
A mix between our otherbusiness.
This, my family, it, it is alot.

(14:25):
Somewhere in there I eat.
Uh, it usually is forgotten.
I'll be honest.
The, the animals eat morefrequently than I do.
Um, thankfully Rick loves tocook and he feeds me sometimes
'cause I will not eat otherwise.
It is a very busy day, I'll behonest.
There are moments I feel likeI'm going to burst.
I ha I have to write everythingdown.
I don't, there's days I have tojust accept.

(14:47):
I'm not gonna get it all done.
And as long as it's been good atmaking me learn priorities, I,
my biggest priority every day isthose animals.
If I don't get to eat meals, butthose animals are taken care of.
It's been a good day and that'shard for me'cause I'm a control
freak and I wanna be very goodat everything and I've just had
to realize.
People are just gonna have toaccept I cannot be Johnny on the

(15:09):
spot all the time.
Um, and, and that is a very hardone.
So then that's my day.
Very busy.
Um, at some point I usually tryto exercise because that's my
stress relief.
Um, and then evening.
It starts all over.
We have to feed all the animalsagain, again, and usually by
evening they've spread out.
So it's, it's a lot.

(15:31):
Oh, I forgot to add in there.
Every day Rick and I have totake the tractor and bring hay
out into the field all over theplace.
And that's a two person job.
So then we have to feed them allagain, which is again, another
hour, hour and a half.
Um, and then.
Occasionally we'll sit down andrelax and have a glass of wine.
Um, and then we eat and we go tobed, and that's our day.

(15:53):
And I am

all over again.
I'm,

I'm exhausted and every, every part of me is
tired, but that's, that's everyday, pretty much the

important piece of everyone listening of, of why
I wanted her to go through thatand not her to spill her her,
but it's, it's how much is goingon?
How exhausting this.
Specifically for a nonprofitthat's starting up, and this is
where nonprofits typically failbecause the founder cannot
sustain all of that for long.
And this is why most nonprofitstry to be sustainable.

(16:23):
And if you can't be sustainableas a nonprofit and what, lemme
back up.
When I mean sustainable, I meanthey're able to support and
create their own income tosupport their own staff feed, et
cetera.
Right?
That is the goal because then itcan continue on and the
foundation can get bigger andbigger and bigger.
If not, then you are alwaysasking repeatedly for money over
and over and over and overagain.

(16:45):
And not only is that exhaustingand hard to do, you start to
whittle everyone down of, well,they, all they do is ask, like
it's always an ask.
It's never.
Like, we're good or, or anythinglike that.
And that's where I know for surewe're at with CCR is the fact
that we're looking for,obviously funds, but
sustainability, yes.
We know it's$4 a day for, forthe animals, the donkeys, the,

(17:08):
the horses to be fed.
That's cool.
Everyone gets that.
They can understand thatdonation.
But what they don't see is thetrail system, the barn, um, the
other things that have to go fora nonprofit to have places,
right?
The RV.
Little RV park or the tiny homeswe wanna put on there.
Those are all awesome.
Those are also gonna beproviding income.
Mm-hmm.
So that way we could sustaineverything else to grow.

(17:31):
And as you look at othernonprofits and you're all
thinking about doing somedonations, dive into that.
Ask those questions.
See where they are actuallysustainable to support
themselves in the long term, notjust.
Taking your a hundred dollars,your a thousand dollars, your
million dollars, or whatever itis, that one time to build that
thing, and guess what?
They ask for it again the nextyear.

(17:51):
Because for me personally,everyone, this is me personally,
the nonprofits that aresustainable and will continue to
move on and can grow to the factthat they can take care of
themselves or the true ones thatwe want to put our money behind,
because then they're doingsomething for the longevity.
The other ones to me eitheraren't organized enough or.
Dangerously enough.
They're the ones that end up allof a sudden you see money being

(18:13):
embezzled.
You think they're, they do itfor themselves to get rich and
stuff like that.
Don't get me wrong, not everyone of them, but there are a lot
out there.
So you gotta be careful.
With that being said, everybody,yes we do have an ask.
It's$4 a day for a donkey.
Come on board, right?
Um, but also go see the form.
Go to Cassius crew, uh, dot org,rescue.org.

