Blog

February 24, 2025

I’ve spent all day working on the non-profit and finally feel like I am getting somewhere. At this point I have applied for incorporation federally and locally and have applied for my Federal tax ID number. Currently I am in the process of building our website something I have never done before so it is quite daunting, but I seem to be figuring it out bit by bit. Tonight we have our first official Board meeting for the official formation of the non-profit. I’ll update everyone with the next steps in the process after this first board meeting. Stay with me on this journey of saving animals.

Matt Viscelli

February 25, 2025

We had our first board meeting last night with just the top three directors: myself, Michelle Landery, and Megan Moudy. Our agenda was to go through our by-laws and establish the non-profit. The meeting was an overall success. The chemistry between the team feels great. We also went over the next steps that need to be taken in establishing the non-profit. I got the Facebook page up this morning so now I’m sort of in limbo waiting for the incorporation to be completed. Once that comes back in a few days we can apply for our 501c3 status. I’ll update again once I am able to move on in the process. Until then keep your eyes open for animals in need!

Matt Viscelli

February 26, 2025

Great news came in. We are officially incorporated as Save Farm Rescue in Alabama. Now we are just waiting for our FEIN to come in and we can continue with everything else we need to do to establish the non-profit and get our 501c3 status. In retrospect I should have just gone through the IRS for our FEIN as they issue immediately but I thought it made sense to just add it to our Northwestern Agent package. For those wondering that is the company I have used to establish this non-profit. Today is going to be my first day volunteering at the SPCA. I’m excited to get to work with animals and learn more about shelters. I’ll update again soon with how it went and any new progress. As always keep your eyes open for animals in need!

Matt Viscelli

February 27, 2025

Lots of great news and progress to report today. Late last night I finally received our FEIN which is what I needed to complete the rest of the steps to get the non-profit established. Now that I have the FEIN I was able to go ahead and apply for our 501c3 status with the federal government. I was also able to file for an Alabama tax ID and for Alabama charitable status. Once all of these things have been approved we will be fully established. All that is left to do is to open a bank account for Save Farm. I am hopefully going to get to that today or tomorrow. Things are really speeding along and I’m proud of the progress were making. Watch the road for strays, I’ll post again when I have more progress to share.

Matt Viscelli

February 28, 2025

Some new progress to report as well as some setback. Now that we have applied for 501c3 status we are well on our way but there is still so much to do. I thought that I had applied for charitable status in Alabama but I was informed I applied for the wrong application. It turns out I will have to wait until the 501c3 status comes back before I can apply for that so we can start accepting donations. I was able to go ahead and get our bank account setup with little pushback. After that I was able to make a PayPal account with a donation page so we will be ready to accept donations immediately upon receiving our status. Exciting things on the horizon I can’t wait to continue sharing this journey with you of building a shelter from nothing.

Matt Viscelli

March 3, 2025

Well it is a new week and there’s lot of things to do. Even though we are still waiting on our 501c3 status to come back I am trying to make sure all our ducks are in a row so we can hit the ground running. This morning I was informed that our Facebook page has been suspended for some unknown community guidelines. Another setback… I am really not sure if its going to be permanently banned because the suspension is unclear. It is going to be unfortunate if we have to start a new one without the right name. I’ve been working on bios for our board and am just waiting on 2 more pictures and that page will be complete. I already have our donation page setup but we cannot set it live until we get our charitable status. Until next time be sure to help animals in need around you.

Matt Viscelli

March 4, 2025

Great news to report this morning. Our Facebook page has been officially re-activated. This was really troublesome as we had no idea why it had been suspended in the first place. If they had decided to uphold the suspension we would have lost use to the Save Farm Rescue name so thankfully that didn’t happen. In other news I have been researching free payroll software to be able to pay employees with. They are all a bit difficult to use but I decided to go with payroll4free.com. It’s going to take a lot to set it up but I have plenty of time since we don’t have any money yet! Next step to work on is going to be finding a CPA in town that works with non-profits. As always I’ll keep you all posted and take care of those fur babies!

Matt Viscelli

March 5, 2025

Another day another setback. I woke up this morning to Paypal having disconnected our bank account. This is a major deal because Paypal is going to be our main source for donations. I’ve spent an hour on the phone with them to no avail at this point they are saying to wait 72hrs and just try to re-activate it. Other than that today I’ll be working on getting our linkedin setup, as well as getting our payroll process documentation rolling. I had no idea how much paperwork would be involved just to pay one employee. I know everyone is sad about poor Chance so give your fur babies some extra love today. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 6, 2025

