Ottawa Stray Cat Rescue Board of Directors
Sara Collins
Director
I have been volunteering with OSCatR since 2012. Over the years, I have assumed many different roles and undertaken a variety of tasks including acting as the volunteer coordinator, fostering, setting-up and running the barn program, organizing large scale multi-rescue fundraisers, organizing and administering online auctions, volunteering at events, and other odds and ends such as picking-up donations and baking for bake sales. I am the co-owner of two local animal hospitals that support many local rescues, including OSCatR, through the provision of veterinary care at substantially reduced prices. The hospitals also regularly foster OSCatR cats and support the rescue in many other ways. Professionally, I work as a lawyer, having been licenced to practice law since 2007. It is an honour to serve as a Director for an organization that reflects my values and saves lives every single day.
Mary Jo Latour
Director
I first adopted from OSCATR in 2012. I started fostering in 2013 and have since fostered over 160 cats from the Adoption and TNR programs . I have volunteered with OSCATR in different ways over these past 8 years. I currently have 3 cats of my own, all “foster- fails” , Harley, Quinn and Bandit. I am a retired elementary school teacher.
Katie Jones
President
After volunteering with a few different rescue organizations as a young adult, I founded OSCatR in 2011. My objective was to create an organization that would focus on the most vulnerable cats – those living out in the elements without homes. In the early days, rescue tasks consumed my day-to-day life. Fortunately, over the years the organization grew to the point where it is now made up of team of dedicated coordinators and volunteers, each managing different responsibilities. I currently manage daily operations for the rescue as part of this incredible team. Professionally, I have been a veterinarian since 2004 and currently own two local hospitals which are both highly supportive of OSCatR. In my spare time, I enjoy providing pro-bono services to rescue organizations like OSCatR. I feel immensely proud to serve as the Vice President for an organization I have been with since its inception.
Charlene Morris
Secretary
I have volunteered with OSCatR since October 2015 as a foster parent. In that time, I have fostered over 110 cats. I have 3 cats of my own, Darwin, Mobius and Lester, who is an OSCatR foster fail. Professionally I work as a Investment Advisor.
Linda Marcoux
Treasurer
I have been with OSCATR since 2017 doing the finances and working mostly behind the scenes, but have fostered 22 cats and kittens and foster failed 2: Bobbi and McGee. Work as an Accountant with CUPE.
Organizational Flow Chart
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Accept Applications in the database and process them
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Match make applicants with cats
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Work with Fosters for Adoption visits
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Accept or Decline adoptions
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Work with Social Media people to keep pages relevant
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Answer Adopters emails
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Work with the Adopters FB page group
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Oversee a team to do the following:
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Ensure foster applications are being received in the database and processed for possible fostering
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Ensure home visits are being done, fosters are receiving supplies
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Keeping a list of needed supplies for the Donations Coordinator
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Medical invoices are being inputted into the database
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Fosters have support
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Check in on stagnant cats and promote adoption
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Help generate foster cat adoption albums
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Answer foster emails and questions
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Work with intake coordinator to intake cats into the appropriate foster homes
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Update microchip information
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Manage the number of foster homes and cats for adoption and help intake coordinator with accepting cats
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Advertising for fosters when needed with Marketing/Promotion Coordinator
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Work with TNR Coordinator for Lost Foster Cats
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Answer emails about intaking cats
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Promote lost and found sites
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Work with foster team to intake cats
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Work with TNR Coordinator with friendly colony cats
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Input applications and cat information into the database
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Work with volunteers to trap cats as needed
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Working with a team to make sure:
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Soliciting for donations as needed, including raffle/basket items
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Working with TNR coordinator and Foster coordinator to obtain food and supplies for the cats
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Managing the Storage locker and keeping lists of equipment and supplies
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Managing Amazon Wish List and promoting this on social media sites regularly
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Working with Stores for expired, open or returned product
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Soliciting stores like grocery, larger supermarket types etc. for supplies and product
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Answering emails from the public who wish to donate
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Keeping an updated list of drop off locations for donators to drop off products/supplies
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Making sure that supplies at drop off locations are being used by appropriate people and not forgotten
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Working with volunteers to request items off Freecycle, Buy Nothing type sites etc.
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Creating a list of donated items that would have a monetary value and sending list to the Treasurer annually for CRA (items like unopened non expired food, new toys in packaging, new cat litter, etc.)
