Donations can go to animals ranging from anteaters to zebras.
Promoting animal donations requires the ability to get your message out to animal lovers, letting them know what services you provide, how many animals require help and putting a fuzzy (or craggy or pointy-nosed, etc.) face to a name. It may also require savvy sales ability, event planning and hosting, public education and innovative use of online technology, both to put your message in front of people and to encourage them--when feasible--to visit and see first-hand how you help animals.
Instructions
Ways to Attract Support
1. Develop an online presence. If you don't have a website to promote your efforts, you need one. This is where folks can go to read rescue stories, see cute photos of animals who are up for adoption, view photos and information regarding animals in need of medical assistance, and read requests for support. Start a newsletter that you post on the site in addition to sending it out to those who have supported your cause in the past. And, be as inventive and interactive as possible. Rather than putting them on public display, the Tiger Support Sanctuary, an exotic animal refuge, puts on its website live web cam footage of tigers and other species, which range from anteaters to lemurs and lions to zebras. It also sells DVDs, educational lesson plans and merchandise to promote animal conservation and elicit support.
2. Look into negotiating a sales agreement with promotional merchandise vendors. They provide appropriate (and appealing) sale items with your organization's name and logo on them. Your organization receives a royalty for every item sold, the Helping Animals website explains. You can also earn money through neighborhood events such as garage and bake sales, raffles, silent auctions, etc. Team up with local pet stores to advertise pets for adoption and hold pet adoption days at their locations. And, don't be afraid to think outside the box (or even the country.) The San Felipe (Mexico) Animal Rescue sells used shoes it buys or receives as donations from supporters to customers all over the world on E-Bay. The proceeds finance its spaying, neutering and pet-placement operations, the Fundraiser Cyberzine website reports.
3. Hold events and programs that are likely to trigger visits to and participation in your organization. The Animal Welfare League of Arlington, Va., holds an annual pet (dog) walk that attracts many participants who seek donations from sponsors. Its website states that the League's 2009 walk attracted more than 500 walkers, 300 dogs and more than $91,000 in donations.
4. Attract media coverage. Orlando Sentinel columnist Daphne Sashin, wrote in a Nov. 8, 2009, article about the Winter Park, Fla.-based Journey's End Animal Sanctuary's financial shortfalls due to declining donations. The next day, on her accompanying blog, she reported that readers had pledged thousands of dollars in donations and agreed to volunteer in various ways to help Journey's End. In the blog post, Sashin also listed several fundraising events the sanctuary would be holding in the near future, providing a substantial amount of free advertising to the group.
Tags: donations from, from anteaters, more than, your message