Students study Nate's to help nonprofit grow

EAST COUNTY — As an animal-lover, Rob Oglesby is passionate about his job as the president of Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue.

So, when he saw the bulk of his volunteers leaving for their summer homes and a decrease in donations as a result, he decided to take another avenue to help his nonprofit stay afloat.

Oglesby met with faculty members of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s College of Business to offer a proposal.

He knew students conducted annual consultations of businesses for class projects, and he wanted Nate’s to become a part of that process.

“It’s always good to have someone else look at a situation for you,” Oglesby said. “This study puts us in the right direction, if we’re not going in it already.”

Oglesby didn’t realize, however, that he was creating a lasting partnership with USF Sarasota-Manatee students and would learn tools to help the rescue become more successful. In light of the consultation that two groups of students in Dr. Jean Kabongo’s strategic management and entrepreneurship class completed, Nate’s will offer internships to USF students. It also will follow other recommendations that surfaced from the four-month analysis.

“(Internships) weren’t really something we had thought about before, but it would be beneficial for us and for USF,” Oglesby said.

In the fall, Oglesby hopes to have USF students volunteer at Nate’s to help plan and work at events, such as its Ponies for Pups fundraiser. The internships will give students experience in event planning, he said.

The suggestion came in response to the two recommendations USF senior Broc Fernandez and his team proposed to Oglesby after researching Nate’s and other area shelters.

The group cited a lack of manpower as a weakness in the report, Fernandez said.

Having more volunteers will also help the rescue use 4 unused acres of the 8-acre property, the study showed.

“We could offer more services and maybe even house more animals if we used that space and had the help,” Oglesby said. “We have to look for ways to generate more revenue, other than adoption fees.”

Based on recommendations, Nate’s also plans to make cosmetic changes to create more brand consistency. It will add “Nate’s” to its sign on Lorraine Road, which still features the shelter’s former name — Honor Animal Rescue. It also will modify its Facebook pages so a search of “Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue” produces results. Users currently must type in the shelter’s old name to see Nate’s page.

“It’s important to have that consistency,” Fernandez said. “You want people to be able to find you online, and Nate’s has a great website.”

Oglesby hopes to use the study to further the nonprofit’s mission.

“Anytime you can get 10 smart kids to open your books and look at your business, that’s a good thing,” Oglesby said. “This (consultation) is going to help us be more successful and to help our animals.”

Findings
The students in Broc Fernandez’s group, who analyzed Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue from January through April, recommended the shelter utilize the following suggestions:

Partner with USF Sarasota-Manatee to develop internships. The students found that manpower was a weakness at the shelter; it needs more help to keep the animals clean, fed and walked.

Build a consistent brand name. Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue has changed names since 2012, at which time its name was Honor Animal Rescue. The students said there is inconsistency in the signage at the rescue’s East County adoption center, which doesn’t say “Nate’s” in front of the name or on its Facebook page. Facebook users will not find the organization’s page under Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue.

Volunteers needed
The majority of Nate’s Honor Animal Rescue volunteers returned to their summer homes, and now the shelter needs volunteers and donations, said Dari Oglesby, executive director of Nate’s. For more information, visit natehonoranimalrescue.org.

Contact Amanda Sebastiano at [email protected]