D2Care

D2Care 2009 Board Elections

We would like to remind you that the voting booth is open for the 2009 D2Care Elections. In order to vote, you will need to have your login and password. If you have not yet created a login and password, this is the time to do so! Voting will continue until May 3, 2009. If you have not created your login and password, and cannot remember your Membership number, please write to any of the current Board Members and request your number. If you have created a login and password, but cannot remember them, please write to our webmaster at Jennifer@d2care.org for assistance.

Please go here to enter the Members only area of the website. http://www.d2care.org/membersonly/

After signing into the Members only area, you will be taken to the Welcome Page. Before clicking on the “Ready to Vote” link, please take time to read the biographies of the Candidates. On the Candidates page, we have added a new component as well. You will find the summary of the Question and Answer Session from the Members Meeting on March 15, 2009. You are voting for 5 Board positions, and there are 6 Candidates.

While visiting the website, have a look around. We have a few new pages. http://www.d2care.org/aid/ will take you to an entirely new section. If you scroll down to Aid Awarded, you will get to view the new pages which show the deaf dogs that your D2Care Members Dues and Donations have helped since 2007.

At the request of some of those folks supporting us, and some wondering why they should, we have also added a directory for what information lives in the Members Only Pages. http://www.d2care.org/membersonly/whatsinhere.php

Are you a writer? Do you want to share your deaf dog knowledge, experience, or training ideas? Please step forward and let us know! We are always on the look-out for new articles for the D2Care website, and would love to hear your idea. At this time, we’re particularly interested in articles on “later onset” deafness (as from aging, illness, or medical complications) as opposed to the congenital that we tend to focus on.

Katrina
President, D2Care
www.d2care.org

Lisa Heyamoto, of the Sacrament Bee, gave D2Care and Deaf Dogs a little boost in her lifestyle column. Check it out:

Scroll half way down
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/557976.html

Warmly,
Lori Skinner
V.P. D2Care

Well, I’d like to bring you a little update. On December 7, Form 1023 was sent into the IRS. This is the application to gain tax exempt status as a recognized 501(c)(3). You will be able to find a link to the form on the website. www.d2care.org We have been told by multiple people who have started non-profits that if we did everything correctly, we should hear in about 4 months if we were successful and have our tax exempt non profit status. However, whether we achieve that notification in 4 months or a bit beyond that, the tax exempt status will be retroactive to the date of our incorporation which is June 24, 2006.

Marcy is working hard on prettying up our logo. For those of you that have already sent in membership dues, once she is done, we will print the Charter Membership certificates. They will be in the mail shortly after that.

Other news. Jennifer is working on the Adopt-A-Dog pages of the website. We hope to have those available for use by the beginning of the year. We have already been contacted by rescues and transporters asking when they will be available.

We need to set up a new member run committee prior to activation of the Adopt-A-Dog pages. This committee will help update and maintain the adoption pages. Time commitment for this committee may vary depending on the number of volunteers and the number of adoption listing requests. However, the current estimate is 5-10 hours per week. Need easy and reliable computer/ internet access daily. Attention to detail and good communication skills are a must.

In January, the D2Care Membership Committee will be announcing the next elections. We will send out the criteria and the application/questionnaire for running for the Board of D2Care prior to the announcement. Of course, in order to run for the Board you will need to be a Charter Member.

So, this is the time to remind folks that we are accepting Charter Memberships until June 30, 2007. However elections will be held between March and May of 2007 for the first full 9 Member Board. In order to throw your name in the pot, you will need to be a Charter Member with dues received by February 15.

We are looking for members to the following committees:

• Membership (responsible for notifying members of upcoming elections and members meetings),
• Funding (setting the criteria for use of the D2Care funds),
• Marketing and Merchandise (setting up a marketing plan and creating and promoting D2Care merchandise),
• Web (responsible for the day to day maintenance and operations of the website),
• Adopt-A-Dog (responsible for maintaining the adoption pages).

Katrina

President, D2Care

Well, we have reached a major milestone in the creation of our organization. As most of you are aware, we began taking Charter Memberships on November 15, 2006. Hooray!!!!!!

So just a few more updates. We completed and approved the Bylaws on November 5, 06 at our second Board meeting. The paperwork for the 501(c)(3) tax exempt status is pending. We are only waiting for the signature page to the Bylaws to make its way around the US then we will mail everything in. I suspect that will be before the end of November. And rumor has it that it takes approximately 4-6 months for the IRS to verify approval. However, tax exempt status will be retroactive to the day we incorporated, June 24, 2006.

Our September Board meeting minutes are on the News Page. In keeping with our open door policy, we will continue to post minutes. However, only members of the organization may request a copy of the financial report. A full report will be available at the March or May Members meetings.

Our committees are working hard. The Marketing and Merchandise Committee has selected (with your help) a logo for our organization. This logo draft has gone back to the member that created it for some fine tuning. Once that is done, it will be posted everywhere.

The Membership Committee worked very hard with the Board to establish some membership guidelines and to help us define the role of the members within our organization.

The Web Committee has determined the categories for the website, and will soon be working hard to get those in place. I also believe Jennifer will be back working on the adoption pages so we can start posting dogs in need of homes.  I’m looking forward to that page.

The Funding Committee has reviewed an application from another organization for disbursement of funds. They will soon be finalizing and writing policy to go with the form. I believe the first goal is funding of emergency vet care for deaf dogs.

I would like to give a personal Thank You for your support in our endeavors. Although we still have a distance to go, we would not have been able to get this far without all of you.

Katrina
President, D2Care

Even though she is feeling “under the weather” at the moment, Becca has sent in her bio for all to enjoy. She will get a picture to us as soon as she is feeling a bit better. In the meantime, learn more about our newest Board Member!