13 proven fundraising strategies for animal shelters
Boost donations with GoFundMe expert-backed fundraising ideas tailored to shelters, from event-based giving to community engagement.
How can fundraising strategies help animal shelters succeed?
Fundraising is vital for animal shelters because it helps them to support and care for animals, rehabilitate abused and neglected pets, and prevent animals from being put down by finding them forever homes.
Many animal shelters run as nonprofit organizations and rely on money from fundraisers on platforms like GoFundMe to provide basic care. Fundraisers also help to engage the local community, create business partnerships and sponsorship opportunities, and increase volunteer sign ups. Running digital fundraising events, in-person events and peer-to-peer fundraiser all help reach different community groups and increase the overall money raised for animal shelters.
What are effective ways to raise money for nonprofit animal shelters?
Adoption events, sponsorship programs, and fundraising galas are just some of the effective fundraising strategies that can help animal shelters carry out their vital work. Start a GoFundMe and help your local animal shelter today.
1. How can adoption events double as fundraising opportunities?
Adoption fees can range from $50 to $500 or more depending on the shelter. They will cover a range of veterinary costs, from neuter surgery to vaccinations, de-worming treatments and even microchipping. Adoption days are dedicated events where animal shelters either reduce or waive adoption fees to encourage people to give one of their animals a permanent and loving home. They also help to reduce euthanisia rates by freeing up space in the shelter to take in more homeless animals.
Pet adoption days are the perfect opportunity to boost donations to the shelter. Are any of the staff or volunteers talented bakers? Raise extra money by selling homemade cookies or cupcakes while people look for their new pet. You can also host a raffle. Ask local businesses to donate items for raffle prizes and raise money by selling raffle tickets. Selling merchandise is another way to raise money on the day – get t-shirts, key rings and coasters made up with the shelter’s logo on it for people to buy as a memento when they take home the newest member of their family.
When the Cat Cafe South Beach opened in 2018 as a foster home for rescued cats in Miami beach, California, it had been a success. Owner Celyta Jackson followed the area’s policy of TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return) to help rehome 107 cats in the first 18 months of operation. But the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cafe to reduce its capacity, staff and hours of operation, placing it in financial trouble. Celyta started a GoFundMe to help keep the cafe going, keep paying staff and keep doing the vital work of caring for and rehoming the stray cat population, and raised more than $17,000.
$17,266 raised of $15.6K target
2. How do matching gift campaigns increase donations?
Corporate matching gift programs instantly boost the money donated to a charity or nonprofit organization by having companies match charitable contributions made by their employees. It means a single $5, $10 or $50 donation can instantly be turned into $10, $20 or $100 for the animal shelter. But up to $7 billion of matching gift funds goes unclaimed each year, according to Double the Donation. https://doublethedonation.com/matching-gift-statistics/
Raise awareness of gift matching programs among donors by putting information on your website, in any email communications and social media posts. Ask donors to find out if their employer offers a corporate gift matching program and to fill out the relevant form so their donation can be doubled. They can also search a matching gift database to see if their employer is listed.
3. Why are monthly giving programs sustainable?
Monthly giving programs create a steady revenue stream for shelters and reduce the reliance on large, one-off donations. Monthly recurring donations allow shelters to budget how to use their resources, strengthen relationships with returning donors, and increase donor loyalty.
Reach out to donors to see if they would sign up for an affordable monthly donation, explaining what these contributions would cover so they understand how the money will be spent. You can also add a button to your animal shelter website that gives people the option to donate monthly instead of making a one-off payment. Thank people each month for their ongoing contributions in a dedicated donor email and include photos of what they have helped pay for, such as a picture of a dog recovering from surgery or a cat getting microchipped.
4. What role do sponsorship programs play in fundraising?
“Sponsor a pet” programs allow people to make one-off or recurring donations to help sponsor a specific animal and pay towards their medical and general care.
Set up a page showing all the animals available for sponsorship at your shelter showing their name, likes and dislikes, and a cute picture. Sponsors can rename the pet in return for their contribution and be sent updates about the animal. You can also offer sponsorship opportunities as a gift that donors can buy for their animal loving friends.
Get local businesses involved by asking them to sponsor animals at the shelter in exchange for free promotion of their business or services to your donor base through shoutouts in email updates and on social media.
