Securing 501-c3 Status
After working for 3 years with the CVDART members and receiving a grant from State Farm, it was time to start DART Command Central.
The best way to be able to provide the software to volunteers for free was to apply for grants, accept donations, corporate sponsorships, and build an organization that will help educate communities to prepare for disasters and run emergency pet shelters during a disaster and be a nonprofit organization.
Most software development is done with the goal to sell the software to pay for development and hosting costs.
Founder Deb Shelby, owner of Interactive Ensemble, a custom web and mobile application development company started in 1997 in Austin, Texas knows all too well what it takes to make a quality software solution and the cost of maintaining the service. After careful consideration of the options available to get this tool developed, she asked 2 other team members of CVDART, Lisa Lemieux and Angie Garand from CVDART to join the board. Dr Sue Kelly, a Veterinarian and member of WinDART had supported testing efforts of early versions of the software so Deb invited her to join the board of directors.
In May 2022, a letter from the IRS arrived acknowledging that DART Command Central is now a certified 501-c3 organization.