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SECTION 18A CERTIFICATES – HOW CAN THEY BENEFIT YOU, THE DONOR?

Maximize Your Generosity with Section 18A: A Message to Our Pawsome Donors!

At Animal Rescue Organisation (ARO), your compassion fuels our mission to care for countless animals in need. Every donation makes a difference, and we’re committed to ensuring your support goes even further. That’s why we issue Section 18A certificates – a powerful tool that unlocks tax benefits for you!

What is a Section 18A certificate?

This document verifies that ARO is a registered Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) approved by the South African Revenue Service (SARS). By claiming your donation on your tax return using this certificate, you can potentially reduce your taxable income, making your generosity even more impactful!

Here’s where we need your help:

To issue accurate and compliant Section 18A certificates, we require some additional information from you. This includes:

  • Your full name and contact details: This ensures we have the right information on file.
  • Your ID number/passport number (for individuals) or registration number (for businesses): This is a legal requirement for SARS verification.
  • Your Tax Reference Number (if available): This helps expedite the tax deduction process for you.

(See Government Gazette article here)

Providing this information is crucial for two reasons:

  1. It ensures you receive the full tax benefit of your donation. Without complete information, we cannot issue a valid certificate, and you may miss out on valuable tax deductions.
  2. It complies with South African tax regulations. Recent changes require PBOs to collect specific donor details on Section 18A certificates. Failing to do so could impact our ability to issue them altogether.

How can you share your information?

  • Contact our Donor Relations Administrator Sandy on sandy@animalrescue.org.za 
  • Call the office on 021 396 5511.

Remember, every bit of information helps us maximize the impact of your generosity. Let’s work together to ensure your compassion extends beyond animal rescue and into tax-saving benefits!

We deeply appreciate your understanding and continued support. Together, we can create a brighter future for animals in need!

P.S. Don’t forget to check your spam folder if you haven’t received your donation confirmation email.

Disclaimer: This blog post is not intended as tax advice. Please consult with a qualified tax professional for specific guidance.

ARO JOINS CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S MASS STERILISATION CAMPAIGN

ARO has joined forces with other welfare organisations in partnership with the City of Cape Town’s mass sterilisation project. For the past 2 and a half months, ARO has been working towards a goal of 185 animals sterilised and we are extremely proud of our team who completed this in record time! So much so that we were asked to do an extra 15 making it a total of 200 animals that has been sterilised through ARO!

       If you take into consideration that 1 unsterilized dog or cat can produce around 67,000 puppies or kittens over 6 years, it is amazing to think what the impact of 200 sterilised animals actually is!
Our amazing AWA Lunga is responsible for running the special project vehicle which is being used to collect and deliver animals for this city funded project. Lunga started this mission in Ocean View and ended in Browns Farm, Phillipi.

This project alone will reduce the amount of unwanted animals that are subjected to suffering and neglect as a result. Sterilisation is of paramount importance to managing pet populations and ending the cycle of animal abuse and cruelty.



ARO’S BERGVLIET CHARITY SHOP HAS HAD A MAKEOVER!

We are super impressed with our Maintenance team who spent many hours in our Bergvliet Charity shop, giving it a complete re-do! Now our supporters can shop in style with our new and improved layout.

The once old and rustic feel you’ve come to know and love has been stripped away and replaced with a clean and fresh new look! This shop sells the most lovely second-hand clothing, jewellery, books, ornaments & bric-a-brac. A true little gem of a store that has something for everyone.

Come for the sales and leave with a smile knowing your support contributes towards the care and treatment of animals in need. 

Brownie

Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month

April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. This, of course, is an issue we are concerned with year round but this month gives us a chance to reflect on the work that we do and how we are assisting in the fight against cruelty to animals.

ARO’s focus as an organisation is providing veterinary care to animals in need but chiefly we focus on sterilisation and education. We believe this is the best way to have long term impact on cruelty to animals as it is the overpopulation of domestic animals – most prevalent in indigent areas – and the lack of education on what it means to care for a pet that causes cruelty to occur so frequently in our country.

