Why Legacy Donations Can Create a Brighter Future for Shelter Dogs

Every donation we receive is an act of compassion toward our dogs. We are grateful for each one and for every person who wants to help us change the story for thousands of dogs. And if donating makes you feel happy for having contributed and become part of the story, know that there is a way to guarantee that you keep on helping animals even after you are gone: with a legacy donation.

Some people might want to donate and feel the joy of having helped during their lifetime; others have a different vision and find comfort in knowing that their money will be put to good use in the future; while others are dedicated to the cause of helping stray animals and want to do both.

At ROLDA, we welcome legacy donations, first of all because this type of gift can help organizations like ours continue rescuing, treating, housing, and rehabilitating animals for years to come. Secondly, because it shows that we manage to gather around us people with a vision for a future, even one they will not get to witness with their own eyes.

Legacy donations secure the funds we need to address animal homelessness as the big picture. Because the real work is not about solving isolated problems, but helping shape a brighter future for animals.

What Is a Legacy Donation?

To better understand the concept of a legacy donation, think of an inheritance left to help us cover expenses at our shelter. Technically, it is a gift arranged for us through a person’s will. The size of the gift is entirely up to the donor, and no, it does not imply giving everything away.

Depending on the donor’s wishes, this legacy donation can take many forms, and, in order for it to be official, it needs to be discussed with appropriate legal professionals.

Why Organizations Appreciate Legacy Donations

Unlike regular donations, legacy donations fall in the category of larger and occasional sources. We cannot rely on these donations unless we are told about them beforehand, and even then, people can change their minds. Also, we cannot always know the value of the donation if it is in anything other than money (items, land, or property).

Whenever we get such a donation, we make sure to use it exactly as the donor intended – to secure the future for our animals. This could mean shelter maintenance and improvements to living conditions, veterinary care, expanding the number of rescued animals, developing new rehabilitation programs, launching campaigns to prevent abandonment, or helping people in struggling communities keep their pets.

A legacy donation contributes to this long-term stability.

Shape a Brighter Tomorrow for Animals That Would Otherwise Have No Future

It sounds somber, we know, but we are aware that a part of our residents has close to zero chances of ever being adopted. Unless we can guarantee that we have the funds to keep the shelter running for years and years, these dogs nobody wants, despite their rescue and recovery journeys, might end up back on the streets.

These are the chronically ill dogs, the ones that have been severely injured and in need of more care than they could receive in a regular household, dogs whose recovery (should it be taken over by the adopters) would be an incredible burden on the family budget. Not to mention the dogs too traumatized to be considered safe companions.

Just imagine all these poor dogs that did not get adopted in time ending up back on the street. This would be such a wicked and cruel twist of fate! So, we do everything we can to make sure this never happens. Legacy donations are one way to secure the future for these poor animals. And a great way for people to provide for those that truly are the most vulnerable.

Using Legacy Donations to Build Something That Lasts

Long-term gifts, such as legacy donations, help organizations improve their operations. Therefore, while regular smaller, yet consistent donations help keep the lights on, legacy donations, somewhat larger and occasional, could be used to better our services.

Sustainable rescue operations require more than food and a space for kennels. That is only the starting point. And once we get everything functional and going month after month, the operational budget is set, and we know what every penny is meant for. Therefore, once we reach this stage, it’s difficult to allocate resources to increase efficiency without feeling like we are taking away from something else.

Our resources are in a delicate balance that allows us to cover everything, and even an emergency here and there. But the main way in which we can grow as an organization is to improve our processes whenever we can. We are talking about better shelter facilities, an in-house veterinarian clinic, designated isolation and rehabilitation spaces, and outdoor animal areas for exercise and socialization, health-related prevention programs, and more.

Legacy donations are a great way to do so.

More Than a Donation – Your Legacy

A legacy donation is a meaningful way to show how much your values matter to you, both in life and beyond it. Yet, big feelings aside, deciding on something like this must only be approached with responsibility and deliberate planning.

You will also need the help of a qualified legal or financial professional who can take care of the legal documents needed. If you have any particular wishes about how you want the money to be spent—for example, if you wish to pay for the permanent residency of a specific dog—make sure they are clearly documented.

Another great way to handle the details is to come to us and discuss why you wish to do this and what you hope this money will help us achieve. We can even give more information on how such legacy gifts were handled in the past. The main purpose is to make these gifts reflect the person’s intentions.

When we first heard of legacy donations, we loved the idea because it made us think of something beautiful: instead of every generation inheriting the unsolved problem of stray dogs, we could help the future inherit part of the solution.