5. Can animal-themed merchandise boost donations?
Creating animal-themed and animal shelter branded merchandise is a great way to boost donations. Ask a local artist if they would donate their time to design a logo or draw three of the most beloved animals at the shelter and showcase the artist on your website and social media pages in return for their hard work.
Have the pictures or logo printed onto t-shirts, mugs, key-rings and any pet accessories sold at the shelter like towels or food bowls, with all profits going to the shelter. Keep costs down by using print-on-demand services instead of buying branded merchandise in bulk. You can set up an online store with minimal cost through sites such as Wix, Shopify or Ionos, or set up an order form on your site and have people pay in a similar way to how they would make a donation.
6. How do donation drives for supplies and funds work?
Hosting physical and online donation drives can help shelters stock up on vital supplies such as animal food, toys, and cleaning supplies. Raise money with virtual donation drives using a fundraiser to cover the cost of medical care and running the shelter, or use platforms like Amazon Wish Lists to let donors easily buy specific items for the shelter.
Let supporters know when you plan to run a physical donation drive and what items you are in need of, so people know when to come and drop off supplies. You can also encourage donors to run their own peer-led mini drives in their own local communities, where they collect items on your behalf from parents, neighbours and local businesses and drop them off at the shelter.
7. How can partnerships with local businesses help raise funds?
There are a number of ways animal shelters can partner with local businesses to help raise funds, from pet-friendly cafes to dog groomers and pet boutiques. See if these businesses would support cross-promotion opportunities such as including a link to your donation page in their next customer email or an Instagram post, while the shelter can include a link to their website or social platforms in its donor emails.
You can carry advertisements for their services in your shelter in return for putting flyers on their shop counter with information about the shelter and a QR code taking customers to your donation page. See if any local supermarkets will support you by setting up a donation stand at the checkout for people to add items to, like kibble, too.
8. What makes fundraising galas or dinners effective?
Traditional big ticket fundraising events like galas or fundraising dinners can raise a large amount of money in one go for a shelter. Keep costs down and raise money by selling tickets to the event and asking local businesses to sponsor the event and ensure their help is highlighted to donors online and those attending.
Raise further money by running a silent auction on the night using prizes donated by local businesses and restaurants. Run the auction through an online platform so people who couldn’t attend can still make bids. You can encourage people who visit the online auction to make a one-off donation to the shelter, too.
How to raise money for nonprofit animal shelters through digital outreach?
Animal shelters can successfully raise money online through email blasts, social media strategies and crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe.
9. How does email and social media fundraising work for shelters?
Shelters can use email and social media platforms to craft creative and effective appeals and to thank donors. Choose a strong rescue animal success story to show donors how their money has made a direct impact on the animals in the shelter. In a dedicated email or post across platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, use a series of pictures to show the progress that the dog, cat or bird made after the shelter took it in, provided it with medical care, and found it a forever home.
Thank donors for helping to make it happen and include a link to your fundraising page to drive further donations.
10. What is the value of crowdfunding for shelter needs?
Crowdfunding is a great way to raise money for shelters, whether for an expensive upgrade or much needed addition to its facilities like a new state of the art building, to buy new equipment, or to cover unexpected costs like emergency vet bills.
Crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe help shelters to quickly reach a range of communities online, from pet owners and local families to business owners and school communities. GoFundMe does not charge a platform fee and shelters can start collecting money straightaway to help with costs, even if they haven’t reached their fundraising goal.
11. How can peer-to-peer fundraising help animal shelters?
People who use and love your animal shelter will want to know how to help outside of donating money or taking part in donation drives. Let supporters create their own birthday fundraisers, marathon fundraisers and memorial or tribute donation page and have the proceeds go to your shelter.
Create peer-to-peer fundraising tools for your supporters by having a dedicated page on your site for donors who want to help out. Include approved wording about the shelter and how it helps animals in the community that people can use in their fundraising materials, and suggested templates for their fundraising pages to make helping out as easy as possible.
How to create an online fundraiser for a shelter charity?
Creating online fundraisers for nonprofit animal shelters and charities involves starting a fundraiser on a platform like GoFundMe, showcasing the shelter’s needs with a clear story and strong images, and sharing it online regularly. Don’t forget to thank your donors for their ongoing support, too!
