A $780,000 deficit in the Royal Society for the Prevention to Cruelty to Animals Tasmania has been acknowledged as a symptom of greater change in the volunteering and charity sector.
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The RSPCA’s annual report was released on Saturday, in which RSPCA president Alexandra Garrott wrote of the “urgent” need to resolve serious fundraising issues going forward.
“It was identified over the last couple of years that we remain far too reliant on Bequest income and sometimes fickle fundraising success to meet budget,” she wrote.
“This year the board and staff embarked on a project to look at what it is we do and how best to address the challenges we face into the future.”
The RSPCA received 4271 calls to their animal cruelty hotline last year, with nearly 2000 concerning cruelty to dogs. Horses were the next highest with 495 calls made.
The organisation finalised 1943 investigations without charges, and successfully prosecuted five people, with a further 26 prosecutions still pending. The highest number of calls concerned body condition or unsuitable living conditions.
Volunteering Tasmania chief executive Alison Lai said the challenge for long-established charities such as the RSPCA was to adjust to a social media-driven world where everyone is vying for attention and operating niche-based charities.
“We now live in a world where there’s literally thousands of worthy causes we can support, both here at home and overseas,” she said.
“This increase in choice means the battle for the fundraising dollar is becoming fiercer.
“We’re seeing an increase in niche campaigns targeted at particular groups in our community, rather than the mass marketing approaches that were once popular, such as television advertising, raffles, workplace giving and even shaking the fundraising tins on the street corner.”
The RSPCA board set out a sustainability plan to significantly change how the charity operates and meets financial targets.
The annual report noted employee restructuring focused on a greater professional presence for outreach and animal welfare services in the community.
Dr Andrew Byrne joined the RSPCA as Chief Veterinarian based in Launceston in September, which chief executive Peter West said was an invaluable appointment to improve animal welfare and public education across the North.
Mr West said part of the sustainability program involved shifting from providing shelter services to adding boarding services that would help turn a profit for centres, and provide more reliable fundraising for animal welfare programs.
