The president of the NWT SPCA is turning to the general public for donations amid concerns the volunteer organization could run out of money.
Nicole Spencer launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding campaign on Monday, hoping to raise $50,000 for the non-profit. As of Wednesday afternoon, over $6,000 had been raised.
MORE INFORMATION: NWT SPCA
Spencer says it’s frustrating running an organization like the SPCA without any government backing.
“I don’t know if the general population realizes how much we do with the little funds we have,” she said. “Our bank account has gone down recently and it just kind of frustrates me and scares me a little bit.
“It’s stressful not knowing where the next dollar is coming from. Right now if we didn’t get another dollar from any donation, we would be done in six months.”
Outside of a three-year grant from the City of Yellowknife, Spencer says the SPCA receives no other funding from any level of government to run the shelter in the city.
“Most of our donations are from the public and businesses around town,” she said.
While the SPCA is set to receive $12,500 from the city in each of the next three years, those funds will be spent on structural repairs as opposed to actually running the shelter.
Spencer says the Yellowknife shelter takes in as many as 550 dogs and 50 cats a year, including animals that are either pregnant or nursing.
The NWT SPCA runs a number of events every year to raise funds for the shelter, but Spencer says its next one isn’t scheduled until the end of October.
In the meantime, the organization needs to cover medicals costs and wages. With additional funds, Spencer says she’d even consider bringing on more staff.
“If we’re low on staff, the animals are going to suffer. We need to hire more people to cover the shifts.”
