Establishing a Parent Club Relationship and Donor Advised Fund with CHF: From Concept to Proposal to Funding to Implementation in a Short Time Linda W. Bell Co-Chair, Health Committee Tibetan Terrier Club of America

Summary:

The Tibetan Terrier Club of America, Inc. (TTCA) is a small breed club with roughly 500 members, compared to many other larger AKC parent clubs. According to 1998 AKC statistics, Tibetan Terriers ranked 94 in number of dogs registered and 84 in number of litters registered. Despite the small numbers, the TTCA was able to proceed from concept through proposal to funding and actual implementation of the DNA Bank & Registry with collection of our first blood samples in a very short time.

The Health Committee of the TTCA started with one-on-one discussions with long-time breeders most likely to see the benefits of the development of genetic tests for the conditions prevalent in our breed. Two health surveys were developed, one a general breed survey and a second survey sent to those members identified as breeders. Once we had obtained support for the concept and identified the conditions considered to be our most troublesome, we developed a plan to capture the attention of researchers who work in the identified problem areas. The TTCA recognized that the development of a genetic test for these conditions would provide a significant tool for use in breeding programs.

We put a proposal before the TTCA's Board of Directors to join the AKC Canine Health Foundation's Parent Club Partnership program and to establish a breed specific fund to support research of our choosing relevant to our own breed problems. The TTCA felt that the best way to begin this process was to establish a donor-advised parent club fund with the Canine Health Foundation. As soon as the Tibetan Terrier fund was established, fund-raising efforts started with an all-club mailing. We announced the creation of the tax-exempt breed-specific fund emphasizing support for health issues within the breed. This was followed by soliciting support through our monthly newsletter and at our specialty show.

At the same time, without waiting for funds to accumulate, we started the grant proposal process. We did this by starting to develop two strategic relationships. The first was with Gary S. Johnson, DVM, Ph.D., at the University of Missouri School of Veterinary Medicine. He recognized the role that a breed club could play in developing its own proposal and driving the process of the establishment of such a DNA Bank & Registry.

The second strategic relationship was with the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA). G. Gregory Keller, DVM, MS, executive director of the OFA, who recognized the value that an independent third party could provide: as a repository for archived DNA; as an objective resource in evaluating research proposals for the use of that DNA; and as a registry for any information resulting from any DNA tests developed.

With the support and encouragement of Dr. Johnson, the TTCA Health Committee wrote and submitted its proposal to the CHF. To strengthen the proposal and enhance its opportunity for funding, it was developed as a pilot project that would provide a model for other breeds. The TTCA realized that in order to accumulate the critical mass of DNA samples needed to develop a DNA marker, it would need DNA samples from multiple generations of dog families living with breeders and pet owners. Because of the small size of the breed club, we kept the scope of the project and the funding it would require to a readily-achievable amount.

We requested donations to the CHF Tibetan Terrier fund in virtually every issue of our newsletter. At the end of the year, we encouraged contributions for tax purposes. We also reminded individuals to take advantage of the matching funds that many corporate employers offer for charitable contributions. Because the proposal was written as a pilot project and had relevance to all breeds, we were able to obtain matching funding from the OFA.

Little by little, we obtained the funding we needed by the time the grant was approved. Then we stepped up our contribution campaign, asking members to contribute both "blood and money" for the future of the breed. Many of those who were our initial contributors with a check were also our initial contributors with blood.

Our biggest goals are still ahead of us: collecting the critical mass of DNA samples from multiple generations of families, and using these to develop genetic markers for the conditions affecting the breed. However, as a breed club, we feel that we have been successful in the first step: taking our ideas, within a very short time, from a concept to a parent club relationship with the CHF to the implementation of a funded program. Our poster presentation provides in more detail some of the materials we developed to achieve these goals, with the intent of providing an example for other breed clubs interested in setting up a parent club relationship with the CHF.

Biographical Profile

Linda W. Bell is First Vice President of the Tibetan Terrier Club of America, Inc. and is Co-Chairman of the Health Committee of the TTCA. As Chairman of the Health Committee, she has worked on development of the breed health survey, the Tibetan Terrier DNA Bank & Registry, and the Voluntary Open Health Registry. She has bred Tibetan Terriers for over a decade.

Robert B. Lawson was charged with the responsibility of investigating the feasibility and viability of forming a tax-exempt foundation to attract contributions for the purposes of tackling the health and education concerns of Dalmatians.

His recommendation to form the Dalmatian Club of America 'Foundation, Inc. was unanimously approved by the DCA and it obtained IRS approval in early 1996. Lawson was elected its first President, and serves in that office today. In the four years since, the Foundation has raised nearly $200,000 and funded a brochure on the treatment and prevention of urinary stones; contributed to the establishment of a BAER testing; established an educational endowment to fund high quality guest speakers; and funded in partnership with the AKC Canine Health Foundation two studies in the genetics of hearing loss in Dalmatians and other breeds as well as two other studies associated with dermatitis.

Doris Ehret has been a member of the Flat-Coated Retriever Society of America since 1989. She presently owns two Flat-Coated Retrievers and one Golden Retriever. Doris' primary canine interest is field training, but she has also been involved in obedience and conformation. She has been Chairperson of the FCRSA Sharon Myers Health Committee since 1995 and a Director of the newly formed FCRSA Foundation for the past year. Doris is involved in regional club activities for both Flat-Coats and Goldens, and she occasionally judges AKC Hunt Tests. By occupation, Doris is a charge nurse in a Level 11 emergency department.

David H. Hopkins, of Chicago, Illinois, received his law degree in 1969, specializing in family law. He has been an English Springer Spaniel Fancier since the mid-1950's and is currently active in field trials and AKC hunt tests, as well as breeding. David was the Field Vice President (1990-92) and President (1992-95) of the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association and currently serves as the AKC Delegate and President of the English Springer Spaniel Field Trial Association Foundation, which was established in 1996.

Mike Wahlig has been an active Poodle breeder for over twenty years. Mike and his wife Jody have owned, bred and shown Standard Poodles under the Dacha prefix since 1976, They have finished thirteen champions, ten of which they bred themselves. Mike has served on the Board of Governors of the Poodle Club of America. He is currently Executive Director of The Poodle Club of America Foundation, Inc., a 501(c) 3 organization which focuses on research and educational issues related to the Poodle.