Start A Fundraiser

1. Throw a Donation Party

   If you love bringing people together, this one is for you. Host a party in your home or neighborhood and ask people to bring cat/dog food. Or you could reach out to us for a wishlist and ask people to make donations with a list of acceptable donations from that list. The food will go a long way in helping our foster parents take care of the cats or dogs in their care.

2. Take Advantage of A Special Occasion

   Family and friends often want to shower you with gifts on special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. Why not ask for a gift that keeps on giving - a donation to help find a home for animals, instead of a material gift? You’ll save your space from clutter, while helping us in our mission to rescue dogs and cats from the streets.

3. Organize a Garage Sale

   Still on the subject of decluttering, another creative way to raise funds is by selling gently used stuff in your garage. Check your home for any pre-loved or old unused items, e.g. Christmas gifts from Aunt May that are gathering dust in the closet, clothes, cookware, and old but still good furniture. Put them up for sale in your garage, and let neighbors and friends give them a new home. You can either split the proceeds or put everything into helping our rescue dogs and cats find their forever home.

4. Launch a Social Media Fundraiser

   Platforms like Facebook allow you to create a fundraiser page to raise funds for a charity of your choice, and the payout will be sent directly to the charity. Create your own fundraiser page and share it with your network to donate to it. You can take it a step further by organizing a social media contest, e.g. ask people to share photos of their pets, share your fundraising page, and have their friends and followers vote for their pet. That way, you’re spreading more awareness for the fundraiser and having people gosh over adorable pets at the same time!

5. Use Your Skills

   Are you an excellent baker? Great! A Picasso in the making? Awesome! If you don’t have any crafty or creative skills, you may have friends who do. Consider organizing a bake sale, art sale, or craft sale and donating a part of the proceeds. MHS also has a dedicated artist page, where people can purchase pet paintings, and the proceeds from those paintings come to us. You can also invite your friends who share your values to put up pet paintings on our website to help in our cause.

6. Organize a Photo Contest

   Similar to the social version shared above, you could organize a contest featuring photos of pets, or embarrassing photos of your friends, neighbors, or co-workers as a child. Line up the photos in your community and have people vote for their favorite image by placing money beside it. The photo with the highest amount of money wins! The funds can then be split with each contestant and the other part donated.

7. Partner With A Local Restaurant/Bar

   If there’s a nice restaurant in your neighborhood where your friends like to go, you can convince them to let you help them sell and you’ll receive a percentage of the proceeds for donation. In doing this you may need to have an existing relationship with the businesses and be willing to convince as many people as you can to come out to eat or drink that day. The restaurant/bar will be grateful for the extra business, while you get some money to donate, and hopefully, all the people you invited will also have a good time.
   

At the center of every fundraising effort is the willingness to make an impact on a cause you care about. Make sure to let your passion and genuineness shine through when inviting people to your fundraising events or asking for donations. If you have a story of your own - an adoption story for example, consider sharing it to let people know why you’re passionate about raising funds for animal rescue and care. 

PS: Inviting people for a fundraising event you’re organizing? Download these cute invites to share with your invitees.