Splitcoaststampers.com - the world's #1 papercrafting community
You're currently viewing Splitcoaststampers as a GUEST. We pride ourselves on being great hosts, but guests have limited access to some of our incredible artwork, our lively forums and other super cool features of the site! You can join our incredible papercrafting community at NO COST. So what are you waiting for?
My SIL and a friend of hers own a horse farm where people board horses called Moonstruck Hill. They used to rent a barn from a gentleman at a VERY reasonable rate, but he recently retired and sold his farm, including the land the barn was on. The new owner told them that in order to stay, they had to pay $2000 a month rent, nearly triple what they were paying. Since they couldn't agree to such an outrageous number, he said they, and the horses being boarded, had to be off the property within 30 days.
My brother and SIL live in the middle of the most beautiful nowhere i've ever seen. They own a lot of land themselves with a quaint log cabin home in the middle of it. In order to save the horses, my brother, SIL and a lot of family and friends built a full barn and stables on their own land in thirty days so they wouldn't have to surrender the horses. The problem is that they spent most of the budgeted hay money for the year to do it. So now we're trying to come up with creative ways to raise hay money for the horses, without having to start charging the boarders a lot more money. It only costs $215 a month to board a horse there, and they are more than loved and well taken care of. My SIL and her friend aren't getting rich on the venture--quite the contrary. Hay, for example, has more than doubled in cost since last year. They basically do it for the love of the horses they're taking care of.
So, i was wondering if you ladies and gents (because you're all creative geniuses as far as i'm concerned) have any ideas of ways i could contribute as a papercrafter. I'm thinking of doing some special cards to sell in packaged sets at this fall's shows with all the proceeds going to the ranch, but wonder if maybe there's something i could do in addition to that...also, what sets you would recommend besides the obvious ones from SU! to make horse or ranch-related cards and gifts with...
TIA for your help. Sorry it was so long to explain, i just really want to help out as an animal lover myself...
__________________ Jen Z. in Elysburg, PA...not quite stampin' in Atlas anymore!
Yep, me and Nutswithtwins are BFF's.
Last edited by stampin_in_atlas; 06-15-2008 at 01:02 PM..
Something that can work well is an auction. If all the people who board their horses with your SIL and all of you who are friends and relatives donate items to be auctioned off, it could bring in a large amount of dollars. You need to get donations of some large items as well as packages of cards or knitted caps.
Along with the auction, you serve a spaghetti dinner for a certain amount per plate. Advertise like crazy. Invite everyone you know.
It works for the 4-H Club. It might work for you too.
Try also contacting their local church, they would know what works best in the area as far as fund raisers.
If you know some one with a projector you can do a movie night on the side of the barn and charge admission, sell candy and popcorn. That way people can do a sort of community thing, bring kids, socialize with neighbors, and see the barn and the horses. Kinda like a drive in theater only more farm-ish.
Are these horses rescued horses or privately owned horses? If she's trying to raise money to feed them, that sounds like she's in the rescue business. Has she considered becoming a non-profit? Being a non-profit seems to be the way to go for raising money, particularly substantial amounts. It would be more enticing to donors if they could write-off their donations. I did border collie rescue for a few years, and it's hard to get any real kind of money from donations unless you're a 501C.
I understand trying to give the boarders a break - but I think she really needs to consider raising her prices... hay has increased here, too - and that has to be reflected in the boarding bill, otherwise - your business will soon go under.
Around here, we have music benefits - we live in a musician-heavy area and there are benefits all the time. Bands donate their time, people pay to get into the concert - also do basket raffles, 50/50 raffles, etc. The benefits here are nearly always for personal medical bills, fires or disaster relief, or other 501-c3 non-profit causes.
Knowing she is a for-profit enterprise (even if she isn't making a profit due to her business practices) may keep many from donating to her cause....
__________________ Fight for your opinions, but do not believe that they contain the whole truth or the only truth. -Charles Anderson Dana
Does she have a web site? A lot of shelters here do a "sponsor a an animal" donation program for $x per month. You get email updates on how the animal is doing.
Cape Arago Rubber Stamps has 3 different sets of unmounted Western images with horses, cowboys, and cowboy boots and such.
Red Eowyn has one sheet of unmounted horses stamps with a dapple grey horse, a horse wearing a turnout cooler, a horse with a cat sitting on his back, and horses sharing a feedbag, etc.
Hay is getting expensive everywhere it seems. I think a bale of hay has doubled in price since last year (at least here in Oregon). I know of someone with 2 horses that can't find buyers to take them. No one is buying right now because feeding them is almost impossible to budget for.
It only costs $215 a month to board a horse there.
That is DIRT CHEAP! She shouldn't feel at all bad about raising the price. The price of feed for all animals is skyrocketing and the honest truth is, we'll all be paying through the nose soon or selling off stock. I'm in the same situation myself, pay the price or cut back? Own animals is becoming more and more of a luxury, I'm sorry to say.
__________________ Pegg Thomas Socialism is trickle up poverty.
Cape Arago Rubber Stamps has 3 different sets of unmounted Western images with horses, cowboys, and cowboy boots and such.
Red Eowyn has one sheet of unmounted horses stamps with a dapple grey horse, a horse wearing a turnout cooler, a horse with a cat sitting on his back, and horses sharing a feedbag, etc.
I love the Red Eowyn ones...thanks for sharing...i put them into my favorites and will hopefully be ordering that set!
__________________ Jen Z. in Elysburg, PA...not quite stampin' in Atlas anymore!
Helping the Horses...ideas?