All too often, however, a special case comes through our doors. In this case, Brownie, a young cross breed who was brought in by his owner who had left him with a clearly unsuitable carer while she was away. Brownie was kept on a chain and as this pup grew, the rope got tighter until it eventually cut right through his skin. One can just imagine the constant pain this pup endured. Thankfully Brownie was brought to us in time to save his life. Dr Natasha Clark cleaned, stitched and dressed his wound and he is recovering nicely. 

It is a testament to the nature of animals that Brownie is a sweet, loving dog. You would never know what he had suffered at the hands of humans. He needs about 2 weeks to recover but then will be ready to find his forever home.

Let us remember animals like Brownie this April for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month. Just by being a part of the ARO family you are doing your bit for the cause. If you would like to do something extra this coming month perhaps consider making a R450 donation to cover a sterilisation (use your full name + cruelty as reference – banking details below).

Account Name: Animal Rescue Organisation

Bank:                                   ABSA Bank

Branch code:                     632 005

Account number:              4086080569

SWIFT code:                      ABSAZAJJ

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New Hospital Floors thanks to Old Mutual Staff Volunteer Fund Trust

We are so excited about a recent renovation to our hospital! Thanks to Old Mutual Staff Volunteer Fund Trust (OMSVFT), we were able to redo the floors of our indoor and outdoor kennels as well as part of the hospital floors. Although we are very happy with how fresh and new our flooring looks, this is not the most important part of this makeover. The new floor is made of screed, which is not only incredibly sturdy but offers us a surface that we can clean and sterilise properly. The flooring we had previously was tile and old cracked cement. This resulted in many little areas our F10 steriliser could not reach. This increases the risk of viruses like parvo spreading to animals in our hospital, which is an issue we were constantly concerned with. Now because of OMSVFT’s generosity in sponsoring this project we can rest easy knowing that this area of our clinic can be easily cleaned and will help stop the spread of communicable viruses.

Kennel sponsorship poster for website

Sponsor a kennel in our hospital

Kennel sponsorship is a great way of supporting ARO. A Kennel sponsorship is a monthly amount of R250 (or annual donation of R2750) donated on a debit order basis, to assist the running of a specific kennel.

Your contribution will go towards the feeding, caring and medical expenses of the animals that stay in your kennel. We will hang a personalised plaque on your sponsored kennel with a message of your choosing and send you a Kennel Sponsors Certificate.

You’ll also receive quarterly emails with updates of the animals that have stayed in your kennel and what kind of treatments they have received under our care.

With the kennel sponsors, we can budget more effectively than we can on once-off donations. You may stop your sponsorship whenever, for whatever reason – so, go ahead and become a sponsor and a lifelong friend to ARO and animals in need!

ARO Annual Golf Day 2021

Despite the gloomy weather and risk of drenched players, our Golf Day was a great success and enjoyed by the players and all who attended.  The day started off with players rolling in to register and receiving a little goodie bag to keep up their energy out on the course.  A highlight of their tee off was a welcome from the sweetest little fella named Jimmy, one of ARO’s very own dogs that was saved during the City of Cape Town’s sterilisation project. 

From special deliveries from Butlers Pizza to all the players, delicious wine tasting from Tierhoek Wine and delectable Kaapse Liqueur gin, brandy and liqueur tasting, the day went from strength to strength.  Players were able to enjoy their evening in the warmth of King David Mowbray Golf Clubs dining room chatting about their round before the formalities started.

We were overjoyed with the generosity from the players for supporting our Auction and Raffle.  ARO extends a heartfelt THANK YOU to all the golfers including the support of Trevor Quirk, JP Duminy and Herschelle Gibbs, all the staff at King David Mowbray Golf Club, the sponsors, Jimmy and his mom Nicole, the volunteers and ARO board members for making ARO’s Golf Day a great success.

Until next time…