Sanctuary Assistance
Please see the list below for resources to assist sanctuaries. You may want to check our initial webinar offerings, as well as our GFAS Twitter Tips (click on the Twitter icon to the left, under GFAS.)
If you have questions about GFAS or the accreditation process or the standards, feel free to email 
. We will post some of your questions here, with answers.
Links to samples of some of the items examined in the accreditation process:
Placement Agreement and HfH Minimum Standards of Care
Author notes: Moving or “relocating” the equine is a major problem and we do go after them in court – and win. We maintain a very active “DNA” list, meaning Do Not Adopt because these folks will come back in several years, thinking we won’t remember, and try to get another horse from us. We have a strong attorney on our Board who has no problems filing against people who refuse to play by the rules, which they sign off on when they sign the contract.
Sample lease for sanctuary located on personal property
Sample Conflict of Interest Policy
Sample formatting for financial statements
- Statement of Activities, also known as Profit and Loss Statement, or Income Statement, or Statement of Revenues and Expenses
- Statement of Financial Position, also known as Balance Sheet
- Statement of Cash Flows
Sample Employee Handbook and Sample Employee Receipt of Handbook Form
Sample Grievance Policy for Volunteers
Additional Resources
Sanctuary Management Software: Though this free software is oreinted for domestics, it is fairly robust and can be customized quite a bit: http://sheltermanager.sourceforge.net/home.php
FAQs about the accreditation process:
Q: How much detail should we provide in our answers on the application?
A: Here is a sample of answers to questions, to help guide you.
Q: How much does accreditation cost?
A: There is no cost for becoming accredited, and no cost the first three years. After three years, we do a second site visit, also at no cost. However, at that point we will need to charge a fee that will go toward your third site visit (after having the first two at no charge). So at that point (which is the beginning of your fourth year with GFAS) you begin paying $150 a year toward your 6th year evaluation. Thus the total cost for your third site visit is $150 times three, which is $450. We hope at that point your rescues/sanctuary will clearly see the value in GFAS. We are also hopeful that foundations will give us grants to cover the fees for anyone for whom the modest fee, $150 per year, would still present a barrier. Note: you can also pay all at once, at the time of the third site visit, but it is a slightly higher fee of $500. (For one accreditation body in Africa, sanctuaries pay $1000 per year …and fundraising is not easy in Africa! Another accrediting organization in the US related to animals charges $1200 per year.) Right now for the initial site visit it costs us a $200 honorarium to have a rescue visited, plus travel expenses (which can involve air fare at times, hotel, etc.) and about 22 hours of staff time after the site visit, as well as many hours prior to the site visit, and many volunteer hours on the part of the accreditation committee. We keep working on ways to streamline and save costs. As time goes on, hopefully the value of accreditation to the individual rescue as well as the field and aniamals will be clear. Thus far GFAS has been responsible for helping rescues/sanctuaries obtain more than $75,000 in grants that the applicants didn’t know about until GFAS alerted them and told them how to apply. And right now we have an additional $110,000 to distribute in compliance grants to equine rescues/sanctuaries. We also do almost monthly webinars to help rescues learn how to write effective grant proposals. We also aid when animals need placement, for instance heading up the placement of the 800+ animals who made it out alive from the failed Montana Large Animal Sanctuary and Rescue.
Q: I thought I understood that the accreditation program was to help rescues/sanctuaries all operate in the same manner and one of the goals for GFAS was to help rescues/sanctuaries comply so they could correct any issues and eventually get accredited. Now I am hearing that GFAS actually blackballs some of the applicants so they will not be able to comply. I don’t understand how that will actually help animals in need.
A: We keep confidential who is applying. We don’t publish a list of those who “fail”. Furthermore, this is not a pass/fail situation. We keep working with legitimate groups to help them become accredited or verified.
As clearly stated on our applications, if during the accreditation or verification process we suspect illegal activity, such as animal being kept malnourished, then of course we must and do report that to the proper authorities. We think it is clear how that helps the animals! Even then, because it is part of an ongoing investigation at that point, we won’t comment. But we are NOT a law enforcement organization.
One last point of clarification. GFAS doesn’t aim to have all rescue/sanctuaries operate in the same manner. What we aim for is for each organization to be solvent and to take humane and responsible care of the animals. There are many ways for groups to be solvent. We are not a law enforcement agency….and it is unusual for a pseudo-sanctuary to apply to us. Our role with a sanctuary is that of a partner, and any coaching is usually regarding operations (governance, finances, etc.) rather than animal care (which most applicants thus far seem to do very well) and also we are on the lookout for innovations that you may have come up with that we can share with the field!
In many ways, the accreditation process is similar to that of a person getting a physical. Yes, the doctor is looking for possible problems area, but the doctor is clearly on your side. The same is true for the accreditation process. While we may be looking for any areas that may need some improvement, we are on your side, and want to help your organization become as strong and healthy as possible!
If you talk to organizations who have gone through the process, we think they will tell you that the accreditation process was a good experience for them to go through, and that they are a stronger organization as a result of the process. All that we have accredited remain in fairly close contact with GFAS and they turn to us as a resource on issues that come up, and they also help us gain valuable insights.