(18:33):
Please reach out, communicate,learn more.
And if you're wanting to knowmore about how to run a
nonprofit, how to set one up,we're here for you, right,
Sarah, and I'll jump on a callwith you.
Um, but know that she's kind ofbusy.
Uh, she does, she loves Netflix.
I mean, it's all day long.
You just heard it.
Um, so please reach out and dowhat you can.
Sarah, is there anything Imissed or that you want to ask

(18:54):
for?
Um, during this holiday season,

you covered it all.
I, I, I and I, I, I, I justthink it's so important.
I do wanna say as much as wetalked about kind of the
challenges and how heavy andhard running a nonprofit is, it
is the most rewarding experienceever to truly be doing good,
feels great to be affectingother people, to be doing all of
this.
It is.
It is.
It is amazing.

(19:17):
It is.
I know this, I'm not trying tobe religious, but I feel like
it's God's work.
It's what we're meant to do ashuman beings, and yes, it's
heavy.
Yes, it's hard.
Would I do it again 10 milliontimes over?
You know, it is, it is thehardest job I've ever had, but
yet I.
Feel like I am here doing what Iam meant to be doing on this
earth.
And because I am doing that, itis, it is going out to other

(19:40):
people and other people see itand feel it.
And people are loving to be apart of this.
And I, I'm a dreamer.
I am a big dreamer.
And I know this dream will cometrue because I see it every day.
And, and with your help story,because you've been helping.
You know, reign me in and put mydreams on paper.
You know, I, I do see usbecoming sustainable.

(20:01):
You know, I, I see what thepotential is here and I know we
will get there.
This will be someplace on themap where people are like, this
is an incredible donkey rescue.
What they're doing is amazing.
But it's an awesome place tostay.
It's an awesome place to getmarried.
It's an awesome place forretreats, you know, and, and we
can get to that point where itis sustainable.

(20:22):
You know, I'm not having to pullmy hair out every day and make
social media videos and do allthis and do all that at some
point, hopefully, you know, I'lljust get to be and just run this
and, and just enjoy what we'vecreated and, and make it even
better.
So don't be afraid of it.
Don't, don't let what we saidscare you.
Just make sure you've gotsomeone like story because it,

(20:44):
it, it really, it just makes thebiggest difference in the world.
It really does.
Knowing you have someone thathas your back, that's not gonna
let you fall, that's not gonnalet you fail.
It's huge.
It, it is the.
Thing we all need in life, butespecially with such an
undertaking like this, you haveto have it.
Like I, yes, I have Rick, he's agreat partner, he's a great
husband, but we would not behere without Stoy, and I do not

(21:06):
say that lightly.
I'm not just trying to blow uphis head.
We literally would not be herewith sto.
I could not have done this.
Could not at all have done thison my own.
There's absolutely no way.
And because I have that freedomand that stress is off of me,
I'm able to go out there andkick ass and make this amazing
rescue because I know at the endof the day, I gotto who is, is

(21:27):
on the back end and, and keepingall the pieces from falling and
keeping me from being too crazywith my dreams.
That, that's the biggest part.
So, you know, he's not givinghimself enough credit.
But I, I really, if I could giveyou one tip about this is, is
find a story.
Find your story beforeundertaking this because it will
make the whole journey, thewhole process, everything so

(21:49):
much better.
And at the end of the day,you're not gonna be just
screaming and crying and going,what the hell?
Where am I?
How do I do this?
It's, it's, it's everything.
So that, that's my piece that weneeded to include.

I appreciate that.
Uh, it, it really does mean alot.
It does.
So everyone have a happyholidays again, across all of
our socials.
Communicate, reach out to ourcontent.
We're able to provide more foryou if we know what's going on.
If you're starting a nonprofitor you are that founder in the
nonprofit and you are feelinglike Sarah, reach out, build
your team, make sure you havethe right people on it.
So without further ado, happyholidays Sarah.

(22:21):
We will talk soon.

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