FOUNDING-GROUP BRIEF / RICHMOND, VIRGINIA
A proposal to turn a cat-inspired idea into a useful community effort for pets of all kinds. Start small. Let shelters lead the care. Make every dollar explainable.
For discussion, not an approved event announcement. No date, venue, budget, recipient, shelter partnership, corporation, or tax exemption is established here. No fundraising is open.
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01 / PROPOSED PILOT
Mission: help people discover responsible paths toward suitable homes for cats, dogs, and other companion pets. CDSA keeps its original name, feline field-agent identity, and tagline: “We make the universe work on purpose.”
Propose one small Richmond dinner where neighbors meet, learn about adoption, and see shelter-approved animal profiles or referral information. The group must agree the size, date, venue, accessibility, costs, and permissions before announcing anything.
Animals would remain in the shelter or rescue’s custody. The responsible organization retains screening, care, introductions, and adoption decisions. No animals walking the streets to recruit adopters; no promise of animals at dinner.
A referral is an introduction to a shelter’s process, not an adoption outcome. Consider each species’ care, space, household compatibility, and specialist needs. Found or outdoor pets may already have owners; follow the shelter’s owner-check protocols.
02 / WHO TO CONSIDER APPROACHING
These are potential organizations for discussion. Neither has been contacted or confirmed for CDSA. Their names are references, not endorsements or partnerships.
Recommended as the first potential partner to approach because it publishes a third-party fundraising process and offers an existing adoption Match Finder. Ask whether an approved dinner with profiles and referrals would be useful.
Its fundraiser guidance says off-site adoptions are typically unavailable. Plan around information and referrals, with any use of its name or materials subject to approval.
Richmond SPCA fundraiser guidance ↗
Its existing Match Finder ↗
RAL publishes third-party fundraiser guidelines. It is another potential organization to discuss if the mission and proposed format fit its needs.
Its guidance does not guarantee animals, a booth, or promotion. Do not base the pilot budget or attendance plan on any of those being provided.
03 / PROPOSED MONEY MODEL
Optional gifts: after approval and compliance checks, the proposed default is for donors to use the agreed nonprofit recipient’s own official checkout and receive its receipts. This supports the recipient’s work; it does not automatically fund CDSA operations.
Dinner costs: keep any admission charge and event expenses distinct from gifts. Agree who contracts, pays, handles fees or refunds, and bears a shortfall before taking reservations or money. Publish those terms plainly.
Before asking for funds: confirm the recipient’s written approval and resolve Virginia charitable solicitation registration or an applicable exemption with qualified help. Directing money to a nonprofit does not by itself settle CDSA’s obligations. Review VDACS guidance.
Tax treatment: make no deduction promise. A meal or other benefit can affect the deductible amount and disclosure requirements. The recipient and qualified advisers should determine the correct receipts and wording. IRS Publication 1771 explains substantiation and disclosures.
Fiscal sponsorship is a separate arrangement requiring a written agreement and real sponsor oversight and control of charitable funds. Availability, fees, and fit are unverified. It is not needed to begin discussing a pilot, and should not be assumed from a shelter’s willingness to receive gifts. National Council of Nonprofits: fiscal sponsorship.
The current website collects donation interest only. There is no checkout, pledge, or donation recipient selection.
04 / FOUNDERS AGENDA
A discussion checklist. These decisions are unmade; this page does not record votes, assignments, or approvals.
Keep CDSA’s cat-inspired identity while welcoming pets of all kinds. Decide which species the first pilot can responsibly support through the chosen organization’s expertise.
Agree a first potential partner and a fallback. Approve the liaison’s questions and scope before any outreach. Ask what referrals, materials, branding, welfare rules, and reporting would actually help.
Propose attendance size, date options, venue, dietary access, physical accessibility, and cancellation arrangements. Every choice is contingent on budget, permission, and any relevant venue requirements.
Volunteer lead, partner liaison, event host, finance reviewer, and data steward are proposed roles, all currently unassigned. Agree responsibilities, backups, and who can make which decisions.
Set spending caps before commitments. Require two-person review of material expenses and the final reconciliation. Keep receipts and distinguish recipient gifts from admission income and CDSA operating expenses.
Venue; food and dietary needs; accessibility; materials; any required insurance or permits; payment fees and refunds; and contingency. Confirm quotations and the funding source for each. No dollar budget is implied here.
Collect only needed opt-in details. Limit signup access to authorized organizers. Choose aggregate reporting, avoid donor/member identities, and agree unused-funds and cancellation terms with the recipient before money is requested.
05 / PHASED MILESTONES
Use the dinner, volunteer, and donation-interest signup. No payment or event commitment.
Obtain the relevant written permissions and qualified guidance. Confirm welfare and money-handling boundaries.
Confirm venue, size, date, responsibilities, spending caps, accessibility, and cancellation terms.
Only after the prior steps: publish approved language, the agreed recipient’s official route for gifts, and separate dinner terms.
Use only approved profiles and information. Shelters retain custody and adoption decisions.
Reconcile money and publish aggregate results. Count an adoption outcome only when the shelter confirms it.
Review usefulness, volunteer capacity, welfare, and finances. Choose whether to repeat, change, stop, or explore a standalone nonprofit with qualified support.
06 / ACCOUNTABILITY
Before an event: publish the approved budget categories, expected income sources, spending caps, recipient, gift route, and cancellation/unused-funds terms. No identifiable donor information.
After an event: publish aggregate receipts, fees and refunds, spending by category, transfers to the recipient, and any remaining balance and agreed treatment. Keep detailed receipts for authorized review without publishing private records.
Suggested reporting target: within 30 days, subject to the recipient’s requirements and the group’s agreed plan. This is a proposal, not a current commitment or legal deadline. A partner may require a faster report; follow the written agreement.
Success measures: actual attendance, opted-in volunteers, money fully reconciled, and shelter-confirmed adoption outcomes. Report referrals separately from completed adoptions and publish uncertainty honestly. No target or result is invented here.
NEXT DISCUSSION / NOT A LAUNCH ANNOUNCEMENT
Start with interest and a clear founding conversation. Permission, animal welfare, and accountable money handling come before an event.
Register your interestSources reviewed October 20, 2026. Policies may change; confirm them with the organization before acting. This is a planning proposal, not legal or tax advice.