Well even though I feel like I got a lot done yesterday sometimes it just feels like its one step forward two steps back. I spent some time on the phone with Paypal and we have hopefully got the bank account re-linked, won’t know for a day or two. Next I spent time getting our Linkedin setup. It was fairly easy although I’m not really sure what to do with that account. Afterwards I spent hours putting together the documents the payroll service needs to get us setup. They informed me this morning they need more documentation and a lot of the tax stuff they are talking about I don’t understand at all. Sometimes I just feel like I have no idea what I’m doing. Hopefully all this work will lead somewhere but I definitely have my doubts some days. Can I actually create a shelter from nothing? Sounds daunting and is daunting but it’s what I want to do and it’s what I’m going to keep working towards. until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 7, 2025

Finally a day with no set backs to mention. I was able to get our bank account officially reconnected to our Paypal so we will be able accept donations when the time comes. Apparently I had originally entered the wrong routing number I guess sometimes we just make mistakes. I deal with so many numbers on a daily basis it gets confusing sometimes. I think I’ve got everything setup with the payroll people for now. Since we don’t have any money yet we can only get setup with their free services for now. Hopefully that will work for us. Recently there have been so many dogs in need in Grand Bay and its breaking our hearts we can’t help them all. That is why this shelter is so important. The waiting is the worst part. As soon as we get our 501c3 status we can really get things rolling so hopefully that comes back soon. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 10, 2025

New week new setbacks. Our Facebook account was suspended again without any reason. Hopefully the appeal is able to reinstate it again. Still waiting on Alabama tax ID. Their website says it only takes 3 business days but it has been much longer than that. I wonder if Mardi Gras is the reason it is taking so long to come back. Without the tax id I cannot finish setting up payroll. We are also still waiting on our 501c3 status to come back. The waiting is the hardest part. There is only so much I can do until we get these back. I just have to keep finding new things to work on until we are official. The more I can get done now the easier it will be to hit the ground running when the time comes. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 12, 2025

Well I feel like I am starting to sound like a broken record. Fix one thing and another one breaks. I got the Facebook verified again after a second suspension for no reason. I thought I was all setup with the payroll company except for the Alabama tax ID I’m still waiting on, but now they are saying they can’t verify my bank account. So it looks like I’m going to have to go up to the bank and get something indisputable from them to get it verified. Not something I was hoping to have to do. Hopefully will start having more wins then set backs soon because its bringing down my morale. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 17, 2025

Its a new week with new challenges. I spent time at the bank Friday trying to get everything with the payroll company straightened out. I sent them the document they requested so hopefully that is all they need now. I’m going to call today to check on the status of our Alabama tax id as well as our 501c3 status. I know these things take time but it has been almost 3 weeks so should be coming back soon. I need to focus more on building a Facebook page with people from Grand Bay not just the people I know. Somehow it feels like I have a million things to do and nothing to do at the same time. I know all these small tasks add up but sometimes I just feel like I’m not moving the needle forward. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli

March 18, 2025

Some interesting news to report today. I called the Alabama revenue office to see what is going on with our tax ID. According to them they sent it to my registered agent on March 1st. I called my registered agent and they said they still have not received it. Its been 18 days and it is something sent from Alabama to Alabama. So now I am not sure what to do. Should I just keep waiting or try and get them to send it directly to me? I’m not even sure if that is possible. On another note I called the IRS regarding our 1023EZ application for 501c3 status and they said that it is already under review which is great news. They said 80% of them come back in under 22 days so hopefully we should be approved any day now. I’ve been trying to build the Facebook page with people from Grand Bay not just people I already know. Some are accepting others are not. Also Facebook will only let you friend request 5 people a day so it is a slow grind trying to build it up. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 19, 2025

Not much to report on today. Still have a lost Alabama tax ID I need to figure out how to obtain. Also still waiting on our 1023ez to be accepted so we can get our 501c3 status. I’ve been focusing on looking up grants for the future as well as trying to build the Facebook page with people who live in Grand Bay. Other than that I’m not sure what more I can do at this point. I need to schedule our next board meeting but I was hoping to have our 501c3 status by then. Hopefully things start moving forward soon. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 20, 2025

I’ve been trying to build our Facebook page but it almost feels impossible. It seems like they never let me add people as friends. How am I supposed to grow if I can’t add friends? In other news I’ve been learning about grants and wow is there a lot that goes into them. It is going to take a ton of time and effort to learn how to correctly write these unless I am able to bring in a grant writer. I still need to resolve my Alabama tax id issue. It is missing in action. I’m mostly likely going to have to get on the phone with the revenue office again and get transferred around 10 times before someone can help me. Wish me luck. Until next time..

