Voluntary License Check-off

Maricopa Animal Care and Control
Maricopa County, AZ
http://www.maricopa.gov/pets/

Maricopa County, Arizona, has added a simple line at the bottom of its dog license form that says "I would like to give a voluntary donation of $xx to save more pets' lives."

This is a voluntary donation and the amount is left open so that people can decide how much they would like to give. This program raises $10,000 a month for Maricopa County Animal Care and Control and helps fund programs that their budget does not cover, such as treatment for sick or injured animals and spay/neuter clinics for feral cats.

How to do something similar in your community

Contact the department responsible for overseeing licensing in your community and schedule a meeting with the director. If you don't know which department this is, call your county commissioners. Do some advance research to know how many licenses are sold, what kind of program you want, how it would work, and what fund the money would go in.

You will need to decide who will administer the funds. In Maricopa County, the funds are used to bolster animal care and control programs that are not funded by the county.

It is important to make sure that this money is earmarked specifically for the programs you intend it for, and not put in a general fund.

Published by Best Friends Animal Society.
http://www.bestfriends.org/