Starting a guide dog organisation - Jan 2011.doc - International ...

Starting and Developing a Guide Dog Organisation
Introduction
The mission of the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF) is to support
its members in their efforts to encourage and advance the provision of
Guide Dogs as a means of independent mobility for people who are blind or
vision impaired throughout the world. As part of this mission, one of the
IGDF objectives is to provide guidance and support through its Development
Committee to:
. IGDF Member organisations requiring further development,
. Applicant status Guide Dog Organisations,
. New Inquiry Guide Dog Organisations, This document was written by IGDF members to provide you with practical
guidance as you consider starting and developing a Guide Dog Organisation.
Should gaining IGDF accreditation and membership become an objective of an
Applicant status organisation they need to have been operating continuously
for a minimum of 5 years since incorporation and produced at least 20 guide
dog teams. For information please e-mail: enquiries@igdf.org.uk 11 Key Elements to a successful Guide Dog Organisation
At first, it may seem that all you need to start a Guide Dog Organisation
are a reliable and suitable source of dogs, qualified staff and funding
either through fundraising or government support. However, operating a
successful Guide Dog organisation involves a diverse mixture of activities
along with the working successfully with dogs and people. There are 11 key elements required to operate a viable, sustainable and
successful guide dog service. Some elements must be in place when an
organisation starts and other elements can be set up as soon as is
practical in order to deliver a professional and accountable service. The
11 elements detailed in this document are: 1. Governance and management.
2. Administration support services, record keeping systems and resources.
3. Fundraising and public relations - media and communications.
4. Staff development and training.
5. Source of dogs - breeding programme.
6. Puppy raising programme.
7. Kennel services and / or boarding facilities.
8. Guide dog assessment and training.
9. Client services - applicants, students and graduates.
10. Veterinary care.
11. Adoption / career change services. 1. Governance and management 1a. Developing, governing and managing the organisation
There are two organisation levels and roles that need to be developed,
clearly defined, agreed and adhered to:
. Governance: Board of Directors is responsible for:
o Defining and periodically updating the vision, mission
statement, overall goals and strategy of the organisation.
o Overseeing organisation performance and providing direction to
the CEO/Director.
. Management: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) / Director is responsible
for:
o Creating a business plan and organisational chart
o Effective and timely reporting to the Board
o Overall management of the day to day operations
o Ensure the annual outcomes and outputs set and agreed are
achieved 1b. Business Plan
A business plan spanning 3 - 5 years needs to be drafted by the
CEO/Director including the financial elements with the built in
contingencies required to operate over that period. It must contain clear
and achievable objectives and be fully supported by the Board,
CEO/Director, staff, volunteers and key stakeholders. The business plan needs to take into consideration and be influenced by an
environment analysis, including identifying potential numbers of blind and
visually impaired guide dog service users; the impact of other competing
agencies; dog supply; staffing, including volunteers; cultural influences,
and any access and legislation issues. 1c. Incorporation and registration
If IGDF membership is to be sought, consult with the legal advisors in your
country to ensure legal requirements for establishing the new organisation,
Board of Directors or equivalent body are met. 2. Administration support services, record keeping systems and resources. 2a. Administration
A sound, cost effective administration service needs to be developed to
support all 11 key elements. It needs to assist with the development and
monitor of policies and procedures with regard to:
. Records and archives - data bases, including the welfare, temperament
and health of all breeding stock, puppies, dogs in assessment and
training, graduated dogs, retired and withdrawn dogs,
. Client services - applicant, student and graduate records,
. Breeding stock, puppy, client and adoption / career change agreements,
. Fundraising clients and records,
. Public relations / media contacts,
. Human resources - including a technical and non-technical staff and
volunteer performance management system which needs to incorporate
supervision, peer reviews, performance appraisals and development
reviews, staff and volunteer recruitment, induction, exiting and
grievance procedures,
. Board minutes,
. The integrity, security and controlled access to confidential data and
records consistent with applicable local laws and IGDF standards. 2b. Record keeping systems
As record keeping is essential for successful operation of a Guide Dog
Organisation, the type of information that needs to be kept includes:
. Basic dog data,
. Health and genetic data,
. General information about people and the many relationships they have
with various dogs and your organisation,
. Breeding, whelping, temperament, and training progress data,
. Client details. If funding and resources are adequate the organisation should obtain
computers and networking hardware and software needed so you can have an
electronic date keeping system rather than a paper system. Electronic data
storage is more efficient because information can easily be shared and
analysed. A database should help organisations maximise improvement in providing
quality dogs and quality service and support. Most often, organisations
use two different databases; one for fundraising and one for dog and client
information. For fundraising, there are many commercial databases available. For dog and client information, RelDog Lite (RDL) is a database customised
for guide dog organisations that is available at no cost. RDL facilitates
data analysis so managers can monitor outcomes and make changes in the key
areas of reproductive management, dog health and temperament, puppy raising
and training, and team matching and support. Contact
rdlsupport@comcast.net for more details. In the future, if organisations are considering working in breeding
cooperative groups using RDL means they can more easily share selected data
among their groups while keeping client data private. The benefit in a
common database system is that the file structure will be the same. In
addition, organisations develop and use common measures for their dogs.
For these same reasons, RDL will also facilitate collaborative research by
providing exports to researchers in a format that allows easy combining of
datasets. RDL is written in the Microsoft Access programme. It is not able to run on
MAC Computers. Future upgrades after programming is complete will be the
responsibility of the organisation using RDL. RDL is written in code that
is widely known and the code is openly available to any programmer by
viewing the design view of the forms. Depending on the number of
concurrent users, you may need to install a server to run RDL and depending
on your on-site network or desire for remote access to the programme, you
may need software and hardware so it can be run on Citrix or another system
that would allow for these more sophisticated methods of using RDL. 2c. Buildings
Office, client facilities and kennels, including facilities for dogs
involved in breeding and rearing, assessment and training, temporary
boarding and isolation must:
. Comply with the minimum standards as set by the local applicable laws
to ensure occupation health and safety standards are met,
. Meet the IGDF standards should membership be sought,
. Be constructed with materials that promote best practice where
consideration must be given to:
o Hygiene and cleanliness,
o Proper drainage,
o Ventilation, temperature control - protection from prevailing
weather and drafts,
o Clear visibility for volunteers and staff, clients and dogs,
o Sewer systems,
o Hot and cold running water,
o Power supply,
o Security,
o Comfortable and humane accommodation for dogs, treatment and
care,
o Adequate free running and relief areas,
o Appropriate kennel size / dimensions so the dog can fully stand,
stretch and turn around without restriction and have access to
frequent and adequate exercise throughout the day. 2d. Transport
Organisations must provide vehicles that:
. Ensure the safe, comfortable transportation of clients and dogs, staff
and volunteers,
. Are designed or appropriately modified to ensure the security of
clients and dogs, staff and volunteers,
. Have appropriate climate control and be continuously ventilated even
when parked.
2e. Equipment
Organisations must provide suitable equipment for each specific dog
activity area:
. Breeding stock, including identification coat, lead, collar,
. Puppies from 6 weeks to 12-18 months, including lead, a range of
identification coats and collars,
. Dogs in assessment and training, including lead, a range of handles
and body pieces (handle and body piece = harness)
. Guide Dogs in Service, such as lead, collar, harness, brush/comb,
identification medallion.
3. Fundraising and public relations - media and communications New organisations must