Matt Viscelii

March 21, 2025

Well I finally got fed up enough with the Alabama tax id I had to make something happen. I called the revenue office yesterday and got transferred around a bunch. Finally I reached someone who could look at my status and told me it had been mailed out March 1st. I informed her it was never received and after some back and forth I got her to agree to send it again directly to me instead of to my registered agent. So hopefully I will have it physically in my hands in the next couple days. Yesterday I also had someone reach out about taking in some cats. It broke my heart to let them know were not setup enough yet to take them. It’s hard starting from nothing but hopefully we will be able to help soon. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 24, 2025

Since I don’t have anything new to really report I’m just going to give an update of where we are at. We are currently waiting for our 501c3 status to come back. I am expecting it within the next two weeks. Once we get that we can apply for Alabama Charity license. Once we have that we can begin our aggressive personal donation campaign to raise capital. Once we raise capital we can start partner services and possibly buy our plot of land. The waiting is the hardest part but hopefully we will have thing moving in the right direction very soon. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli

March 25, 2025

Just a short update today. I finally received our Alabama Tax ID. This means payroll can finally be finished setting up. Other than that now we are just waiting on the 501c3 to come back. It’s a small step but it’s one step closer to getting to where we want to be. It’s tough sometimes seeing the how this can possibly work out. I cannot lose sight of the vision. We must try even if we must fail. I’m not going to give up no matter what happens. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli

March 26, 2025

Not much to update on today. North Western Registered Agents finally uploaded my Alabama Tax ID even though I already called and had it sent directly to me because it had been way too long. I am going to call the IRS today and check in on our 501c3 status. Besides that I’m going to start researching how to put together our pitch deck so that we can be ready to send out to potential donors. I am also going to check-in with the Mobile County Shelter about volunteer work. They said they would be sending out applications this week but I have not received one. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

March 31, 2025

Another day without much update. I have orientation for the Mobile County Shelter on Wednesday this week. I also may help Friend of Mobile Shelter with a clinic this Saturday if I am able to. Otherwise I am starting to work on our pitch deck for donors. I still need to call and check on our 501c3 status. It seems like it should have come back by now. There is going to be a lot of volunteering until we are setup more. I wish I had more to update but that is about it. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

April 3, 2025

Just a quick update today. I had my orientation yesterday for volunteering at the Mobile County Animal Shelter. Orientation went well. I learned a lot about the operations and how to respect and treat animals. I can volunteer as much as I want. I have already scheduled myself for 3 days for next week. I’m excited to get started and start helping animals instead of just researching and working on my computer. I was able to meet the head director as well which will be a great resource for us. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

April 7th, 2025

New week new updates. I spoke with the IRS again and they are still reviewing our 501c3 status which I can only take to be positive at this point. Today was my first day volunteering at the Mobile County Animal Shelter. It was great. I learned a lot about how to treat and handle shelter animals. Right now I am a green status volunteer which means I can only work with the very best dogs. After I get some more experience I will be able to work with the tougher dogs. I have my next day volunteering on Wednesday so I’ll keep everyone posted on the progress. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli

April 10, 2025

I had my second day at the Mobile County Animal Shelter yesterday. Again I was the only volunteer there. I spent my three hours walking all of the green dogs. The green dogs have the best behavior and are easiest to work with. I will say three hours of dog walking is taxing. I wore my boots which was a mistake because I now have major blisters on my feet. It was still a good experience and I didn’t mind the pain because the dogs love their walks. I’ll wear my walking shoes next time. Next time I’m supposed to be bathing puppies so that should be fun. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli

April 15, 2025

I had my third day at the Mobile County Animal Shelter. I spent most of my time just walking dogs again. Until they get more volunteers walking the dogs is one of the most important things to do. Walking them gets them out of their kennels. It gives them a chance to go potty outside and socialize with a human. The more they are walked the more adoptable they become. I should have enough hours after my next volunteer session to move up from only walking the green dogs. Green dogs being the easiest to work with. I’m excited to move up because it means more dogs will have the opportunity to get walked. Other than that we are still waiting on our 501c3 approval. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli.

April 17, 2025

I had my fourth day at Mobile County Animal Shelter yesterday. Once again I spent the majority of it walking dogs. It’s really quite taxing doing three hours straight of walking dogs that don’t know me well. It’s hard but the dogs love it. At the end of my shift I got to spend some time learning and watching temperament tests between dogs. I was informed I graduated from the first level of being a volunteer. Not only that but I was the first volunteer to graduate so far. So this means my next shift I will be learning more about the shelter operations and doing less dog walking. I will let you know what I end up doing next shift. Until next time..

Matt Viscelli

April 15th 2025

Just a quick update for this week. We are still waiting on the 501c3 status to come back. I am currently volunteering still at the Mobile County Animal Shelter until we can move forward more with the non-profit. The animal shelter actually suggested that I apply for a Kennel Tech position there so I may be doing that. Working there will certainly teach me what I need to know about running an animal shelter. I’ll check back in when any more progress has been made. Until then be kind to animals.

Matt Viscelli

May 9th 2025

Well I have some really good news and some really bad news. The good news is that we are officially a 501c3 organization. The bad news is our Facebook page was completely deleted. I filed for Alabama charitable status. The application was really confusing so I am hoping I did it correctly and they accept it. The Facebook deletion has been devastating. We had over 150 people in the community following us and now I have to start over. Not even sure if Facebook will let me re-make the page. I’ll keep you posted on the next steps. Until next time…

Matt Viscelli