12. What steps should you follow to set up an online fundraiser?
Start by finding the right platform for your animal shelter. GoFundMe Pro, formerly Classy, helps charities and nonprofits create branded fundraisers, donation forms, and peer-to-peer fundraising pages to raise vital funds for your cause. https://pro.gofundme.com/ Donorbox is another online fundraising platform to help charities and nonprofits track donor information and manage fundraising pages. https://donorbox.org/
When writing your fundraiser description, be clear about your goal and what you are fundraising for so that donors know where their money will be spent. Write a compelling story about your shelter and include strong, emotive images that demonstrate the work you do. End with a clear call to action, share the page regularly online, and be sure to thank your donors for their support.
13. How can storytelling and transparency increase online donations?
Strong, transparent storytelling helps to keep donors engaged long-term, which can lead to an increase in one-off and recurring donations to your shelter. Highlight the stories of individual animals and their urgent needs, and let donors follow their journey through picture and video progress updates showcasing how the animals are recovering from surgery or playing more happily. You can include donor spotlights to thank individuals who have helped make a difference. Produce progress impact reports at the end of each year to send to donors to show the big effect they’ve had in the past 12 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most effective way to raise emergency funds for an animal shelter?
Crowdfunding is a proven way to raise money fast and can be used by animal shelters to raise emergency funds. This can be for unexpected vet bills, whether for life saving surgery or medication for an animal that has suddenly become sick, dealing with a disaster at the shelter such as damage caused by a burst pipe or a wildfire in the area, or supporting the local community with rescue missions for missing pets.
Do online fundraisers work better than in-person events?
Both online fundraisers and in-person events are successful ways to raise money for charities and nonprofit organizations. Starting an online fundraiser is quick and simple and you can tell strong stories about why you are fundraising with emotional and engaging photos and videos. You can reach a wider audience through your website, email marketing campaigns and your social media platforms, and it is a strong way to engage donors outside of your community, those who have accessibility issues or are unable to attend in-person events.
In-person fundraising events are great ways at engaging communities in your cause. Whether you are running a fundraising event with a group of volunteers, within your local community or partnering with a local business for a large formal event like a gala, in-person events allow people to become engaged in your cause by seeing and hearing about the impact your work has on the animals it cares for. This kind of in-person engagement helps to build long-term connections with your shelter through volunteer sign ups and recurring donations.
You can also get the best of both worlds by using hybrid models such as having digital donation stations at an in-person event where people can scan a QR code and be taken to a crowdfunding page and donate, or running a silent auction at a gala where people can bid either in-person or online.
How often should shelters run fundraising campaigns?
Animal shelters should run fundraisers as and when they need to. It is natural that there will be a number of fundraising drives happening at the same time, from long-term fundraisers run throughout the year to help with general operating costs and support, to shorter projects to help individual animals over a number of months, and emergency funds that require raising money fast.
Try to plan projects and longer term fundraising efforts so they can be spread throughout the year to avoid donor fatigue. This means that when there is a cause for an emergency fundraiser, donors will feel ready to help.
Are there free tools to help organize shelter fundraisers?
Free tools to help organize shelter fundraisers exist online, such as GoFundMe, which allows shelters to start a fundraiser without paying a platform fee. A number of programs and CRM platforms designed to help charities and nonprofits to create fundraisers, process donations, and use marketing and fundraiser templates, will have free versions of their platforms with basic capabilities and a paid-for model to access the full suite of fundraising and donor management tools.
How can shelters unlock more support with the right strategies?
Animal shelters can unlock layers of support from donors by employing the right fundraising strategies for the moment at hand. Online crowdfunding can raise money in emergency situations fast, reach wider audiences online by being shared across social media networks, and can be used by individuals who want to help raise money on behalf of the shelter.
Shelters can also gain deeper engagement with donors through in-person fundraising events and by connecting with local businesses and communities. This can also lead to an increase in volunteers, peer-to-peer fundraising, and recurring donations. Each shelter will find a different combination of fundraising tactics will work for their organization depending on the situation.
Try GoFundMe today
You can set up a fundraiser for free on GoFundMe and start raising funds straightaway. GoFundMe does not charge a platform fee. Instead one small transaction fee (2.9% + $0.30) is automatically deducted per donation – that’s it.