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Working with a team to:
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Manage, help promote and advertise individual fundraising ventures such as:
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Cookies Help Cats, Purrfect Pick, and other smaller but amazing fundraisers
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Help promote and manage Catjiji
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Work with the treasurer to update on fundraisers and monetary donations coming in so e-transfers can be more easily managed
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Work with Bottle Returns for Cats and promote this as well as bottle drives. Keeping bottle drop off locations current
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Working with volunteers to arrange Store Events and having a Store Event team for this
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Keeping event kits restocked and updated
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Working with the Crafting Committee to make toys and supplies
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Being a cheerleader to motivate people
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Liaison for the Wine 4 Whiskers group
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Promoting the United Way Campaign
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Always working with the Marketing/Promotions Coordinator to make sure all activities are advertised and successful
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Engaging teams for larger events when they return (Cat Show, Pet Expo etc)
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Merchandise sales
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Working with the Fundraising Coordinator and Donations Coordinator to make sure all events are advertised and promoted
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Keep cats available for adoption current
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Promote cats who have been in care the longest
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Working with the treasurer to send Thank you Cards sent for larger donations
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Possibly arrange Donations – Wedding favours
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Managing brochures, business cards, banners, and other propaganda materials
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Newsletter for the webpage, FB page and for sponsorships
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Sponsor a cat event – working with the foster team for this
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Managing the Instagram, Twitter, Facebook accounts
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Managing the webpage
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Promoting OSCATR, Colony Cat Care
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Media relations (TV, radio, other when needed)
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Help Coordinators find volunteers to do tasks and roles
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Updating general coordination page when roles/ positions are available and working with the team to fill them
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Motivating volunteers on the Volunteer Facebook page
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Keeping the volunteer page current with upcoming activities, help needed, events
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Answer emails and messages about volunteering
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Making sure applicants are inputted into the database and added to the appropriate Facebook groups
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Keeping a survey of volunteer interests and possibly contact them when opportunities are available
Members' Roles
Financials
Jan 1 2022 - Dec 31 2022
Q&A
Thank you to those of you who took the time to submit a survey monkey feedback form. We have included below answers to some questions we received and links to a few resources that you may find beneficial.
Do you have a question, comment or concern and want to address the board of directors? Send us an
e-mail to oscatrbod@gmail.com.
Would you prefer to remain anonymous? We have created a Survey Monkey link that will allow you to submit your comments in a confidential manner. The board of directors will review all submissions and address concerns and answer questions.
What does the Board of Directors do?
"What does the Board of Directors do?"
The board of directors meets four time a year to discuss and manage the affairs of the rescue including, but not limited to, reviewing financials, allocating resources and keeping the public and volunteers of OSCATR aware of the objectives and work of OSCATR
When a person fosters for us, what are they provided with or what does OSCAtr cover while the cat is in care?
"When a person fosters for us, what are they provided with or what does OSCatR cover while the cat is in care?"
Foster parents provide all food (unless medically prescribed), litter, toys, treats etc. Ottawa Stray Cat Rescue pays for all the medical care for the cats under our care through our veterinarian’s clinic. We sometimes receive donations of food, litter, toys, litter boxes, cat trees, etc. When we can, we will provide these to our fosterers.
We have included the OSCATR Foster Manual and Frequently Asked Questions below under resources.
Don't forget to visit the fostering section of our OSCatR website.
How long is it from the time OSCATR takes a cat in to when the cat can be adopted? If someone comes forward and claims the cat to be theirs, what is the criteria for confirming this and returning the cat? Do we ask for repayment of vetting costs, a release fee?
Cats are to be in care with OSCATR for 10 full days before vetting unless there is an emergency that requires vet care ASAP. This does not include deworming or flea/tick medication which is typically given at intake. If someone comes forward claiming that we have their cat, we ask for multiple pictures of the cat in their care at a minimum. Ideally, we would like to see proof of vetting. We can ask for reimbursement of vet costs, but we do not have any legal grounds to demand it.
Some feral cats who come into our care have only ever lived in an urban setting with indoor-outdoor privileges. They are not happy as indoor only cats as they hide and run from humans, but there are concerns of their success in a barn setting. Could we add a category where cats could have both indoor and outdoor access – a hybrid home-barn type adoption?
This type of adoptions would still go through barn placement (not adoptable cats in foster care). We would look through applications for available barns where barn owners would be willing to have an indoor/outdoor cat.
Resources
Vet Partners
OSCatR Constitution
Currently being
revised
Foster Manual and Q&A
Volunteers
Attention Fosters!
Need food or litter for your foster cat? We can order items through Pet Science at a discounted rate!!
(20-40% less than stores).
Please check out
www.petscience.ca and let us know what you need. Please send an email with name and item code to rescue@oscatr.ca
Attention Fosters!
Are you paying for foster food and litter out of pocket? Submit your receipts, along with the attached log sheet for an in-kind donation tax receipt.
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Log Sheets must be submitted along with copies of your receipts to treasurer@oscatr.ca
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One submission per foster please (consolidate all expenses to one log sheet)
Thank you!
Thank You to all of our volunteers for the hard work you do everyday. We truly couldn’t do it without you. We look forward to hearing from you.